The prices for diesel fuel and diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) are heading in largely separate directions at the moment, with diesel remaining in the midst of a four-week decline even as DEF crept up slightly during the last month at the truck stop pump and for LTL shipments, though it dropped for tote refills.
According to data tracked by the Energy Information Administration (EIA), the U.S. average retail pump price for diesel declined 1.3 cents this week to $3.857 per gallon, which is 15.3 cents cheaper per gallon compared to the same week in 2012.
The agency noted that diesel dropped in all regions of the U.S. this week, though prices remained above the $4 per gallon mark in three familiar areas of the country despite declines: New England ($4.0008 per gallon), California ($4.092 despite witnessing the largest price decline of the week at 2.5 cents per gallon) and the West Coast ($4.015 per gallon when including California but $3.923 when carving the Golden State out of the mix).
EIA added that the U.S. average retail pump price for gasoline also continued to decline, dropping2.9 cents to $3.265 per gallon, which is 22.7 cents lower compared to the same week in 2012.
The agency added that gasoline prices dropped in all regions of the country, with the Rocky Mountains sporting the biggest one-week decline of 6.1 cents to $3.307 per gallon. The home of the cheapest gasoline in the U.S. remains the Gulf Coast, where prices dipped to $3.03 per gallon, while the highest is the West Coast at $3.64 per gallon when including California’s prices (it drops to $3.389 per gallon when California is removed).
By contrast, DEF prices inched up over the last month, according to data tracked by global consulting firm Integer.
The firm said the national average price of DEF – a solution comprised of 67.5% water and 32.5% automotive grade urea, that is a key element in the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) emission control process now used on almost all diesel-powered trucks – at U.S. truck stops increased a penny back to back to $2.79 per gallon in the U.S.
Integer also noted that the multi-drop (LTL) average price for DEF increased one cent in the U.S. to $1.80 per gallon even as the national average for tote refill prices dropped four cents to $1.87 per gallon.
In Canada, the price for DEF at truck stops remains unchanged at 80 Canadian cents per liter – a price point DEF’s stayed at for over 2 years now, Integer noted. Prices also remained stable at 52 Canadian cents per liter for multi-drop DEF shipments, while declining one cent for tote refills to 55 Canadian cents per liter.
