NATSO Fuel Survey: Truckstop Diesel Volumes Increase in September

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ALEXANDRIA, Va. October 27, 2008: Diesel volumes at truckstops increased in September over 2007 volumes, according to a fuel survey conducted by NATSO, an association representing 1,100 truckstops and travel plazas. The September results marked the first year-over-year increase in diesel sales volumes since April and followed a sharp 7.8 percent decline in August.

NATSO’s survey showed that diesel sales at truckstops in September increased 3.17 percent compared with September of 2007. The average diesel volume for a single truckstop location was 830,480 gallons in September, compared with last year’s average volume of 804,972 for the same month.

Diesel volumes experienced a strong start at the beginning of 2008, but increases did not continue through the spring and summer months. In January and February, truckstop diesel volumes increased at a rate of close to 6 percent year over year. However, as diesel prices rose, volumes began to decline, and by March sales had dropped by 2.5 percent over the previous year. Diesel sales slightly recovered in April, increasing just over 2 percent, but then dropped sharply in May, falling 5.8 percent compared with May 2007. June diesel sales declined 5.2 percent compared with June 2007, and July sales dropped 4.5 percent year over year. Diesel sales at truckstops in August declined 7.8 percent compared with August of 2007. In the petroleum industry, volume declines of greater than three percent are considered significant.