Fuel surcharge calculator
Put in your base price and your truck's MPG and this free fuel surcharge calculator figures the surcharge per mile from this week's diesel price. Then check whether a broker's all-in offer is hiding the fuel, and see what that costs you over a week and a year.
1. Diesel price and your truck
Diesel prefilled from the week of Oct. 19, 2026. The base price is whatever your contract or the broker's schedule says. $1.25 is only a starting example.
2. Check a broker's all-in offer
Compare the real linehaul with your cost per mile. If it's below your floor, the fuel is eating the load.
3. Money you're leaving on the table
If you take all-in offers as if they were linehaul and no fuel surcharge is paid on top, this is the fuel money you're covering yourself.
An estimate from your inputs and this week's diesel, not a promise. Diesel changes every week.
How fuel surcharges work
A fuel surcharge (FSC) pays the carrier back when diesel costs more than the price a rate was built on. It takes four numbers.
The base, or peg, price
The diesel price your rate already covers. Below it, no surcharge is owed. Above it, the difference gets paid back. The base is set in your contract or in the shipper's or broker's fuel schedule. Common bases run from about $1.20 to $2.50 a gallon, and the lower the base, the bigger the surcharge.
The truck's MPG
The miles per gallon the schedule assumes. Most schedules use a fixed figure such as 6 or 6.5, not your actual truck. Use your own MPG from fuel receipts to see what fuel really costs you.
The weekly diesel price
Most schedules use the weekly national or regional retail diesel average, published every Monday. The surcharge changes each week with it. Our diesel prices page shows this week's price for every region.
The per-mile formula
Fuel surcharge per mile = (this week's diesel price − base price) ÷ MPG. Multiply by the loaded miles for the surcharge on a load. Some schedules use a table in steps of a few cents instead of the formula; the result is close.
Worked examples with this week's diesel
The U.S. average diesel price for the week of Oct. 19, 2026 is $6.276 a gallon. Here's what that does to a 1,000-mile load and a 2,500-mile week.
A typical van or reefer
Base $1.25, 6.5 MPG.
($6.276 − $1.25) ÷ 6.5 = $0.773 a mile
1,000-mile load: $773.23 in fuel surcharge.
2,500 miles a week: $1,933 a week, about $96,654 over 50 weeks.
A heavier, thirstier truck
Base $1.25, 5.5 MPG.
($6.276 − $1.25) ÷ 5.5 = $0.914 a mile
1,000-mile load: $913.82 in fuel surcharge.
2,500 miles a week: $2,285 a week, about $114,227 over 50 weeks.
A contract with a higher base
Base $2.50, 6.5 MPG.
($6.276 − $2.50) ÷ 6.5 = $0.581 a mile
1,000-mile load: $580.92 in fuel surcharge.
2,500 miles a week: $1,452 a week, about $72,615 over 50 weeks.
Change the numbers for your own truck in the calculator above.
All-in rates vs. linehaul plus FSC
A linehaul plus FSC rate splits the price into two parts: the linehaul pays for the truck, the driver and your margin, and the surcharge pays for fuel above the base. When diesel climbs, the surcharge climbs with it and your linehaul stays whole.
An all-in rate is one number with fuel buried inside it. It isn't wrong, but you have to take the fuel out yourself to see what the load really pays. Take the all-in rate per mile, subtract this week's fuel surcharge per mile, and what's left is your real linehaul. Compare that with your cost per mile.
- Linehaul + FSC: fuel moves with the market
- All-in: fuel is inside one number
- Always back the fuel out of an all-in offer
- Compare real linehaul with your cost per mile
How carriers lose money on all-in offers
Here's how it happens. A broker offers $2.50 a mile all-in. It sounds like the $2.50 linehaul you took a few months ago, so you book it. But fuel has gone up since then, and none of that increase is being paid on top. On this week's diesel, a 6.5 MPG truck is owed real money per mile in surcharge, and on an all-in offer that money comes out of your linehaul.
The gap is small on one load and big over a year. Section 3 of the calculator shows it from your own miles per week. If an all-in offer's real linehaul is below your floor, counter with linehaul plus FSC, or ask for the all-in to go up by the surcharge.
Before you sign a rate con
- Is the rate all-in or linehaul plus FSC? If it doesn't say, ask.
- If FSC is paid, what base price, what MPG and which region's weekly price does it use?
- Which week's price applies: the pickup week or the delivery week?
- Back the fuel out of every all-in offer and compare the real linehaul with your floor.
- Keep the fuel schedule with your contract, and check the surcharge on every settlement.
Want us to check your fuel surcharges?
Our back office team reads rate cons and settlements every day and catches missed fuel money.
Questions from carriers and brokers
Carriers: how do I calculate a fuel surcharge per mile?
Take this week's diesel price, subtract the base price in your contract, and divide by the MPG the contract uses. At $1.25 base and 6.5 MPG, every dollar of diesel above the base is about 15.4 cents a mile.
Carriers: what base price should I use?
The one in your contract or the broker's fuel schedule. If you're setting your own, pick the diesel price your linehaul rates were built on. A lower base means a higher surcharge.
Carriers: should I use my truck's real MPG or the contract's?
Use the contract's MPG to check what you're owed. Use your real MPG to know what fuel actually costs you. If your truck gets worse mileage than the schedule assumes, the surcharge won't cover all of your fuel.
Carriers: is an all-in rate bad?
No, as long as the fuel is priced in. Back the surcharge out of the all-in per mile, and if the real linehaul still clears your cost per mile, it's a fair load.
Carriers: which diesel region should the surcharge use?
Most schedules use the U.S. average. Some use the region where the load picks up. On the West Coast or in New England the regional price can run well above the national one, so the region matters.
Brokers: why should I quote linehaul plus FSC?
It keeps your carrier rates honest when diesel moves. Carriers trust a clear split, and you avoid re-pricing every lane each time fuel changes.
Brokers: how often should a fuel surcharge change?
Weekly, with the retail diesel average published every Monday. State in the agreement which week's price applies to a load.
Brokers: can I use this calculator for my carrier rates?
Yes. Put in your schedule's base price and MPG to see the surcharge per mile for any region this week.
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Questions about fuel surcharges?
Send us a rate con or a fuel schedule and we'll give you a straight answer.
Prefer the phone? Call 901-205-9679.