U.S. Diesel Fuel Cost Survey

WASHINGTON - Sep 7/06 - SNS -- The weekly diesel price provides a proxy for trends in U.S. truck rates, according to the USDA.

Diesel fuel is a significant expense for agriculture commodity movements by truck, accounting for 37% of the estimated variable cost.

       Retail On-Highway Diesel Prices to September 4
                      (US$/gallon)
                                     Change     Change
Region Location           Price     Week ago   Year ago
I      East Coast         2.911      -0.044      0.011
       New England        3.009      -0.026      0.032
       Central Atlantic   3.032      -0.042      0.039
       Lower Atlantic     2.850      -0.047     -0.003
II     Midwest            2.937      -0.089      0.094
III    Gulf Coast         2.872      -0.051      0.039
IV     Rocky Mountain     3.318      -0.028      0.342
V      West Coast         3.199      -0.030      0.050
       California         3.175      -0.025     -0.075
Total  U.S.               2.967      -0.060      0.069