Red Diesel: Okay… But Where Do You Buy It?

There’s been plenty of discussion about the federal government’s temporary action involving red-dyed diesel. But there’s one pretty basic question that hasn’t received nearly as much attention:

Where do you actually buy the stuff?

If you’ve been driving for a while, you’ve probably seen plenty of regular diesel pumps. But how many times have you pulled into a truck stop, convenience store or neighborhood gas station and seen a pump labeled Red Diesel?

Probably not many.

That’s because red-dyed diesel has traditionally been marketed through a different distribution network. It’s commonly sold by agricultural fuel suppliers, bulk fuel distributors, commercial fueling operations and other businesses serving farms, construction companies and off-road equipment.

Some locations may have dedicated pumps. Others deliver the fuel directly into a customer’s storage tank.

That’s where things get interesting.

The federal action could make red-dyed diesel available for highway use under the temporary provisions, but making the fuel legal to use and making it easy to find are two very different things.

So here’s the question we’re going to be looking into:

Where can a regular truck owner actually buy red-dyed diesel?