RUTHERFORD COUNTY, Tenn. (WGNS News) – Tennessee drivers, particularly those behind the wheel of diesel-powered trucks — may want to avoid making prolonged eye contact with the numbers spinning on the gas pump. According to AAA, the Auto Club, the average price of diesel in the Volunteer State has climbed to $5.33 per gallon, putting Tennessee just 33 cents below its all-time record. For drivers who thought filling up was already painful, history suggests there is still room for the pump to deliver another financial uppercut.
Tennessee’s record diesel price came four years ago, and apparently the word “middle” was the theme of the day. It happened in the middle of summer, in the middle of the month and in the middle of the week. According to AAA, diesel reached a statewide average of $5.64 per gallon on Wednesday, June 15, 2022. That remains the Tennessee record, although current prices are getting uncomfortably close.
Drivers using regular unleaded are getting at least a little relief in Rutherford County compared with much of the state. On Tuesday evening, regular 87-octane gasoline was averaging $3.58 per gallon in Murfreesboro, Smyrna and La Vergne. That placed Rutherford County at No. 18 among Tennessee’s 95 counties for the lowest average gasoline prices, meaning local prices were cheaper than those found in roughly three-quarters of the state. Drivers willing to head south could save a few more pennies, with neighboring Bedford County averaging about 5 cents less per gallon…