D’LO, Miss. — A temporary change under the Trump administration is allowing dyed diesel, also known as off-road diesel, to be used on highways in Mississippi. The option comes as regular diesel prices remain elevated across the state.
Limited access across the state
Off-road diesel is not as widely available as regular fuel. The D’Lo Truck Stop off Highway 49 is one of 12 sites in Mississippi that sells or distributes red dyed diesel, according to P-Fleet. Even under the executive order, other rules still apply.
Truckers describe rising costs
Independent truckers like Marcus Washington, who transports freight out of Hattiesburg, said recent months have been difficult.
“If you fill it up to the very top, you probably just spent everything you made that week,” Washington said.
According to GasBuddy, regular diesel in Mississippi currently averages $5.85 a gallon, $2.71 higher than at the start of the year, when the price was $3.14 per gallon.
Thomas Pittman, who transports AC equipment out of Pope, Mississippi, said higher transportation costs will affect store prices.
“It’s going to come back to the consumer,” Pittman said. “You know everything is because that’s the bottom line. You’re just going to be stuck with that.”
New diesel option through end of year
Until the end of this year, drivers have a new option. Under the executive order, off-road diesel can be used to power any truck on the road, for both commercial and personal use. This bypasses the 24-cent federal highway tax and 24.4-cent tax drivers pay when buying regular diesel fuel. At this rate, 18-wheelers would save as much as $145.20 filling a 300-gallon tank.
“It wouldn’t be a major difference, but it would be a big help,” Washington said. “Because if you put $600 in and get just over 30 gallons versus now put $600 bucks in and get 52 gallons, that’s a lot of extra diesel.”
Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, said red dyed diesel is safe to use in any type of diesel truck.
“It’s exactly the same fuel with red dye added to it,” De Haan said.
Enforcement varies by state
In many parts of the country, dyed diesel is harder to find. An executive order by the president does not require all states to stop enforcing their own fines and penalties for dyed diesel use on highways. Gov. Tate Reeves announced that Mississippi will follow the federal government’s lead.
In a post on X, Reeves stated, “I have spoken with Commissioner Sean Tindell, and he plans to direct the Commercial Transportation Enforcement Division of the Mississippi Department of Public Safety to not enforce the dyed diesel prohibition on highways.”
“That is certainly going to prevent any long-haul truckers or people that travel and carry deliveries out of state,” De Haan said. “They may not be able to fill up with this due to the complexities of what states are enforcing it and what states are not. This might be something that only 1 out of every 100 diesel vehicles is able to do.”
Possible future tax bill
If Congress and the IRS do not change tax laws, drivers could be hit with a back tax bill based on the amount of off-road diesel purchased. Mississippi also currently charges a 5.75-cent per-gallon tax.
“The federal government is waiting for clarification from the IRS. Technically, it is a deferred tax,” De Haan said. “So down the road it would be possible that every gallon of fuel that you’re not buying that’s taxed today, you could get a tax bill down the road.”
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