U.S. Diesel Fuel Cost Survey

WASHINGTON - Apr 4/13 - 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 1
                        (US$/gallon)
                                   Change    Change
Region Location           Price   Week ago  Year ago
I      East Coast         4.025    -0.025    -0.165
       New England        4.148    -0.023    -0.114
       Central Atlantic   4.083    -0.026    -0.197
       Lower Atlantic     3.958    -0.025    -0.151
II     Midwest            3.970    -0.009    -0.072
III    Gulf Coast         3.915    -0.020    -0.134
IV     Rocky Mountain     3.922    -0.013    -0.203
V      West Coast         4.116     0.015    -0.304
        less California   4.016    -0.030    -0.362
       California         4.200     0.053    -0.256
Total  U.S.               3.993    -0.013    -0.149