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Fuel Surcharge Calculator

Enter the current fuel price, base peg, truck MPG, and miles to compute the surcharge.

How it is calculated

The tool uses US units: fuel price in dollars per gallon, truck fuel economy in miles per gallon (MPG) and distance in miles. It first finds how far today's price sits above the peg: over = price − base. If the price is at or below the base, that figure is set to zero, so the surcharge never goes negative and no credit is given. Then per mile = over ÷ MPG and total = per mile × miles. The total is calculated from the unrounded per-mile rate, so multiplying the displayed four-decimal rate by the miles may differ by a few cents. MPG must be above zero, miles cannot be negative, and a negative price or base shows no result. Real carrier tables often use mileage bands or percentage schedules, so treat this as the underlying mechanics, not any carrier's quote.

Worked example

Diesel is at $4.20 a gallon, the contract peg is $1.25, the truck averages 6.5 MPG and the load runs 800 miles. The price is above the peg by 4.20 − 1.25 = $2.95 per gallon. Dividing by fuel economy gives 2.95 ÷ 6.5 = $0.4538 per mile. Multiplying by distance gives 0.453846 × 800 = $363.08 total surcharge. The tool shows $363.08, $0.4538/mi and $2.95/gal. If diesel fell to $1.00, below the peg, all three amounts would show zero.

Try this example →

Common mistakes

  • Using the truck's own average MPG from a spec sheet instead of the real fleet figure. A loaded truck in mountainous country may be well below the rating, and the surcharge per mile rises as MPG falls.
  • Entering a price per litre, or a base in a different currency or unit from the pump price. Both must be dollars per US gallon.
  • Putting the surcharge percentage or the total freight rate in the base field. The base is a fuel price (the peg), not a rate.
  • Expecting a refund when diesel is below the peg. This tool floors the surcharge at zero, but some contracts do credit the shipper, so check yours.
  • Entering kilometres. The distance field expects miles, so convert first (1 mile is about 1.609 km).

About this calculator

Trucking fuel surcharges exist to pass fluctuating diesel costs from carrier to shipper without renegotiating the base freight rate every time fuel prices move. The standard formula pegs a base fuel price (often set when the contract was signed, or from a benchmark like the DOE weekly average): Surcharge per mile = (Current Fuel Price − Base Peg Price) ÷ Truck MPG, and the total surcharge for a shipment is that per-mile rate multiplied by the miles hauled.

Because surcharge tables and mileage bands vary by carrier, this formula reflects the underlying mechanics rather than one universal published rate — but the core logic is the same across the industry: as diesel prices rise above the peg, the surcharge rises proportionally, protecting carrier margins without touching the negotiated linehaul rate. Freight brokers, trucking company dispatchers, and shippers auditing carrier invoices use this calculation to verify that a quoted fuel surcharge lines up with current diesel prices.

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