Diesel won't stop climbing. The U.S. national average for on-road diesel is hovering around $5.62 a gallon as of mid-May, and Vermont retail typically runs a dime or two above that. Compare that to early January, when the Vermont Agency of Transportation posted average diesel at $4.02. That's a 35 to 40 percent jump in five months, which is bad timing because construction season is just getting going.

If you run a skid steer, an excavator, a loader, or a fleet of any size in Central Vermont, this matters. Fuel has stopped being a rounding error on your bids. It's a real margin line, and ignoring it through 2026 is going to cost you. This post walks through what your equipment actually burns, what that costs at today's prices, and what you can do about it.

(For why prices have spiked the way they have, see our companion post on why diesel prices are so high in Central Vermont and New Hampshire right now.)

The short version: a working skid steer burns somewhere between $8 and $18 an hour in fuel alone at current Vermont prices. A mini excavator burns $5 to $13. A compact track loader under load burns $12 to $22. Idle time is the hidden killer — most machines burn $2 to $4 an hour doing zero work. The three things you can actually do about it are cut idle time, right-size the machine to the job, and seriously consider rental over ownership for any machine you're not using 350 to 500 hours a year.

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Where prices are right now

A few useful reference points from mid-May 2026.

The U.S. on-road diesel average is about $5.62 a gallon. Vermont retail typically runs 10 to 20 cents above national, putting most pumps in the $5.65 to $5.85 range. New Hampshire is a few cents below us in border counties, worth checking the rack price before crossing for a fill if you're near Bradford or Wells River. Off-road dyed diesel runs $0.40 to $0.80 below on-road, reflecting the federal and state road-use tax that doesn't get levied. Off-road is only legal in equipment that doesn't operate on public highways, which covers most of what we rent and most of what you're running on a job site.

Vermont's state excise on diesel is on the low side for the Northeast, which is one reason our pump prices aren't even worse than they are. The reason they're still above the national average is the same set of reasons everything is more expensive here: rural delivery costs, smaller-volume stations, and supply distance from the nearest refineries.

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What your equipment actually burns

The single most useful thing for budgeting and bidding right now is knowing roughly how much fuel each machine burns under different loads. These are typical numbers based on manufacturer specs and what we see on our rental fleet, and your real-world numbers will vary 10 to 20 percent based on operator habits, terrain, and machine condition. Dollar figures below use $5.75 a gallon as the working Vermont retail price.

Small wheeled skid steers (Bobcat S70, S450 and similar) idle at 0.3 to 0.5 gallons per hour and burn 0.8 to 1.4 working — about $5 to $8 an hour under load. Mid-size machines like the Bobcat S650, S76, and CAT 246D3 or 262D3 idle at 0.4 to 0.6 gallons per hour and run 1.4 to 2.4 working, putting you in the $8 to $14 range under load. Larger skid steers like the Bobcat S770, S850, and CAT 272D3 idle at 0.5 to 0.7 and burn 2.0 to 3.2 working, or roughly $12 to $18 an hour.

Compact track loaders run a little higher because they're moving more iron. A mid-size CTL like a Bobcat T595 or CAT 259D3 idles around 0.4 to 0.6 gallons per hour and works at 1.6 to 2.8, about $9 to $16 an hour under load. The bigger CTLs (Bobcat T76, T770, T870; CAT 289D3, 299D3) idle at 0.5 to 0.8 and burn 2.2 to 3.8 working, putting you in the $13 to $22 range.

Mini and compact excavators are the most fuel-efficient piece of the picture. A 1- to 2-ton micro excavator like a Bobcat E10 or E20 burns 0.4 to 0.8 gallons per hour under load, about $2 to $5 an hour. The 3- to 4-ton class (Bobcat E35, CAT 303 and 304) runs 0.8 to 1.6 working, or roughly $5 to $9 an hour. Step up to a 5- or 6-ton (Bobcat E50 or E60, CAT 305 or 306) and you're at 1.2 to 2.2 gallons per hour and $7 to $13 an hour. The 8-ton class (Bobcat E88, CAT 308) runs 1.6 to 2.8 working, or $9 to $16.

Worth noting: the idle numbers above aren't trivial. A skid steer left running through a 30-minute lunch break burns about a quarter gallon, around $1.45 at current prices. Across a five-machine crew, every day, that's $7 a day, $35 a week, almost $1,800 a year, for zero work. And idle time runs hours on the meter, so you're also accelerating your service intervals and lowering resale value.

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What this means for bids

If you're bidding jobs in May the way you bid them in January, you're losing money on every machine-hour. The math has changed, and the math doesn't care that your client expects last year's pricing.

A mid-size CTL grading a driveway for six productive hours burns 12 to 20 gallons. At $5.75 a gallon, that's $69 to $115 in fuel for that one machine, that one day. In January it was $48 to $80. A 5-ton mini excavator doing eight hours on a foundation or septic burns 10 to 18 gallons, or $58 to $104, up $20 to $30 a day from winter. Land clearing and brush work, with all the high-RPM cuts and idle between passes, can push past $100 to $150 a day in fuel on a single machine.

If you're a sub bidding into out-of-area generals who are trying to hold last year's pricing, push back. The fuel cost is real, you have the numbers above to back it up, and your margin shouldn't be absorbing the difference.

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Five ways to burn less

None of this fixes the pump price. All of it adds up if you're consistent.

Stop idling at lunch. It's the single biggest waste on most job sites. Modern Tier 4 machines don't need to "warm up" the way old diesels did, and excessive idling actually causes DPF problems and incomplete regens. Less idle means less diesel and fewer repair bills. A five-minute rule for anything but a quick step away gets you most of the way there.

Use the eco modes that came with your machine. Both CAT and Bobcat offer them on modern equipment — CAT calls it "Smart Mode," Bobcat has auto-throttle settings that drop RPM when the machine is unloaded. Most operators never turn them on. You'll see 8 to 15 percent fuel savings with no productivity loss on most jobs. If you don't know whether your machine has it or how to find it, the operator's manual will tell you, or you can call us and we'll walk you through the menu tree.

Right-size the machine for the job. The cheapest gallon is the one you don't burn. If a 3-ton mini excavator will do the job, don't roll up with a 5-ton. If a wheeled skid steer will grade the driveway, you don't need a CTL. Renting the smaller machine for the short job and saving the big iron for the big jobs is almost always cheaper in 2026 fuel.

Keep your filters fresh. A clogged fuel filter, dirty air filter, or contaminated hydraulic fluid each cost 3 to 8 percent efficiency. Stack two of those and you're burning 15 percent more diesel than you need to be. A $150 filter service pays for itself in a week of work. If your fuel burn has spiked recently and pump prices don't explain it, it's almost always maintenance.

And finally, train your operators. A smooth operator can cut fuel use 10 to 20 percent compared to an aggressive one doing the same task. Smooth inputs, planned moves, less travel between work zones, lower throttle when full power isn't needed. Worth ten minutes at a Monday morning huddle.

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When renting beats owning right now

Ownership has a hidden cost that high diesel makes worse. The total cost of running your own machine is fuel, oil, filters, hydraulic service, tracks or tires, scheduled maintenance, unscheduled repairs, insurance, registration, depreciation, financing, and idle time on the meter. Rental rolls most of that into the day rate.

A rough cutoff that holds at 2026 prices: if you're using a specific machine less than 350 to 500 hours a year, renting almost always beats owning. Newer rental fleet machines also tend to have better fuel economy (Tier 4 Final tuning, smart-throttle features) and fewer breakdowns than older owned equipment. That means less fuel per job and fewer down days.

Peakline rents Bobcat skid steers, compact track loaders, and mini excavators across Central Vermont and the Upper Valley. Contractors get 15% off with code CONTRACTOR15. At current fuel and equipment prices, that's real money on every rental.

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When the problem isn't the pump

If your machine is suddenly burning 20% more diesel than it did last season and pump prices don't explain all of it, the machine is telling you something.

A clogged fuel filter is the easiest fix — $30 to $80 in parts. A restricted air filter is another easy one, $25 to $60. A failed injector or injector seal is a bigger job, usually $400 to $1,500. Glow plugs and other starting-system issues mean extended cranking and wasted fuel. On CTLs, dragging brakes or undercarriage drag will burn extra fuel because the drivetrain is working harder than it should. On skid steers, low tire pressure does the same. Incomplete regens or DPF restrictions cause the engine to run rich. A bad O₂ or NOx sensor will have the ECU compensating with extra fuel.

If you suspect any of that, we can run a fuel system diagnostic at our shop in Topsham or on-site across Central Vermont. Catching a fuel-efficiency issue early often saves more in fuel and downtime than the repair costs to fix. For typical repair costs on common issues, see our common skid steer repairs guide.

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FAQ

How much fuel does a skid steer burn per hour?

‍A mid-size skid steer or compact track loader typically burns 1.4 to 2.8 gallons per hour under working load and 0.4 to 0.7 gallons at idle. At Vermont's mid-May 2026 diesel prices around $5.75 a gallon, that's roughly $8 to $16 an hour in fuel under load.

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How much fuel does a mini excavator use?

‍A 3- to 4-ton mini excavator typically burns 0.8 to 1.6 gallons per hour working and 0.3 to 0.5 at idle. A 5- to 6-ton machine runs 1.2 to 2.2 working. At current prices, expect $5 to $13 an hour in fuel cost depending on size.

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Where can I get the cheapest diesel in Central Vermont?

‍Pump prices vary 30 to 50 cents a gallon across the region. Cardlock and bulk fuel suppliers serving contractors typically beat retail by 10 to 25 cents. If you're burning more than 200 gallons a month, on-site delivery from a regional distributor is usually the cheapest route and worth pricing out.

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