The U.S. average retail price of diesel dropped 0.9 cent to $3.070 a gallon, according to the Department of Energy, even as crude oil prices advanced near the $60 mark for a barrel.
The national average price of diesel is still 9.8 cents more than it was a year ago, when the price was $2.972, DOE said after its March 18 survey of fueling stations.
The decrease was the first drop in price after four weeks of consecutive increases in the average weekly diesel price, totaling 11.3 cents.
But average prices for diesel, trucking’s main fuel, did not decline in every region. Prices rose the most in New England, up 1.7 cents to $3.200 per gallon.
Diesel prices dropped the most in the Midwest region, falling 1.9 cents to $2.992 per gallon.
The price of gasoline went up 7.7 cents, to $2.548 per gallon. Still, gasoline is 5 cents cheaper than it was a year ago.