anyone can purchase tax-free red-dyed diesel for any reason

[MapleLeafFarmer]

Looks like all will have access to red diesel for the next few months????
I don't quite get the wording, but here it.

https://www.cnn.com/2026/10/05/business/trump-diesel-prices-executive-order

 

[GeoHorn]

Typical political B.S.

Dyed diesel is still taxed and prohibited by most states.… AND it’s not available at typical or regular filling-stations on highways. (It’s usually at special or farm delivery retailers or it’s delivered upon a farmer placing an order for it.) So it won’t help truckers or the vast majority of common folks.

(a farmer who has some at his home might put it in his pickup…but that ain’t gonna save the farm! …and the tax is almost negligible compared to the price of any/all diesel these days.)

I’ve been seeing these more and more….

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DVSW4WD8?lv=shuf&channelId=500&plpRedirect=mhFallback&th=1

 

[Bee-Positive]

The nearest place I can buy Red Dye Off Road Diesel without a commercial contract is 140 miles away.
Doesn't help me a bit.

 

[tlefire]

Not taxed in Alabama and now can be used on road. Plenty of stations around here have it.

 

[skeets]

No road tax on dyed fuel in Pa. It is usually only 50 a gallon cheaper than over the road diesel, and if I know truckers there wont be a drop of OFD left any place around, and the price will go up I bet ya

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

CAREFUL!
There is a lot more to this!
Some states it's now supposedly temporarily legal, some states it's not.
If you travel to a non legal state, you could get fined for running it.
If you go to sell your vehicle and it tests positive for dyed diesel it might make the vehicle by law unsellable.
And for those that don't know, the use of dyed diesel does not go away when the fuel is used, it stains the fuel system and is forever traceable.
State DOT laws are really hard to navigate, so be very cautious so you don't get yourself in a pickle!

Now why the logic behind this is severely flawed, the tax that is paid for with non dyed diesel pays for construction and upkeep of all roads, what happens when that money is now shorted... Humm can you say infrastructure breakdown and at the very least pothole haven.

 

[Gaspasser]

I have station 1.5 miles away. Small truck stop on highway, one pump. This means they'll run out by end of today and we'll be stuck buying regular. I have it delivered to farm transfer tank as well so I'll be out of luck. Well intentioned thought, poor execution

 

[Rdrcr]

I have tons of stations with red dye diesel in my area.
I’m not gonna run it.

Mike

 

[#40Fan]

Wouldn't it be easier to get rid of the tax on the regular diesel?

 

[NCL4701]

Wouldn't it be easier to get rid of the tax on the regular diesel?

Of course they won’t do that because it could actually work to reduce costs for on road diesel end users and heavily reduce tax revenue.

Allowing use of off-road diesel on road sounds great to people who know nothing about the end user logistics of procuring off-road diesel (most people). Logistically impractical for vast majority of on road users. Neglible practical impact. Pretty facade with no substance behind it. Typical politics.

Edit: My apologies to the North Carolina state legislature. Today they passed a moratorium on collection of the $0.41 per gallon tax on gasoline and diesel sold for road vehicle use. It ends at the end of November and still needs the governor’s signature so not long term and not a closed deal quite yet. https://www.wral.com/news/nccapitol...l-fuel-cost-midterms-trump-iran-october-2026/

In regard to the feds, I’ll stand by my original comment.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

YES this is a political thread, But in the interest of everyone (minus the political spin) I'm leaving it up.

FYI: Red dye diesel is exactly the same an non dyed diesel, it doesn't come in a special truck or on a special delivery, the dye is added to the diesel when it's put into the storage tank at your local station.
This keeps the dye out of the trucks delivery tank, so it does not dye other fuel.

 

[Bmyers]

Now why the logic behind this is severely flawed, the tax that is paid for with non dyed diesel pays for construction and upkeep of all roads, what happens when that money is now shorted... Humm can you say infrastructure breakdown and at the very least pothole haven.

My State, Illinois, has the second highest gas taxes. Theoretically, we should have the at least the second best roads. Yet here is where we rank:

Specific areas of Illinois' highway network rank as follows nationally:

• • Rural Arterial Pavement Condition: 46th
  • Urban Arterial Pavement Condition: 33rd
  • Urban Interstate Pavement Condition: 34th
  • Rural Interstate Pavement Condition: 25th
  • Structurally Deficient Bridges: 41st

Overall Road Quality: General state analyses place Illinois around 31st nationally for the percentage of roads meeting acceptable conditions (roughly 80.4% compared to the 81.2% national average).

I have no problem with decreasing the amount taxes that the government collects to help the citizens since we are not getting the services that we should be getting based on the taxes collected.

Although, as pointed out, I can see this being a nightmare since there is no one uniformed policy for this everywhere. It appears that the issues this executive order opens up isn't worth the potential issues that it will create.

 

[SDT]

No road tax on dyed fuel in Pa. It is usually only 50 a gallon cheaper than over the road diesel, and if I know truckers there wont be a drop of OFD left any place around, and the price will go up I bet ya

Bingo.

I expect off-road diesel to vanish in a very few days.

Farmers are not going to like this.

 

[airbiscuit]

Don't try getting into Canada with dyed fuel in your pickup

 

[xrocketengineer]

YES this is a political thread, But in the interest of everyone (minus the political spin) I'm leaving it up.

FYI: Red dye diesel is exactly the same an non dyed diesel, it doesn't come in a special truck or on a special delivery, the dye is added to the diesel when it's put into the storage tank at your local station.
This keeps the dye out of the trucks delivery tank, so it does not dye other fuel.

Here in the "Free state of Florida", apparently it is done differently. A few years ago, I bought diesel for the Kubota from the nearest gas station. When I got home I found it to be red. Not knowing any better (about red ORD at the time) and that there had been some cases in the state at the time of gas sold as diesel, I thought that it might be contaminated. I called the Florida agency in charge of that kind of stuff.
They sent a team to lock out the pumps and sample the diesel. Several days later they called me and said that the diesel fuel was ok. They added that apparently there was red dye residue in the truck that delivered the fuel to the gas station.

 

[KKBL]

This will probably end up costing more for people that heat with oil fuel this winter.

 

[jimh406]

It's readily available in my area. But, I don't drive my truck much in Winter. I already use Red diesel for my tractor.

It's not going to help if you are in an area that doesn't have it. It seems like it would have been better to reduce the tax on the other diesel types. I don't know if that's controlled by the state or not.

 

[#40Fan]

The road and bridge tax on my vehicle registration was doubled ~10 years ago. If I were sleeping in a vehicle and crossed the state line driving into my state, I'd be jolted awake.

 

[L35]

Use home heating oil legally now.

 

[lynnmor]

Will the folks that spot check by dipping tanks be in the unemployment line?