KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- Gasoline prices in West Michigan have tumbled to a more than five year low, but diesel prices statewide remain more than a dollar higher.
"It's because diesel fuel is also essentially the same as heating oil, and heating oil is used in much of the Northeast," said Patrick DeHaan of GasBuddy.com. "Most homes there don't use natural gas, they use heating oil."
The price of unleaded fuel has dropped 23 cents in a week, but in that same time frame diesel has dropped just 16 cents. It's a trend that truck drivers say could be affecting the price of goods you buy off the shelves.
"It's a big expense, because I pump 160 gallons every other day, a day sometimes, that's $400-$500, so it's a big expense for the owner/operators out there," said Tait Bellingham, a truck driver from Detroit.
But there is light at the end of the tunnel. DeHaan says truck drivers and other diesel users could soon see another dip, too.
"Diesel prices should come down to about 50 to 75 cents a gallon difference between gasoline, meaning, if gas is $2, diesel could eventually be at $2.75," DeHaan said.
DeHaan says he does not expect diesel in West Michigan to get below $3 per gallon.
