The average price of diesel fuel nationwide climbed for the seventh consecutive week, advancing 4.4 cents to $2.616 a gallon, according to US Department of Energy information. In the past seven weeks, diesel has risen 43.1 cents.
Diesel’s price is $2.032 below the same week in 2008, when it was approaching its July 14 record of $4.764 a gallon. This week’s price is the highest since November 24, 2008, when it reached $2.664, according to the DOE. In mid-March, diesel prices were at $2.02.
Bill Graves, president and chief executive officer of the American Trucking Associations, said, “Since March, the price of diesel has risen 56¢/gallon despite supplies being at a historical high and diesel demand at a nine-year low. It seems that more is at play than just the fundamentals of supply and demand.”