Photo: Aaron Marsh/ Fleet Owner
Fuel pump

Fuel prices continue to creep up

Sept. 19, 2018
The national average for U.S. on-highway diesel is up 1 cent this week to $3.268 per gallon, which is just 2 cents less than the 2018 high price of $3.288 over Memorial Day.

Slowly but surely, on-highway diesel and gasoline prices continue to increase across most the U.S., according to figures released by the Energy Information Administration (EIA) this week.

The national average for U.S. on-highway diesel is up 1 cent this week to $3.268 per gallon, which is just 2 cents less than the 2018 high price of $3.288 over Memorial Day. This week's national diesel average is 47.7 cents more than it was a year ago.

For the fourth week in a row, every region of the U.S. has an average on-highway diesel price of more than $3 per gallon. Every region in the nation except for the Rocky Mountains (down 0.4 cents) saw an increase in diesel prices this past week. The biggest diesel price increases were in the Gulf Coast (up 1.7 cents) and Midwest (up 1.4 cents). California still boasts the most expensive diesel per gallon at $3.979.

Gasoline prices at the pump are also slowing creeping back toward 2018's high of $2.962 on Memorial Day. This week, the national average for unleaded gasoline is $2.841 per gallon; up 0.8 cents from last week and 20.7 cents higher than this week in 2017.

Every region in the U.S. except the Gulf Coast (down 1.1 cents) saw an increase in gasoline prices this week. The biggest gas price increases were in the Midwest (up 2.1 cents) and the West Coast (up 0.8 cents). The Rocky Mountains ($3.014 per gallon) and the West Coast ($3.344) are the only two regions with gasoline averaging more than $3 per gallon.

Here is a look at the week-over-week on-highway diesel prices in every region of the U.S., as EIA reported on Monday night:

  • East Coast: $3.252 (up 0.6¢)
    • New England: $3.267 (up 1.2¢)
    • Central Atlantic: $3.415 (up 0.8¢)
    • Lower Atlantic: $3.135 (up 0.4¢)
  • Midwest: $3.208 (up 1.4¢)
  • Gulf Coast: $3.056 (up 1.7¢)
  • Rocky Mountain: $3.363 (down 0.4¢)
  • West Coast: $3.755 (up 0.9¢)
    • West Coast less California: $3.473 (up 0.8¢)
    • California: $3.979 (up 1¢)

Here's a look at gasoline prices per gallon by region and how they changed this week:

  • East Coast: $2.778 (up 0.2¢)
    • New England: $2.869 (up 0.5¢)
    • Central Atlantic: $2.929 (up 0.1¢)
    • Lower Atlantic: $2.676 (up 0.2¢)
  • Midwest: $2.761 (up 2.1¢)
  • Gulf Coast: $2.561 (down 1.1¢)
  • Rocky Mountain: $3.014 (up 0.6¢)
  • West Coast: $3.344 (up 0.8¢)
    • West Coast less California: $3.127 (down 0.1¢)
    • California: $3.520 (up 0.7¢)
About the Author

Josh Fisher | Editor-in-Chief

Editor-in-Chief Josh Fisher has been with FleetOwner since 2017. He covers everything from modern fleet management to operational efficiency, artificial intelligence, autonomous trucking, alternative fuels and powertrains, regulations, and emerging transportation technology. Based in Maryland, he writes the Lane Shift Ahead column about the changing North American transportation landscape. 

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