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he Department of Energy said Thursday that U.S. consumers will pay a record $1.76 a gallon on average for regular retail gasoline during the peak driving season this summer, 20 cents more than last year.

The trucking industry burns an estimated 269 million gallons of gasoline each week.

The pump price is expected to top $1.80 at times this summer, and the gasoline supply system is "vulnerable" to severe price spikes if major refinery or pipeline outages occur, DOE's Energy Information Administartion said in its annual summer forecast.

Meanwhile, EIA chief Guy Caruso said waiving federal rules that force refiners to use additives such as ethanol in fuel would have little effect on prices this summer refiners and distributors have already made decisions about the gasoline they will produce this summer, Bloomberg reported.

"High crude oil costs, strong gasoline demand, low gasoline inventories and more stringent gasoline specifications this year have increased gasoline supply costs and retail prices to high levels well before the peak driving season," EIA said.

In its report, EIA said gasoline demand this summer is forecast to hit a record 9.32 million barrels per day, up 2.2% from last year, EIA said.