U.S. Diesel Fuel Cost Survey

WASHINGTON - Aug 9/07 - 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 August 6
                      (US$/gallon)
                                   Change    Change
Region Location           Price   Week ago  Year ago
I      East Coast         2.866    0.019   -0.160
       New England        2.955    0.009   -0.106
       Central Atlantic   2.945    0.022   -0.159
       Lower Atlantic     2.825    0.019   -0.164
II     Midwest            2.887    0.002   -0.183
III    Gulf Coast         2.824    0.016   -0.164
IV     Rocky Mountain     3.012    0.009   -0.196
V      West Coast         3.077    0.019   -0.036
       California         3.140   -0.012    0.010
Total  U.S.               2.898    0.012   -0.157