U.S. Diesel Fuel Cost Survey

WASHINGTON - Jul 11/13 - 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 July 8
                        (US$/gallon)
                                   Change    Change
Region Location           Price   Week ago  Year ago
I      East Coast         3.831     0.014     0.100
       New England        3.965    -0.006     0.125
       Central Atlantic   3.895     0.003     0.077
       Lower Atlantic     3.757     0.026     0.111
II     Midwest            3.821     0.006     0.183
III    Gulf Coast         3.753     0.019     0.148
IV     Rocky Mountain     3.811    -0.008     0.131
V      West Coast         3.951     0.009     0.153
        less California   3.864     0.008     0.166
       California         4.026     0.011     0.144
Total  U.S.               3.828     0.011     0.145