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US diesel $4.157 per gallonWeek ending Sep 7, 2026 · EIA
SemiTrucks.orgCost per mile

Base rate

$0.7380

Special diesel, per gallon, 4Q2026.

Surcharge

None

Illinois levies no surcharge.

Total

$0.7380

Rank 3 of the 47 states with a rate.

Per mile

12.30c

At 6.0 mpg.

Against every other state with a rate

$0.1900$0.9790

The 47 states that publish a diesel rate run from $0.1900 to $0.9790 a gallon and average $0.3681. Illinois is above that average by $0.3699.

What it costs to cross

IFTA charges you for the fuel you BURN in a state, not the fuel you buy there. So a 500-mile pass through Illinois at 6.0 mpg consumes 83.3 taxable gallons whether you fuel here or not. Buy nothing in the state and the whole of it lands on your quarterly return.

Miles run in IllinoisTaxable gallonsOwed if you buy no fuel here
10016.7$12.30
25041.7$30.75
50083.3$61.50
1,000166.7$123.00
2,500416.7$307.50

That 500-mile pass costs $61.50 in Illinois tax alone. What buying cheap fuel in a low-tax state actually saves you is the difference in the rack price, not the tax: the tax follows the miles and IFTA collects it either way. This is the single most misunderstood line in owner-operator accounting.

Source: IFTA, Inc. Tax Rate Matrix. Special diesel rate for 4Q2026. Rates are reset every quarter. Read 2026-09-15.