WeeklyDiesel
Home › Fuel surcharge calculator

Fuel surcharge calculator

Per-mile and per-load surcharge from the current DOE weekly diesel index - pre-filled with this week's number.

The Weekly Diesel Bulletin·No. 14·Week of ·Next release October 27, 2026

Fuel-surcharge schedules pass fuel-cost swings through to the shipper. The standard method pegs the surcharge to the EIA weekly on-highway diesel price (the “DOE index”):

Surcharge per mile = (current DOE diesel price − base fuel price) ÷ truck MPG. Multiply by lane miles for the per-load surcharge. The base price (often $1.20/gal in legacy schedules) and the MPG divisor (commonly 5–7) are contract terms - there is no federally mandated formula, so always use the base and divisor written into your rate agreement.

Calculator

Surcharge per mile
$0.846
Fuel cost per mile
$1.046
diesel only at 6.0 MPG
Surcharge per load
$423.00
at 500 miles

Fuel cost per mile is pump fuel only, not a total operating cost. The surcharge is the portion above your contract base that the formula passes through.

Worked example with this week's real number

Schedules that use a bracket table instead of the straight formula: see the printable FSC matrix built from this week's index. Regional schedules: pick your region's price on the index page.

The surcharge reimburses fuel; it doesn't prepay it. The diesel behind a 1,000-mile load runs about $1,046 at this week's index, out of pocket until the invoice pays. What freight factoring does about that: explained here.

What the wait is actually costing you

That 1,000-mile load carries about $1,046 of diesel at this week's index. It leaves your account at the pump today and comes back when the broker pays the invoice, commonly 30 to 45 days later. Factoring closes that gap: you sell the invoice and get paid the day you deliver. Nobody publishes their rates, so the only real number is a written quote. One set of details below gets you one, free and with no obligation.

Your details are passed to a freight factoring company so it can quote you, and Weekly Diesel may be paid a referral fee if you go on to sign with it. That fee is paid by the factoring company and never changes what you pay. Nothing here is financial advice, and a quote is not an approval. Prefer email? Write to factoring@weeklydiesel.com.

FAQ

What is a fuel surcharge?

A fuel surcharge (FSC) is a separate per-mile or percentage charge added to a freight rate to pass fuel-cost changes through to the shipper. Most schedules peg it to the U.S. EIA weekly on-highway diesel price (the “DOE index”): when the index rises above an agreed base price, the surcharge rises with it. The base price, escalator, and update day are contract terms - there is no federally mandated formula.

How is a fuel surcharge calculated?

The most common method: surcharge per mile = (current DOE diesel price − base fuel price) ÷ truck miles per gallon. Example with this week's index: ($6.276 − $1.20) ÷ 6 MPG = $0.846 per mile, or $423.00 on a 500-mile load. Many schedules instead publish a bracket matrix that maps each 5¢ price range to a fixed per-mile surcharge.

When does the DOE diesel price update?

The U.S. EIA surveys on-highway diesel prices every Monday and releases the weekly average the next day, Tuesday around 10 a.m. ET (Wednesday when Monday is a federal holiday). The current release covers the week of October 19, 2026; the next release is October 27, 2026.