Less-than-truckload carriers are better able to maintain earnings in the face of rising fuel prices than truckload carriers, according to a securities analyst’s report issued just as the price of diesel fuel climbed slightly after two weeks of decline.
The national average price of diesel fuel stood at $1.226 a gallon on Oct. 25, according to the Energy Information Administration. It was up 0.2 cent from the previous week and down 0.8 cent from the 1999 high of $1.234, reached on Oct. 4.
The price of diesel fuel has been rising steadily since hitting a low of about 95 cents a gallon in February.
Oil industry analysts have been virtually unanimous in predicting little change in diesel prices — except for possible Y2K-related rises at year’s end (10-25, p. 3).
For the full story, see the Nov. 1 print edition of Transport Topics. .
