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July 8, 2002 3:30 PM, EDT

The national average price for diesel fuel rose 0.5 cent per gallon to $1.294, its third straight increase, the Department of Energy reported Monday.

The price of gasoline declined 1 cent last week to $1.382 per gallon. While the biggest over-the-road trucks use diesel fuel, a portion of smaller commercial trucks run on gasoline.

The three-week stretch of increases has added 1.9 cents to the price of diesel fuel over the past month and boosted the cost of a fill-up for a long-haul trucker’s two 150-gallon tanks by $5.70.

Of the regions the DOE measures, only the West Coast saw a decline, dropping 0.2 cent per gallon to $1.389– still the most expensive fuel in the country.

Each week, the DOE’s Energy Information Administration surveys 350 diesel-filling stations across the country to compile a snapshot of the average diesel price.

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