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August 7, 2006 11:00 AM, EDT

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diesel-fuel shortage in Colorado has prompted some trucking companies to advise drivers to avoid the state or refuel before they get to Colorado, the Associated Press reported Monday.

Trucks typically need 100 to 300 gallons of fuel to fill their tanks, but some Colorado truck stops are rationing fuel to 50 to 75 gallons per truck, AP reported.

The shortage is due to a combination of factors, including higher demand from farms during harvest season, difficulties complying with a new federal clean-air rule, and a storm that knocked out a large refinery in Illinois, AP said.

As of June 1, the Environmental Protection Agency mandated that refineries slash the sulfur content of diesel to 15 parts per million from 500 parts per million, said Stan Dempsey, president of the Colorado Petroleum Association, AP reported.

That transition has not been smooth in Colorado, Dempsey told AP.

The shortages have influenced diesel prices. The average price of diesel in Colorado was $3.20 Friday and $3.06 nationally, topping prices for unleaded gasoline, according to AAA figures.

The Department of Energy is scheduled to release its weekly retail fuel price survey Monday afternoon.