Diesel Drops Second Straight Week to $6.199 Average

Two weeks in a row. The national average diesel price fell again — this time by just over 18 cents, landing at $6.199 a gallon, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. That's on top of last week's 14-cent drop.

Every reporting region saw prices fall. The Lower Atlantic took the biggest plunge, dropping just over 25 cents from $5.953 to $5.699, while the Midwest fell exactly 24 cents, from $6.526 to $6.286. Brent crude slipped back below $100 a barrel to $99.07, with benchmark U.S. crude at $87.91.

Analysts credit recovering oil flows — more crude crossing the Strait of Hormuz and Saudi Arabia's key East-West pipeline coming back online — though tensions between the U.S. and Iran are still keeping the market nervous. As ING's commodities strategists put it, prices stay "well-supported" while the market worries about supply disruptions.

Let's keep perspective: $6.199 still stings. But after weeks of record territory, two straight declines is the first real relief at the pump drivers have seen in a while. If your tanks are low and the route takes you through the Lower Atlantic or Midwest, this is the week to fill up — 25 cents a gallon on a 200-gallon fill is fifty bucks back in your pocket.