How fuel surcharge is calculated
Two common methods, one worked example each, and a calculator you can check them against.
Per mile
Total FSC = FSC per mile x miles
If diesel is at or below the base price, the surcharge is $0. It is never negative.
Example
Diesel is $3.80, the base is $1.20, the truck gets 6.5 MPG and the trip is 1,000 miles.
$0.400 x 1,000 mi = $400.00
Percent of linehaul
FSC % = full steps x percent per step
FSC $ = rate x FSC %
Only full steps count. With a $0.05 step, $3.80 and $3.84 pay the same.
Example: $3.80 and a $1.20 base with a $0.05 step gives 52 steps. At 0.5% per step that is 26.0%, or $520.00 on a $2,000.00 rate.
Which method fits
Per mile follows the fuel the truck actually burns, so it is the usual choice for truckload and owner-operator pay. Percent of linehaul is common in less-than-truckload and some broker contracts, where the rate is not tied to a mile count. Many contracts publish a table of either one: see the table generator.
Where the diesel price comes from
Most contracts use the U.S. EIA weekly retail on-highway diesel price. EIA records Monday's pump prices and publishes them on Tuesday. Your contract may name a region, so pick the one it names. See this week's prices and this week's surcharge.
Questions
How do I calculate a surcharge?
It depends on the kind. A percent surcharge is the amount times the percent. A fuel surcharge is (diesel price - base price) / MPG per mile, or full price steps times a percent per step. The contract names which one applies.
What is the average fuel surcharge per mile?
Over the last 52 weeks, the U.S. average at a $1.20 base and 6.5 MPG was $0.580 per mile, between $0.348 and $0.820. With another base or MPG the figure changes, so check yours in the calculator.
How to calculate 3% surcharge?
Multiply the amount by 0.03. A 3% surcharge on a $2,000 linehaul is $2,000 x 0.03 = $60.00, so the total is $2,060.00. A fuel surcharge is rarely a flat 3%: it usually changes each week with the diesel price.
How to work out fuel surcharge percentage?
Count the full price steps above the base, then multiply by the percent per step. With $3.80 diesel, a $1.20 base, a $0.05 step and 0.5% per step: 52 steps x 0.5% = 26.0%, or $520.00 on a $2,000.00 rate.
How much should you charge for fuel surcharge?
Charge what the contract says. For a new contract, base it on the weekly EIA price, a base your linehaul already covers and your truck's real MPG. This week that is $0.758 per mile at a $1.20 base and 6.5 MPG.
What is the fuel surcharge rate?
It is whatever your contract defines: dollars per mile or a percent of linehaul. For the week of Nov 9, 2026 the U.S. average gives $0.758 per mile at a $1.20 base and 6.5 MPG (U.S. diesel $6.13).
What is 100 percent fuel surcharge?
It is not a standard term. It usually means the whole calculated surcharge is paid to the carrier, with nothing kept by a broker or shipper. Read the contract: some pay only a share of it.
What is the average fuel surcharge rate?
There is no industry-wide percentage: it depends on each contract's base, step and percent per step. In dollars, the 52-week U.S. average was $0.580 per mile, which is 29.0% of a $2,000, 1,000-mile linehaul.