Following last week's delay in diesel price reporting amid severe winter storms, the Department of Energy's Energy Information Administration said diesel prices were down for the fifth week in a row Tuesday

. Diesel fell about a penny this week to a national average of $2.756 a gallon, down from last week's $2.769.

Over the last five weeks, trucking's main fuel has contracted a total of 12.3 cents. This week's price is up 57 cents from a year ago.

While diesel prices did not break $3 in any of the nation's regions, it did reach the highest in the New England and Central Atlantic regions, where it averaged $2.991 a gallon and $2.905 a gallon, respectively. The lowest averages were found in the Midwest and Gulf Coast regions, at $2.705 and $2.718 a gallon, respectively.

Gasoline took a deeper dive this week, falling 4.4 cents to a national average of $2.608 a gallon. This week's price is about 64 cents higher than the price during the same week last year.

After dropping off at the end of last week, oil prices gained 4 percent to settle above $77 a barrel at the close of Tuesday, according to reports by Reuters. The news service attributes the jump to a weak dollar, a gain in stocks and concerns about Iran's nuclear plans.