Apparently the cheap gasoline that we’re enjoying now (yeah, cheep, that’s it) is going to end. And soon. Crude oil prices have been fluctuating for quite some time, with prices rising to around $83/barrel in early January and then dropping to $72/barrel in 2010. Diesel prices may drop for a bit in the late winter months of 2010 and into early spring, but they will go back up. This isn’t good for anyone but especially the auto transport industry which relies heavily on diesel trucks to move vehicles. Diesel is going to rise to around $2.95/gallon in mid-to-late 2010 and up to $3.16/gallon in 2011.

The largest factor in the rise of diesel is the fact that demand will go up as more companies introduce clean burning diesel vehicles – Volkswagen has been doing this for quite some time, it seems, and now even their sedans are going to be powered by diesel. Gasoline will hit about $2.84/gallon in mid-to-late 2010 and almost $3.00/gallon in 2011, with prices in summer 2010 hitting upwards of $3.00/gallon as more people go on vacation during the summer and go out of town on holidays.