Fuel Surcharge Calculator
Apply your carrier's current fuel surcharge percentage to a linehaul rate to see the surcharge amount and the combined total.
From your carrier's current published scale.
Why fuel is billed separately
Diesel is one of the largest and most volatile costs in trucking. Rather than rewriting base rates every time it moves, the industry settled on splitting it out: a relatively stable linehaul rate plus a percentage that tracks fuel. The mechanism lets carriers hold base pricing steady across a contract while still passing through a cost neither side controls.
Most carriers peg their surcharge to the U.S. Energy Information Administration's weekly national average on-highway diesel price, then publish a scale that converts that price into a percentage. Because the benchmark moves weekly and each carrier writes its own scale, the percentage is a moving number you have to look up rather than a constant you can memorise — which is exactly why this calculator asks you for it.
Worked example
An $850 linehaul rate at a 28.5% fuel surcharge.
Surcharge: $850 × 0.285 = $242.25.
Linehaul plus fuel: $1092.25.
If the scale drops to 22% the same move costs $1037.00, a difference of $55.25 on one shipment from the fuel line alone.
Comparing quotes
A lower linehaul rate with a steeper fuel scale can cost more than a higher rate with a flatter one. Comparing carriers on linehaul alone is the most common way to pick the more expensive option — run both through the surcharge before deciding.
Keep going
- The surcharge applies to a linehaul rate, and that rate is built from billable weight; the chargeable weight calculator produces that figure. Chargeable Weight Calculator
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a fuel surcharge in freight?
A fuel surcharge is a percentage added to the linehaul rate to cover the cost of diesel, separated out so that carriers do not have to republish base rates every time fuel moves. It is calculated on the linehaul portion of a shipment, and it changes far more often than the base rate does.
How is the fuel surcharge percentage set?
Carriers peg it to a published diesel price benchmark — most commonly the U.S. Energy Information Administration's weekly national average on-highway diesel price — and publish their own scale converting that price into a percentage. The benchmark updates weekly, and each carrier's scale is its own, so two carriers can show different surcharges in the same week.
Why does this calculator not know the current percentage?
Because it changes every week and differs by carrier, so any figure hardcoded into a web page would be wrong within days. Read the current percentage off your carrier's published fuel surcharge table or your rate confirmation and enter it here.
Is the surcharge applied before or after accessorials?
Conventionally the fuel surcharge applies to the linehaul charge rather than to accessorial fees such as liftgate, residential delivery or detention, but this is carrier-specific and set out in the rules tariff. Check whether your carrier's surcharge base includes anything beyond linehaul.
Can fuel surcharges be negotiated?
The scale sometimes can be, particularly on contracted volume, even where the base rate is fixed. Because the surcharge is a percentage of linehaul, it compounds with every rate increase, so the scale is worth as much attention in a negotiation as the base rate itself.
Percentages shown in the examples are illustrative figures you might enter, not a published rate from any carrier and not a current market value. Always use your carrier's current published scale.
Related Calculators
- Freight Class Calculator — Freight Classification
- Freight Density Calculator — Freight Classification
- CBM Calculator — Dimensions & Weight
- Dimensional Weight Calculator — Dimensions & Weight