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November 25, 2002 4:25 PM, EST

The national average price of diesel fuel remained unchanged at $1.405 per gallon, the Department of Energy reported Monday in its weekly survey.

Diesel fuel is the primary fuel for trucking, making its price important to the industry's bottom line.

Gasoline prices fell 2.9 cents to $1.38 a gallon, the DOE said.

The price of diesel was inconsistent across the country, rising in two of the DOE’s regions – the East Coast and the Midwest – and fell in the remaining three: the Gulf Coast, the Rocky Mountains and the West Coast.

The most pronounced move was along the West Coast, where, according to the DOE's Energy Information Administration, the price of diesel fuel dropped 1.1 cents a gallon, led by a 1.2-cent decline in California – the region's largest state.

The largest increase, of only 0.4 cent a gallon, was felt on the East Coast, according to the EIA.

Each week, the EIA surveys 350 filling stations to compile a snapshot of diesel prices nationwide.