U.S. retail diesel fuel at record $4.18/gallon

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The average price U.S. truckers paid for diesel fuel reached a new record of $4.18 a gallon, after rising 3.4 cents over the last week, the federal Energy Information Administration said on Monday.

That national price for diesel is up $1.37 from a year ago, thanks mostly to rising crude oil prices which hit a record $119.93 a barrel on Monday at the New York Mercantile Exchange.

The central Atlantic states had the most expensive diesel at $4.38 a gallon, 0.6 cent. The Gulf Coast region had the cheapest fuel at $4.11, up 3.6 cents, the EIA said.

Truckers on Monday drove their big rigs through downtown Washington and held a rally at the Capitol to protest high diesel prices. It costs about $1,200 to fuel up a tractor trailer.

Rising fuel costs could increase the cost of goods transported by trucks, including food, retail and manufactured goods.

(Reporting by Tom Doggett; Editing by Marguerita Choy)