Ohio Suspends Dyed-Diesel Penalties on Highways Through Dec. 31

Gov. Mike DeWine's Oct. 21 executive order waives state penalties for dyed diesel on public highways — yaani farmers can use the cheaper off-road fuel already stored on farms to haul harvest loads — as on-highway diesel averaged $6.276 a gallon on Oct. 19.

Awaaz Punjab Investigations Desk22 October 20263 min readRead in all 3 languages

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has waived penalties and suspended enforcement of the state's dyed-diesel restrictions on public highways through Dec. 31, 2026, according to Farm and Dairy and the Ohio Farm Bureau. The executive order was issued on Oct. 21.

Source: Farm and Dairy

Dyed diesel — usually coloured red — is fuel sold for off-road use in farm, construction and forestry equipment and is generally not taxed for road use. Farmers typically buy it in bulk and store it on their farms, the reports said. The order aligns Ohio's enforcement with federal guidance that temporarily suspends penalties for using dyed diesel on highways.

The relief comes during harvest, when fuel is one of the largest costs farmers cannot control. The Ohio Farm Bureau said the order, announced Oct. 22, waives state penalties and suspends discretionary enforcement through Dec. 31, 2026, building on Ohio's 90-day motor fuel tax holiday, which runs through Jan. 2.

Source: Ohio Farm Bureau

$6.53US diesel peak, week of Sept. 21 (EIA)

$6.276US on-highway diesel average, Oct. 19

Dec. 31, 2026Ohio dyed-diesel relief ends

Diesel prices surged this fall. They peaked at $6.53 per gallon nationwide during the week of Sept. 21, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration cited by Farm and Dairy, and the national average for on-highway diesel was $6.276 per gallon on Oct. 19, up nearly 10 cents from a week earlier.

Farm groups welcomed the move. Ohio Soybean Association President Bennett Musselman, a Pickaway County soybean farmer, said farmers had been changing normal harvest routines because of high fuel costs and that the decision 'could not have come at a better time,' according to Ohio's Country Journal. Ohio Farm Bureau President Bill Patterson said fuel costs 'continue to cut into already tight farm margins.'

Source: Ohio's Country Journal / Ohio Ag Net

For Punjabi and other immigrant truckers and farm operators who run harvest and freight routes through the Midwest, the order does not make dyed diesel tax-free everywhere or permanent — it is an Ohio state enforcement pause through the end of the year, tied to the federal guidance and the state's tax holiday. Drivers should keep records and check state rules before using dyed fuel on the road outside Ohio.

Sources