Diesel fuel prices, national average pump price fell for a third straight week, declining 6.2 cents to $3.835 a gallon, while gasoline dropped 7 cents to $3.604, the Department of Energy said Monday.
Diesel fuel prices have declined in 11 of 15 weeks since early May, with Monday’s downturn matching the highest drop since then, a 6.2-cent decrease on June 27. Good news for fuel management and the fleet manager who has to watch the expense. It also has helped companies with their fuel card and fleet card programs for lower fees.
Gas prices fell for a second straight week following five gains. It also took its biggest decline since late June, when it fell 7.8 cents to $3.574.
Diesel fuel price is now 85.6 cents higher than the same week a year ago, while gasoline is 85.9 cents over the same week last year, DOE said following its weekly survey of filling stations. Fleet fueling is certainly higher than it was last year but it feel like fuel savings compared to the charges we had just a couple of months ago.
Diesel fuel price is 28.9 cents below the year’s high of $4.124 set May 2, which was the highest national average price since August 2008. Gas prices are 36.1 cents below the price on May 9, which was also the highest since 2008.
Oil, which closed under $80 a barrel last Tuesday for the first time since September, has risen in each of the last three trading days, Bloomberg reported.
Crude futures gained $2.50 Monday to finish the New York Mercantile Exchange trading day at $87.88 a barrel, Bloomberg said.
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