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Georgia Just Suspended Its Diesel Tax for 30 Days. Here's Where Truckers Should Fuel Now.

Georgia's 37.3-cent state diesel tax is off from Sept. 29 through Oct. 29, 2026. What it's worth on a fill, why it flips the I-75 top-off, and what to watch on IFTA.

Portrait of Shawn Gresham, CDL-A driver and founder of Trucking Life with Shawn.

Last updated September 29, 2026

Quick answer: Georgia's 37.3-cent state excise tax on diesel is suspended from 12:01 a.m. Sept. 29 through 11:59 p.m. Oct. 29, 2026. Local sales taxes still apply. For the next 30 days, Georgia is the place to fill up, and you still file IFTA.

By Shawn Gresham | 17 years CDL-A, zero violations

Georgia just took its state fuel tax off diesel for the next 30 days. If you run I-75, I-95, I-16 or I-20 through Georgia, this changes where you should be fueling for the rest of October.

Governor Brian Kemp signed the order on September 28. The Georgia Department of Revenue says the state motor fuel excise tax is suspended from 12:01 a.m. September 29 through 11:59 p.m. October 29, 2026 — and clear diesel is included.

What it's worth at the pump

Georgia's state excise on diesel is 37.3 cents a gallon. That's the part that's gone.

Run the math on your own tank:

  • 150 gallons: about $56 less in state tax on one fill
  • 200 gallons: about $75 less
  • Two 200-gallon fills a week for the whole month: more than $600 that stays in your pocket instead of going to the state

What it does not remove: local sales taxes, including the prepaid local tax, still apply. And the pump price is still set by the station. The state tax coming off is not a promise that every pump drops the full 37 cents on day one.

Why this flips the Southeast

For most of the year, drivers on I-75 top off in Tennessee before crossing into Georgia. Tennessee's diesel tax is lower, so it usually made sense.

With Georgia's 37.3 cents gone, that math flipped. On my Daily Diesel Board this morning, Georgia came in as the cheapest state in the country, about 23 cents a gallon under Tennessee on average. The drivers who keep topping off in Tennessee out of habit are paying more for the same diesel.

For the next 30 days: fill up in Georgia.

Owner-operators and fleets: watch your IFTA

You still file IFTA. Georgia put out separate IFTA filing guidance for the suspension. When Georgia suspended the tax back in the spring, the Department of Revenue told carriers to keep reporting every Georgia mile and every gallon bought in Georgia, but to report the tax-free period as non-taxable.

Don't guess on this one. Read the Georgia DOR guidance for this period (linked below), keep every fuel receipt, and keep your mileage records clean. Clean paperwork is how you stay out of an audit.

Where to fuel today

I post the cheapest diesel in America every morning — every stop, every state, ranked cheapest first, with the Georgia tax already taken out:

👉 See today's cheapest diesel

Common mistakes

  • Topping off in Tennessee out of habit. That was the right move before September 29. For the next 30 days it costs you.
  • Expecting a full 37-cent drop at every pump on day one. The state tax is off, but the station still sets the price. Compare before you pull in.
  • Throwing away Georgia fuel receipts. Tax-free gallons still get reported on IFTA. No receipt, no proof.
  • Forgetting the end date. The tax comes back after 11:59 p.m. October 29. Plan your last Georgia fill before then.

Keep learning

Bottom line

Thirty days. Thirty-seven cents a gallon. Plan your fuel stops around the Georgia line on purpose, not by habit. Run smart, roll smart, and keep the shiny side up.

Sources

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