Fuel surcharge calculator
A fuel surcharge is a separate per-mile charge added to the line haul to offset diesel price movement. This checks whether the surcharge on a given load actually covers what that trip burns.
Last reviewed · by the fleetchart dispatch desk
Surcharge falls short by
$185
The surcharge pays 67% of what this trip burns in diesel.
- Surcharge received
- $383
- Fuel burned
- $567
- Gap
- -$185
- Break-even surcharge
- $0.667
850 paid miles
149.2 gal over 970 mi
Per paid mile, to cover fuel exactly
How to read this
Surcharge is normally paid on loaded miles only, while the truck burns fuel on empty miles too. That asymmetry means a surcharge that looks adequate per loaded mile can quietly fall short across the trip.
Your real fuel economy is the variable that decides it. A truck running 6.0 mpg and a truck running 7.5 mpg receive the same surcharge and burn very different amounts of diesel, which is why measured economy is worth more than a specification figure.
The break-even surcharge this produces is a useful negotiating number: it is the figure below which you are subsidising the load's fuel out of your line haul.
Questions
- How is a fuel surcharge calculated?
- Most surcharges are indexed to a published average diesel price, with a base price below which no surcharge applies and a formula converting the difference into cents per mile, recalculated weekly.
- Is fuel surcharge paid on empty miles?
- Usually not. Most surcharges apply to loaded miles only, which means deadhead fuel comes out of your line haul. This calculator lets you model both cases.
- Should I accept an all-in rate instead?
- An all-in rate rolls the surcharge into one figure, which means you absorb diesel movement for the life of the load. On a short load that is a small risk; on a long one in a volatile market it is not.
Terms used here
Stop re-typing these numbers.
A calculator answers the question once. fleetchart reads your rate confirmations and holds your expenses against the loads that caused them, so the answer stays current every week.