U.S. Diesel Fuel Cost Survey

WASHINGTON - Apr 19/07 - 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 April 16
                      (US$/gallon)
                                   Change    Change
Region Location           Price   Week ago  Year ago
I      East Coast         2.862     0.049     0.074
       New England        2.871     0.050     0.006
       Central Atlantic   2.885     0.033     0.009
       Lower Atlantic     2.852     0.056     0.109
II     Midwest            2.864     0.029     0.129
III    Gulf Coast         2.849     0.039     0.124
IV     Rocky Mountain     2.981     0.030     0.225
V      West Coast         2.956     0.035     0.075
       California         3.015     0.037     0.082
Total  U.S.               2.877     0.037     0.112