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The retail pump price of diesel exhaust fluid at U.S. truck stops was flat from November to December, remaining at $2.79 a gallon, Integer Research Ltd. said Wednesday.

Crude oil futures climbed above $93 a barrel on Wednesday in New York, the highest level in more than three months following the passage of federal legislation reversing automatic tax increases and spending cuts.  

America’s natural-gas boom has the potential to be another big win — if we work together to do it the right way. But if we don’t get it right, substituting natural gas for diesel in our longhaul trucking fleet could just as easily become a losing proposition for everyone concerned.

While the attention of the nation was focused for much of the year on the costly and protracted presidential election campaign, trucking probably will look back on 2012 as a turning point for the adoption of natural gas as a viable alternative fuel for heavy-duty fleets.

Retail diesel prices continued to decline last week, falling 4.6 cents to $3.945 a gallon, while gasoline prices fell to their lowest level of the year, the U.S. Department of Energy reported.

Highway speed reduction, driver training, progressive shifting and fuel-operated heaters received the highest marks for return on investment in a recent fleet survey evaluating initiatives in the SmartWay program.

A graph of diesel’s prices in 2012 resembles a roller coaster, with big surges in the spring and fall topping $4 a gallon, with each soon followed by relatively steep declines.