The national average price per gallon of diesel gasoline fell for the third consecutive week, according to data issued yesterday by the Department of Energy’s Energy Information Administration (EIA).

With a 3.3-cent decline, the national average, for the week of March 17, came in at $3.549, following a 5.3-cent decline, to $3.582, for the week of March 10. That was preceded by a 6.2-cent decline, for the week of March 3, which marked the largest weekly decline going back to the week of January 27, when it dropped 5.6 cents, with the national average falling 11.5 cents over the last two weeks. Over the last three weeks, the national average has cumulatively declined 14.8 cents. 

Prior to that, the national average had seen gains over a four-week period, going back to the week of February 3, for a cumulative 3.7-cent increase over that period, including a 2.0-cent gain, to $3.697, for the week of February 24, which followed a 1.2-cent gain, to $3.677, for the week of February 17, a 0.005-cent increase, to $3.665, for the week of February 10, and a 0.001-cent increase, to $3.660, for the week of February 3.

Those four weeks of gains were preceded by a 5.6-cent decrease, to $3.659 per gallon, for the week of January 27, and an 11.3-cent gain, for the week of January 20, to $3.715, the largest weekly increase since the week of August 14, 2023, when it climbed 13.9 cents to $4.378 per gallon.

On an annual basis, the national average was down 47.9 cents, steeper than annual declines seen over the previous three weeks, at 42.2 cents, 38.7 cents, and 36.2 cents, respectively.

WTI Crude is currently trading at $68.05 on the New York Mercantile Exchange, slightly above the $67.19 reading a week ago at this time.