HIGH FUEL PRICES * USA - Industry bears brunt of diesel cost

Despite its recent price fall, the high cost of fuel is continuing to take its toll on a breadth of industries dependent on diesel

Spartanburg,SC,USA -The Spartanburg Herald Journal (subscription), by Trevor Anderson -August 31, 2008: -- The national average price per gallon of diesel was $4.28 last week. Diesel prices have dropped nearly 50 cents since July, but they remain about $1.40 higher than they were a year ago, according to the American Automobile Association... "We're absolutely thrilled to see diesel prices going down," said Tiffany Wlazlowski, director of public affairs for the American Trucking Association, a trade organization that represents the interest of the trucking industry. "The only problem is the price of diesel still goes down a lot slower than it goes up, and when you compare this year over last year, we're still taking it on the chin"... In Spartanburg, Union and Cherokee counties, the average price per gallon of diesel has hovered at $4, down from more than $5 during the first six months of the year, according to GasBuddy Organization Inc... But it's still putting a pinch on the finances of many businesses... (Photo by Tim Kimzey - Norman Walker refills his motor home at the Kangaroo on Highway 11 off I-26 in Spartanburg County recently. Walker says he's glad diesel prices have dropped, if only slightly)