Diesel prices were up for the second week in a row, gaining 2.9 cents to a national average of $2.861 a gallon

, according to the Department of Energy. Last week, diesel saw its first jump after dropping 12.3 cents over five weeks.

This week's price is about 77.4 cents up from a year ago.

Trucking's main fuel managed to reach over $3 a gallon in New England and the Central Atlantic, where prices averaged $3.018 and $3.013 per gallon, respectively. Diesel prices reached their lowest in the Gulf Coast and Midwest regions, at $2.819 and $2.825 a gallon, respectively.

Gasoline prices gained 4.7 cents this week, landing at a national average of $2.702 a gallon. This week's price is 76.8 cents higher than last year.

Crude oil was quite unpredictable Monday, as prices reached an intraday high of $80.62 a barrel, only to land at $78.70 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange at the end of the day, according to reports by Dow Jones. The news service says commodities traders will look to U.S. oil inventory data for direction on how to invest. The American Petroleum Institute will release its data Tuesday afternoon, Dow Jones reports.

Caption - While diesel prices head up, oil prices have been unpredictable, rallying to above $80 a barrel and settling at $78.70 a barrel at the end of trading Monday. (Photo by Shell)