U.S. Diesel Fuel Cost Survey

WASHINGTON - Mar 1/07 - 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 February 26
                      (US$/gallon)
                                   Change    Change
Region Location           Price   Week ago  Year ago
I      East Coast         2.526    0.047    0.033
       New England        2.650    0.014    0.057
       Central Atlantic   2.598    0.017    0.005
       Lower Atlantic     2.483    0.062    0.042
II     Midwest            2.523    0.079    0.106
III    Gulf Coast         2.497    0.079    0.054
IV     Rocky Mountain     2.568    0.051    0.059
V      West Coast         2.790    0.006    0.167
       California         2.911    0.010    0.223
Total  U.S.               2.551    0.060    0.080