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Oct 22, 2009 11:27 AM

The average price of a gallon of diesel fuel nationwide jumped 10.5 cents to $2.705 a gallon, its highest price since November 17, 2008, when it was $2.809, according to US Department of Energy information.

This increase—the largest since a 14.6-cent spike in June—put trucking’s main fuel 77.7 cents below the same week in 2008. Before last week’s 1.8-cent rise, diesel had declined for five straight weeks, falling 9.2 cents in that time. Before Monday, the year’s previous high was $2.674, set August 31.

The biggest price gain, 11.4 cents, was on the Gulf Coast, where prices rose to $2.644, still the nation’s least-expensive diesel by region.