Diesel climbs again as regular gas prices ease

The national average for on-highway diesel rose 9.7 cents last week to $6.276 a gallon, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s Oct. 20 update.

That’s $2.66 higher than a year ago, when diesel averaged about $3.62, and it reverses a two-cent dip the week before.

Regular gasoline went the other way, slipping 4.7 cents to $4.284. The gap between the two fuels now stands at nearly $2 a gallon, which matters more to anyone paying for reefer loads than anything happening at the consumer pump.

Every region tracked by EIA posted a diesel increase, but the West stood out. The West Coast average hit $7.394 after a 15.4-cent jump, the largest weekly gain of any region.

California alone reached $8.242, up 15.1 cents on the week and $3.34 above last year. Shippers moving product out of Oregon and Washington got no relief either; the West Coast excluding California rose 15.6 cents to $6.659.

The Rocky Mountain region climbed 12 cents to $6.422, and its year-over-year increase of $2.84 trails only the West Coast. The Midwest, at $6.352, gained 9.3 cents and sits $2.79 above last October.

East Coast buyers fared somewhat better. The Lower Atlantic, which covers Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas, remained the cheapest region at $5.740, though it still added 9.5 cents. New England posted the smallest weekly increase at 2.9 cents, but at $6.470 it’s among the costlier markets, alongside the Central Atlantic at $6.508. The Gulf Coast came in at $5.903.

On the gasoline side, most regions fell, with the West Coast down 8.2 cents. A few pockets moved sharply higher: Ohio jumped 17.9 cents, led by a 23.9-cent spike in Cleveland, and Colorado rose nearly 10 cents. Midwest gas held flat at $4.145.

For produce, the numbers point to rising freight costs on long-haul lanes out of California and the Northwest heading into the holiday shipping season, with fuel surcharges likely to follow. EIA releases its next update on Oct. 27.