VANCOUVER, B.C. – While Western truckers were spared dramatic diesel price increases that gripped Eastern Canada early this year, they’re now in the midst of fuel price increases of their own.

Where the largest increases in the east were said to be linked to cold weather and a demand for heating fuel, price increases in the west have been more closely linked to the ever-rising price of crude – which pushed in value to more than US $34.23 per barrel on March 7.

The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) began a series of meetings on March 27 to determine whether they should increase the flow of crude oil, but early indications were that any increases in production would – at best – stabilize prices.

Some industry observers are even suggesting diesel prices in Alberta could hit $1 a litre before summer. n