The price of crude fell to its lowest rate in two months on Thursday, Oct. 6. In spite of this, the price of diesel in many areas still remains above $3 per gallon.

Crude oil fell to a low of $60.70 per barrel in midday trading on Oct. 6 in the New York Mercantile Exchange on news of lower demand from consumers, the lowest they have been since before Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf of Mexico .

ProMiles reported a national average of $3.145 per gallon Thursday, which is the same price as the day before. Though some individual states reported drops of less than a penny, most were still above the $3 per gallon mark.

Meanwhile, several truck stops throughout the southeast were reporting shortages. Flying J reported shortages in Georgia , Missouri , Alabama , Mississippi , Texas and Virginia .

Petro was reporting shortages at stations in Atlanta , GA , and Jackson , MS , though its station in Beaumont , TX , was finally reopened after closing for Hurricane Rita.

Travel Centers of America was limiting fuel purchases to 50 gallons at stations in Georgia , Florida , Louisiana , North Carolina and South Carolina . One station in Cordele , GA , was completely out of fuel.

Mindy Long, spokeswoman for Natso, an association of truck stop and travel plaza owners, said several members of that group were reporting supply disruptions.

“Those are coming as a result of the pipelines operating at a reduced capacity,” she told Land Line. “Several of (the pipelines) are improving their operations, but they haven’t returned to the full status that they were before the storms, so that is trickling down to some of our members.”

Long said the owners were trucking fuel in from wherever they can find it, usually at greater distances than they were used to, which was also hindering supplies.