Diesel started the new year with a 3.7-cent increase to $3.331 a gallon, according to US Department of Energy information.
This fifth straight increase for the fuel’s price was also the fifth straight week in which it hit its highest levels since October 2008.
Diesel is at its highest since the $3.482 of Oct 20, 2008. The average price is more than 37 cents higher than where it was at the end of September when prices started climbing. Diesel prices are 53.4 cents higher than the same week in 2010.
The largest price gain was in Gulf Coast states, where the average price soared 5.3 cents. The East Coast average rose 4.4 cents to $3.357, while the West Coast increased 3.8 cents to $3.443. As usual, the nation’s most expensive diesel was in California at $3.507, or 3.7 cents a gallon higher.