Ontario diesel near $2.60 a litre: how fleets can cut idling and wasted kilometres
Diesel in Ontario is sitting just above $2.60 a litre, and for fleets that turns every wasted kilometre and every minute of idling into real money. You can't control the pump price. You can control how much fuel your trucks burn doing nothing useful.
Where diesel prices stand
Ontario. The province's weekly survey put the Ontario average for diesel at 260.2 cents a litre on Oct. 26, 2026, including taxes. Southern Ontario averaged 260.0 and Northern Ontario 262.4 (Ontario.ca). The week before, on Oct. 19, the Ontario average was $2.616, up 5 cents from $2.566 on Oct. 13, according to Truck University's diesel tracker, which reports the provincial survey. In that Oct. 19 survey, Kenora was highest at $2.715 and Ottawa was at $2.641.
Wholesale. Ontario's posted Toronto wholesale diesel price was 205.1 cents a litre on Oct. 28, down from 212.7 on Oct. 21. Wholesale prices don't include the retailer's markup or all taxes, so they are not what you pay at the pump.
Canada. Yahoo Finance Canada reported on Oct. 12 that the national average retail price topped $2.64 a litre for the week ended Sept. 29, according to Natural Resources Canada. That was 15% above the previous record, set in November 2022. Kalibrate data put the daily national average at $2.751 on Sept. 17. The same report said retail diesel cost roughly 59% more than before the war in Iran began.
What that means for a single run
Mike Millian, president of the Private Motor Truck Council of Canada, told The Canadian Press that a round-trip semi haul between Montreal and Toronto cost roughly $850 on Jan. 1 and now costs $1,400. "A fleet's No. 1 expense outside of wages was always fuel. Now it's probably fuel," he said.
The report also said there is little short-term relief in sight. Supply chains take months to recover even after a crisis eases, and diesel demand usually rises as winter approaches. Ottawa has extended its fuel excise tax pause through Jan. 31, 2027, which saves 4 cents a litre on diesel. Once that ends, that cost comes back.
Where fuel gets wasted
When every litre costs this much, the biggest savings often come from fuel burned without moving freight:
- Idling. Engines left running during deliveries, breaks, paperwork and waits at docks burn fuel for zero kilometres.
- Extra kilometres. Missed turns, poor stop order and drivers picking their own routes all add distance.
- Empty running. Every kilometre driven without a load burns fuel with no revenue against it. Our look at cross-border tariff changes and tight capacity covers how hard backhauls have become on some lanes.
- Personal and after-hours use. Company vehicles driven off the clock add fuel you may not even know you're paying for.
How GPS data helps
Idle reports. GPS tracking shows when each vehicle's engine is on but not moving and for how long. That tells you which trucks, drivers and stops are the problem instead of guessing.
Route history. Comparing planned routes with actual trips shows extra distance and detours. Use it to tighten stop order and dispatch the closest truck to each job.
After-hours alerts. Alerts when a vehicle moves outside working hours catch unapproved use. The same alerts help with theft too, as our story on truck thefts in Halton shows.
Cost per trip. Kilometres, idle time and trip history per vehicle let you see which runs and customers actually cover today's fuel costs, which matters when you are quoting or renewing rates.
Fuel-cost checklist for fleets
- Set an idling policy with a clear time limit, and share it with every driver.
- Review idle reports weekly and follow up with the worst vehicles and stops first.
- Plan routes and stop order before dispatch, and send the nearest available vehicle.
- Compare planned and actual kilometres for regular runs and fix repeat detours.
- Book return loads early to cut empty kilometres.
- Turn on after-hours movement alerts for every vehicle.
- Check your fuel surcharges and contract rates against current prices, not prices from early in the year.
- Budget for the excise pause ending after Jan. 31, 2027.
- Track the weekly Ontario survey, published Mondays, so your cost estimates use current numbers.
The bottom line
A Montreal-Toronto round trip that cost about $850 in January now costs about $1,400, and Ontario diesel is still above $2.60 a litre. Fleets can't set the price of diesel, but with GPS data on idling, routes and empty kilometres they can make sure fewer of those litres are wasted.
Sources: Government of Ontario, "Motor fuel prices," survey of Oct 26, 2026; Truck University, "Crude oil & diesel prices," Ontario survey of Oct 19, 2026; Yahoo Finance Canada (Leslie Kennedy), "Diesel tops $2.75/litre in Canada, and a Montreal-Toronto haul now costs $1,400," Oct 12, 2026.
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