Small businesses expected to feel pinch as diesel hits $6 a gallon
(The Center Square) – An Illinois trucking industry leader says consumers and small businesses can expect to feel the pinch as the price of diesel fuel rises across the state.
AAA listed the average price for diesel in Illinois at $6 per gallon on Monday, up from $3.55 one year ago. The national average for diesel on Monday was $5.64 per gallon.
Illinois Trucking Association Executive Director Matthew Hart said labor is typically the number one cost in the trucking industry, followed by fuel cost.
“If it costs us more to get your stuff to the store, ultimately it’s going to cost consumers more when they show up at the store and have to pay more to get their stuff there,” Hart told The Center Square.
The average price for diesel in the city of Chicago was $6.27 on Monday.
Mayor Brandon Johnson kicked off National Small Business Week at a bridal shop in the city’s Bronzeville neighborhood.
“At the heart of our communities, our small businesses are truly the backbone,” Johnson said.
Hart said, in his industry, small businesses will be most impacted by the surging fuel prices.
“If they don’t have a fuel surcharge in place, that really is going to pinch a lot of guys in the short term, especially small mom-and-pop trucking companies,” Hart said.
Statehouse Republicans have proposed pausing Illinois’ annual fuel tax increases or at least pausing the sales tax on the gas tax.
Hart said the state has nearly $7 billion in the state’s road fund.
“We have to make sure we protect the infrastructure that we have in place and the road improvements that we need, but also when you have things like sales tax on motor fuel and the basis has shot up so much, then I think it’s worth taking a look at,” Hart said.
Illinois’ diesel tax is scheduled to rise July 1 from 55.8 cents per gallon to 57.1 cents per gallon.
The state’s tax on gasoline is scheduled to rise from 48.3 cents per gallon to 49.6 on July 1.
Partly Sunny then Showers And Thunderstorms Likely
Latest News Stories
New Lenox 122 Eyes Future Budget Cuts to Offset Full-Day Kindergarten Costs, Approves Quad Plus Tax Abatement
Minooka Blasts Five Home Runs to Overpower Lincoln-Way Central 12-2
New Lenox Seeks $2.5 Million State Loan for Water Main Replacements, Sets $1.2 Million in Sureties for Spencer Meadows
Board Approves $1.04 Million in New Curriculum for New Lenox District 122
Meeting Summary and Briefs: New Lenox Community Park District Board of Commissioners for February 18, 2026
Meeting Summary and Briefs: New Lenox Township Board of Trustees for February 12, 2026
Tingley’s Perfect 5-for-5 Day, Shutdown Bullpen Rally Lincoln-Way Central Past Joliet Catholic 13-6
New Lenox Mayor Slams Springfield Affordable Housing Proposal as “Garbage,” Board Passes Opposing Resolution
Frankfort Man Arrested by State Police for Threatening Governor Pritzker
St. Charles East Blanks Lincoln-Way Central 10-0 Behind Dominant Pitching and Majkszak’s Power
Meeting Summary and Briefs: Capital Improvements & IT Committee for March 3, 2026
New Lenox District 122 Approves Full-Day Kindergarten for 2027-2028, Extends Teacher Contract
New Lenox Park District Set to Launch Massive ADA Audits Across Dozens of Local Parks
