U.S. Diesel Fuel Cost Survey

WASHINGTON - Dec 28/06 - 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 December 25
                      (US$/gallon)
                                   Change    Change
Region Location           Price   Week ago  Year ago
I      East Coast         2.587    -0.012     0.106
       New England        2.737     0.007     0.094
       Central Atlantic   2.710    -0.012     0.111
       Lower Atlantic     2.520    -0.015     0.104
II     Midwest            2.550    -0.005     0.130
III    Gulf Coast         2.514    -0.005     0.093
IV     Rocky Mountain     2.713    -0.003     0.303
V      West Coast         2.856    -0.031     0.333
       California         2.885    -0.032     0.342
Total  U.S.               2.596    -0.010     0.148