Georgia drivers and truckers will keep paying no state motor fuel tax at the pump through the whole Thanksgiving travel period. Governor Brian P. Kemp announced on Saturday, October 24 that he is extending the state's emergency suspension of its motor fuel excise tax through November 30, in consultation with Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones and House Speaker Jon Burns, the Governor's Office said. The suspension remains in effect as November begins, so the break that started in late September will now run uninterrupted through the busiest holiday driving weeks of the autumn.
Source: Office of Governor Brian P. Kemp (official release, Oct. 24, 2026)
The tax being suspended is Georgia's per-gallon motor fuel excise tax: 33.3 cents on every gallon of gasoline and 37.3 cents on every gallon of diesel, according to the Governor's Office. The state simply does not collect that tax while the suspension is in effect. For a driver filling a car, the saving is a few dollars a tank; for a trucker, it adds up fast — every 100 gallons of diesel bought in Georgia carries $37.30 less in state tax, and every 1,000 gallons carries $373 less.
How Georgia got here: three emergency orders since September
This is the third time Kemp has extended the pause. Transport Topics reported that Kemp first issued the emergency order on September 28 and extended it on October 6 before issuing the latest order on October 24, each time continuing a state of emergency declared over petroleum supply disruptions and global market volatility. The suspension itself took effect after the September 28 order and, before this latest extension, had been set to run out in late October and then in early November.
Source: Transport Topics (Oct. 26, 2026)
"With a major holiday coming up and fuel prices still at high levels, I am proud to take this step to keep more money in Georgians' pockets," Kemp said on October 24. "Our commitment to fiscal responsibility and stewarding taxpayer dollars has allowed us to act when needed, whether by suspending the gas tax or returning billions to taxpayers through income tax refunds and property tax relief. I'm grateful to our partners in the General Assembly for their support and for standing with us to budget conservatively for times such as these."
Citing AAA, the Governor's Office said Georgia's average price for regular gasoline is $3.66 a gallon — about 63 cents below the national average — and diesel averages $5.72, about 61 cents below the national average. Transport Topics, also citing AAA, put Georgia diesel at $5.69 a gallon on October 26, 11 percent below the national average but still 44 percent higher than a year earlier — the reason the state says relief is still needed.
More than a pump tax: what else the emergency orders do
The fuel tax is the headline, but the emergency package reaches into trucking directly. The Governor's Office noted that the earlier executive orders also suspended state weight limits on commercial vehicles, and then suspended penalties for using off-road 'dyed' diesel on public roads. Those two measures matter on Georgia's freight corridors — Interstate 75, Interstate 85 and Interstate 20 through Atlanta, and Interstate 95 along the coast — where Punjabi-Canadian and US-based Punjabi truckers are a familiar part of the long-haul workforce running between the Southeast, the Midwest and Ontario.
Georgia is not acting alone. Transport Topics reported that Ohio's temporary suspension of state motor fuel taxes continues through January 2, and that North Carolina Governor Josh Stein suspended that state's motor fuel excise tax on October 9, also through November 30, setting the rate at zero cents for motor fuels. In each state, the stated reason is the same: diesel and gasoline prices far above year-ago levels, driven by petroleum supply disruptions and global market volatility.
What happens next
Unless Kemp renews it again or ends it early, the suspension expires at the end of November 30 — immediately after the Thanksgiving travel period it was extended to cover. The Governor's Office has not announced whether another extension will follow. Drivers and carriers buying fuel in Georgia should treat November 30 as the date the 33.3-cent gasoline tax and 37.3-cent diesel tax return, and check the Governor's Office and AAA price listings before planning December fuel stops.