Diesel prices have soared nearly 73% in Jacksonville over the past year, while regular gasoline is up 35% as turmoil in the Middle East squeezes global fuel supplies.
The average price of diesel stood at $6.34 a gallon Thursday, compared with $3.68 a year ago, according to AAA.
Regular gasoline averaged $4.36, up from $3.22.
Diesel hit a record Jacksonville average of $6.36 on Monday, eclipsing the previous highs recorded during the 2022 energy shock. Thursday’s price remained just 2 cents below that peak.
Regular gas has not returned to record territory, as Jacksonville’s all-time high for regular unleaded was $4.88 in June 2022.
But prices at the pump have climbed quickly in recent weeks. Regular gas is up about 42 cents a gallon, or 11%, from a month ago. Diesel has jumped 83 cents, or 15%, during the same period.
The increases come as the prolonged conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran disrupts oil production and shipping through the Middle East.
Diesel prices hit a new record high on Monday. (AAA)
Attacks on Saudi Arabia’s East-West Pipeline — a crucial route for bypassing the Strait of Hormuz — temporarily halted the movement of millions of barrels a day.
Tanker traffic through the strait also remains disrupted, while the war in Ukraine has reduced global refining capacity and diesel exports.
Those pressures have pushed crude oil above $100 a barrel. Brent crude traded near $104 Friday, while U.S. benchmark oil hovered around $102.
Diesel has been hit particularly hard because global supplies were already thin. The national average reached about $6.29 this week, 68% higher than a year ago, according to AAA.
The Jacksonville increase has been even steeper.
The fuel powers most commercial trucks, farm equipment and construction machinery, raising the cost of transporting food and other goods.