Kentucky Truck Dispatch: KYU Tax, Louisville and I-75 Lanes

Kentucky is closer to more of the country than most people think. Louisville and Northern Kentucky sit within a day's drive of much of the Midwest and the Southeast. Both host major air cargo hubs that keep warehouses busy around the clock. Add auto plants, bourbon distilleries and I-75, I-65 and I-64 crossing the state, and Kentucky has plenty of freight for a truck that knows where to look.

It's also one of the states where more truck freight leaves than arrives. Trucks moved about 66 million tons from Kentucky to other states in 2022, and about 61 million came back in. Tennessee, Ohio and Indiana were the biggest partners in both directions.

Kentucky's tax you can't skip: KYU

Before your first Kentucky load, check one thing. Kentucky charges a weight-distance tax called KYU on every truck with a combined licensed weight over 59,999 lbs that runs on Kentucky roads. That's according to the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. It's separate from IFTA and from your plates:

• You need a KYU number before you run Kentucky with a heavy truck, even if you only pass through on I-75 or I-65.
• You file KYU returns reporting your Kentucky miles, and pay a tax per mile.
• Kentucky also has a fuel surcharge on IFTA. On the 4th quarter 2026 matrix, Kentucky diesel is 22 cents a gallon plus a 10.5 cent surcharge. The surcharge gets no credit for fuel you bought there. Our IFTA calculator handles the surcharge for you.

Count KYU in your rate when you plan Kentucky miles. It's a small cost per mile, but it adds up for drivers who run I-75 every week.

Where Kentucky's freight is

What Kentucky ships

In FAF6, the biggest van, reefer and flatbed-type freight leaving Kentucky origins by truck in 2022 included:

• Motorized vehicles and parts: about 12 million tons, from assembly plants and suppliers in central Kentucky and Louisville.
• Base metals: about 9 million tons, including aluminum and steel.
• Wood products: about 7 million tons from eastern and southern Kentucky.
• Other foodstuffs and agricultural products: about 6.5 and 6 million tons.
• Alcoholic beverages: about 6 million tons. That's bourbon, and it's a real dry van market.

Kentucky trucks deliver most to Tennessee, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Missouri, and receive most from Indiana, Tennessee, Ohio, Illinois and Michigan.

Lanes and reloads

• I-75 runs from Cincinnati through Lexington to Tennessee. It's one of the busiest north-south truck routes in the East, linking the Great Lakes with Atlanta and Florida.
• I-65 connects Louisville and Bowling Green with Indianapolis to the north and Nashville to the south.
• I-64 runs east and west through Louisville and Lexington.
• Louisville and Northern Kentucky reload best, thanks to their distribution centers. Eastern Kentucky can be slow, so plan reloads before delivering in the mountains.

Kentucky freight by the numbers

Tonnage from the BTS Freight Analysis Framework (FAF6, base year 2022). Diesel tax from the IFTA, Inc. rate matrix.

Trailers that fit Kentucky freight

A Louisville van week from bourbon to Atlanta

Here's a week a dispatcher might plan for a dry van based in Louisville, built around Kentucky's interstates.

An example of how a week can be planned, not a promise of loads, rates or miles. Distances are rounded.

Winter in the hills and the fall peak

• Winter: Snow and ice on I-75 through the Cumberland area and in eastern Kentucky slow trucks and close ramps.
• Spring: Severe storms and flooding along the rivers in wet years.
• Fall: The holiday peak hits Louisville and Northern Kentucky distribution centers hard.

Kentucky's swings are mostly winter weather and the retail peak. The seasonal freight calendar covers the rest.

Kentucky reload points

Kentucky checklist: KYU, the surcharge and seals

• Get your KYU number before your first Kentucky load, even if you're only passing through.
• Track Kentucky miles for both your KYU and IFTA returns.
• Remember the IFTA surcharge on Kentucky gallons used, which has no credit for fuel bought there.
• On bourbon and auto parts loads, confirm appointment times and seals.
• Plan the reload before delivering to eastern Kentucky, where outbound freight is thin.

Booking Kentucky freight with us

Before your dispatcher plans a single Kentucky mile, your KYU number has to be in place. From there, Louisville and Northern Kentucky are the reload hubs, with bourbon, appliances and auto parts filling the outbound side.

Kentucky trades the most freight with Tennessee, Ohio and Indiana. To the east, see Virginia, the other state with an IFTA surcharge.