Producer Price Index Rises 1.1%

Prices paid to U.S. producers rose 1.1% in September, reflecting an increase in fuel costs, the Labor Department said Thursday.

The producer price index increase followed a 1.7% upturn in August. The so-called core PPI, which excludes food and energy, was unchanged the first time it didn’t increase since October 2011, Labor said.

Economists had forecast a 0.8% increase in the PPI, and a core rate increase of 0.2%, Bloomberg reported.

An increase in the PPI could indicate strong demand for goods, which would mean more shipments for trucking companies. However, if inflation begins to accelerate too quickly, it also could hurt the economy.

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Diesel Rises 6.3� to $4.089 in Eighth Gain; Gasoline Price Also Continues to Rise

Bruce Harmon/Trans Pixs

Diesel rose 6.3 cents to $4.089 a gallon, its eighth straight gain and the highest price since mid-April, while gasoline rose again, the Department of Energy said Monday.

Gasoline gained 3.2 cents to $3.776 a gallon, also its eighth straight increase, DOE said following its weekly survey of filling stations.

The diesel increase leaves it 26.9 cents over the same week last year, while gasoline is 14.9 cents over a year ago.

In the past two months diesel has risen 44.1 cents, while gasoline is up 42 cents since early July, according to DOE figures..

Last week, trucking’s main fuel pushed past $4 a gallon for the first time in three months.

Oil, meanwhile, fell for a third day Monday, despite oil companies evacuating Gulf of Mexico rigs as Tropical Storm Isaac moved through the Gulf on a track toward New Orleans, Bloomberg reported.

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DEF Tracker adds Montreal market to price monitoring service

MONTREAL, Que. -- DEF Tracker, an online service that reports on diesel exhaust fluid pricing across North America, has added Montreal, Que. and Tampa, Fla. to its pricing information service.

The service provides end-user pricing for full and less-than-full truckload bulk deliveries, totes and packaged products for eight price hubs, the company announced.

“The latest price data shows that Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) is strongly affected by volatile raw material costs. A sharp upward movement in the price of urea between February and May resulted in increasing DEF prices during (first half) 2012,” said Chris Goodfellow, market analyst at Integer Research, which produces DEF Tracker.

The June issue of DEF Tracker indicated: urea prices experienced a sharp drop in June after several months of increases; the average US DEF pump price increased by seven cents to US$2.88/gallon in June, bringing the total cost increase between February and June to 15 cents/gallon; the number of truck stops offering DEF 'at the pump' increased rapidly in the US, adding 37 new locations bringing the total to 539. In Canada, there are just five locations offering DEF at the pump.

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Consumer Price Index Declines

The consumer price index declined 0.1% in October, the first decrease in four months, the Labor Department said Wednesday.

Economists had projected no change in the government’s main inflation gauge, Bloomberg reported.

The core CPI rate excluding food and energy rose 0.1%, matching September as the smallest increase this year, Bloomberg said.

Almost 60% of the CPI covers prices consumers pay for services. If consumer prices are climbing, it could reflect an increase in demand for consumer goods, which increases the demand for trucking services.

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Consumer Price Index Rises

The consumer price index rose 0.3% in September, the slowest pace in three months, the Labor Department said Wednesday.

The upturn in the government’s main inflation gauge matched economists’ projections, Bloomberg reported.

The core CPI rate excluding food and energy rose 0.1%, less than the 0.2% gain projected by economists, Bloomberg said.

Almost 60% of the CPI covers prices consumers pay for services. If consumer prices are climbing, it could reflect an increase in demand for consumer goods, which increases the demand for trucking services.

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Diesel Fuel Jumps 8� to $3.801 a Gallon; Gasoline Price Gains 5.9� to $3.476

Tom Biery/Trans Pixs

Diesel’s national average pump price jumped 8 cents to $3.801 a gallon, turning around five weeks of declines, while gasoline also increased, the Department of Energy said Monday.

Gasoline gained 5.9 cents to $3.476 a gallon, also its first increase in six weeks, DOE said following its weekly surveys of filling stations.

The diesel price, the highest in a month, leaves trucking’s main fuel 72.8 cents higher than the same week a year ago.

Gasoline is 64.2 cents over a year ago, according to DOE records.

Last week, diesel was at its lowest level since late February when it averaged $3.716 a gallon. Prior to Monday, it had declined 14.7 cents in the previous five weeks of downturns.

Oil fell 42 cents Monday to close the trading day at $86.38 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, Bloomberg reported.

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