U.S. Diesel Fuel Cost Survey

WASHINGTON - Aug 2/07 - 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 July 30
                      (US$/gallon)
                                   Change    Change
Region Location           Price   Week ago  Year ago
I      East Coast         2.847   -0.013   -0.111
       New England        2.946   -0.004   -0.045
       Central Atlantic   2.923   -0.022   -0.107
       Lower Atlantic     2.806   -0.009   -0.118
II     Midwest            2.885    0.003   -0.103
III    Gulf Coast         2.808   -0.007   -0.117
IV     Rocky Mountain     3.003    0.015   -0.049
V      West Coast         3.058   -0.003   -0.008
       California         3.152   -0.006    0.059
Total  U.S.               2.886   -0.003   -0.094