Louisiana IFTA Calculator

Louisiana's position at the mouth of the Mississippi River makes it one of the most strategically important freight states in the country despite its relatively small size. The Port of New Orleans and the Port of South Louisiana (the largest in the US by tonnage) handle enormous volumes of grain, petroleum products, chemicals, and manufactured goods. I-10 runs east-west across the entire southern tier of the state, crossing the Atchafalaya Basin on the Whiskey Bay Bridge — a 20-mile elevated causeway that is the longest bridge over water in the US. I-49 runs north from Lafayette through Alexandria to Shreveport. I-20 crosses northern Louisiana from Shreveport to Monroe and into Mississippi. I-12 parallels I-10 through the Florida Parishes east of Baton Rouge.

Louisiana's IFTA rate of $0.200 per gallon is one of the lowest in the country. Texas at $0.200 is identical. Arkansas at $0.285 and Mississippi at $0.183 flank it. Mississippi is actually slightly cheaper, but the practical fueling advantage is minimal. The real strategy is filling up completely before entering higher-rate states — if your route takes you north through Arkansas into Illinois at $0.463, maximize your Louisiana or Texas fuel before departure.

Weight limits in Louisiana are a critical compliance issue. The state allows higher gross weights on certain state and US highways — up to 88,000 lbs on many routes — but bridge weight limits throughout the coastal and bayou regions vary significantly from highway to highway. The Louisiana DOTD maintains a permit system for oversize loads that is separate from standard IFTA compliance, but carriers must be aware that many secondary routes in coastal parishes have severe bridge restrictions.

Weigh stations on I-10 at both the Texas and Mississippi borders are active and enforce the complex weight rules. Hurricane season from June through November can close major routes with little warning. For IFTA compliance, Louisiana's low rate means you likely owe net tax when filing if you're fueling cheaply here and running miles through higher-rate neighboring states.