DOE Diesel at $5.652, Gulf Coast the Week's Biggest Mover

The DOE number for the week of August 24 came in at $5.652/gal, up 19.8 cents on the week, per EIA's weekly on-highway diesel survey. That is the index fuel-surcharge schedules peg to. At the stated 6.5 mpg reference, that works out to 87.0 cents a mile. The week's move adds about $15.23 to the fuel bill on a 500-mile haul.

Notable moves from the same EIA release:

• Gulf Coast (PADD 3): $5.481/gal, up 5% week over week from the prior EIA on-highway diesel survey, the biggest regional percentage gain on the week and now 65% above its five-year median.
• Midwest (PADD 2): $5.636/gal, up 4% on the week and 52% above the five-year median, nearly matching the national number.
• California: $7.040/gal, up 4% on the week and 44% above its five-year median.
• Central Atlantic (PADD 1B): $5.840/gal, up 3% on the week and 49% above its five-year median.
• Crude benchmarks: WTI (Cushing) at $86.48/bbl and Brent (Europe) at $95.29/bbl as of Aug. 18 per EIA's daily spot series, each up 2% on the week. Crude runs roughly half the cost of a gallon at the pump and reaches retail with a lag of days to weeks.
• West-vs-Gulf gap: the West Coast (PADD 5) at $6.407/gal runs 92.6 cents/gal over the Gulf Coast (PADD 3) at $5.481/gal.

Wholesale context: EIA's daily spot series show New York Harbor ULSD at $4.550/gal and Gulf Coast ULSD at $4.422/gal, both as of Aug. 18. These are bulk, untaxed hub prices, not pump prices. The gap between the Gulf Coast spot and the Gulf Coast retail price carries federal and state taxes plus the full retail layer.

The national number sits 52% above its five-year median.