U.S. Diesel Fuel Cost Survey

WASHINGTON - Oct 5/06 - 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 September 25
                      (US$/gallon)
                                     Change     Change
Region Location           Price     Week ago   Year ago
I      East Coast         2.567     -0.033     -0.631
       New England        2.678     -0.052     -0.334
       Central Atlantic   2.694     -0.052     -0.346
       Lower Atlantic     2.503     -0.023     -0.780
II     Midwest            2.467     -0.039     -0.616
III    Gulf Coast         2.490     -0.036     -0.695
IV     Rocky Mountain     2.679     -0.148     -0.400
V      West Coast         2.789     -0.103     -0.385
       California         2.835     -0.075     -0.427
Total  U.S.               2.546     -0.049     -0.598