Diesel keeps dropping, slides another 3.5 cents

New government data shows the U.S. average for trucking’s main fuel falling to $4.247 per gallon—over $1 less than it was a year ago. Gasoline, meanwhile, does a hard 180 for the week of March 13 and starts to climb.

Scott Achelpohl

March 14, 2023

2 min read

The U.S. average price for diesel fuel continued its slow but steady decline for the sixth week in a row, falling 3.5 cents to $4.247 per gallon, and diesel now sits more than $1 less than a year ago, according to new U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) data.

Motor club AAA saw almost the same decline in trucking's main fuel for the week of March 13, reporting that its U.S. average dropped 3.7 cents to $4.339 per gallon.

According to EIA, diesel has not risen since the week of Jan. 30 and is down 37.5 cents per gallon since then.

Trucking’s main fuel was down in every region of the nation for the week of March 13, according to EIA, except the West Coast, where diesel was up a fraction of a penny to $4.898 and still well above $5 in California. Elsewhere, the fuel fell in the Rocky Mountains (down 6.7 cents to $4.431), along the East Coast (down 4.9 cents to $4.360), in the Midwest (3.7 cents lower to $4.094), and the Gulf Coast (down 2.9 cents to $3.998). The Gulf Coast also is the only region where diesel averages less than $4 per gallon.

Gasoline, meanwhile, headed in the other direction for the week of March 13, according to the latest EIA data. Gas, a consumer favorite and pumped by many commercial fleets, especially work truckers, rose 6.7 cents nationally to $3.456 per gallon for the week, though gas is 85.9 cents a gallon below its level of a year ago and 79 cents cheaper than diesel this week.

Lower oil prices appear to be forming the backbone of sustained price declines for the fuels refined from it, though other factors like refining and supply play a part. But Brent crude was down below $80 per barrel and West Texas Intermediate crude was nearing $70 on the morning of March 14.

About the Author

Scott Achelpohl

Managing Editor

Scott Achelpohl is a former FleetOwner managing editor who wrote for the publication from 2021 to 2023. Since 2023, he has served as managing editor of Endeavor Business Media's Smart Industry, a FleetOwner affiliate.