Fuel surcharge: how trucking fuel surcharges are calculated

The three inputs of a fuel surcharge

• Base fuel price: the diesel price already covered by the line-haul rate. The surcharge only pays for the difference above it.
• Fuel efficiency: the miles per gallon the schedule assumes. It is an agreed number in the contract, not the reading of any one truck.
• Current fuel price: taken from a published index. A widely used source is the weekly retail on-highway diesel price of the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), published for the whole country and for regions.

The per-mile formula, step by step

A worked example with placeholders: if the index is X above the base price and the agreed efficiency is M miles per gallon, the surcharge is X ÷ M for each mile. A fuel surcharge calculator or a spreadsheet does no more than this.

1. Read the index price for the week the contract names. Call it C.
2. Take the base fuel price from the contract. Call it B.
3. Take the agreed fuel efficiency in miles per gallon. Call it M.
4. Surcharge per mile = (C − B) ÷ M, when C is above B.
5. Surcharge for the load = surcharge per mile × the miles the contract names, usually the loaded miles.

Other ways a surcharge is written

• A table of index price bands, each with its own surcharge per mile, updated when the index moves into another band.
• A percentage of the line-haul rate for each price band, which is what a fuel surcharge calculator for percentages works from.
• A flat amount per load for short or local moves.
• An all-in rate with fuel included and no separate surcharge, as spot loads are frequently quoted.

Agreeing the fuel surcharge terms

There is no single schedule for everyone: each contract sets its own. Write these points down before the first load moves, in the contract or in the rate confirmation for a single load.

• Which index series applies: the national figure or a regional one.
• Which week’s price applies, and from which day a new price takes effect.
• The base fuel price and the fuel efficiency in miles per gallon.
• Which miles the surcharge is paid on.

• Rate confirmation: what to check
• Accessorial charges explained

Fuel surcharges on spot loads and on GigFreight

Load boards can be browsed without an account. Visitors see the route, dates, equipment and price of each load, but not the poster’s contact details. On the US board each load shows its miles, the posted rate and the rate per mile, and you can sort loads by rate per mile. Ask the poster whether a posted rate is all-in or whether a fuel surcharge is added on top.

Rates and accessorials are agreed between the poster and the carrier for each load; GigFreight publishes no rate index and no recommended rates. It does not publish diesel prices either. No commission per load. Broker and shipper contact details on a load are shown only to members with a fully paid, active subscription. A trial gives access to the platform but not to load contact details.

• Open the US load board

Frequently asked questions