Fuel Surcharge Calculator
Diesel jumps, your costs jump — the fuel surcharge is how you get paid for it. Learn exactly how it's calculated and play with the numbers until it clicks.
First, the whole idea in one breath
When diesel goes up, it costs you more to haul the exact same load. A fuel surcharge is just extra money — on top of your regular rate — that pays you back for that higher diesel. It isn't a bonus or a tip. It's catching up to the pump. Below you'll see exactly how it's figured, one baby step at a time.
Plug in the numbers
Change anything and the answer updates instantly.
Live U.S. average diesel, as of Jun 22, 2026.
Most contracts start the surcharge at $1.25. The card below explains why. Always use the number your contract actually says.
A loaded big rig is usually about 6. The standard table assumes exactly 6.
Just so we can show the dollars on one whole trip.
Your answer
The math, one baby step at a time
Look at diesel today
Right now diesel is $4.83 a gallon.
Subtract the peg
Your rate already covers diesel up to $1.25 (the peg). So you take $4.83 − $1.25 = $3.582. That's the money per gallon you're not getting paid for yet.
Spread it over the miles one gallon carries you
One gallon doesn't move you one mile — it moves you about 6 miles. So split that $3.582 across 6 miles: $3.582 ÷ 6 = $0.597 per mile. That's your fuel surcharge.
Multiply by the length of the trip
On a 500-mile load: $0.597 × 500 = $298.50 in fuel surcharge on top of your line-haul.
What is the "peg," and why $1.25?
The peg is the diesel price already baked into your rate — the amount of fuel cost the shipper figures is "included" before any surcharge kicks in. Think of a phone plan: your monthly bill already includes some data (that's the peg); you only pay extra when you go over.
Why $1.25 specifically? That's roughly what diesel cost back when fuel-surcharge programs became standard across the industry (early 2000s). It stuck as the common starting line, so a lot of contracts still use it. It's a convention, not a law — your contract sets the real number, so always confirm it.
Why divide by MPG?
The extra cost is per gallon, but you bill per mile. One gallon carries the truck about 6 miles, so the extra cost of that gallon gets spread across those 6 miles. Dividing by MPG turns "extra dollars per gallon" into "extra dollars per mile" — which is how loads are paid.
Better fuel mileage = a smaller surcharge per mile (the cost spreads over more miles). Worse mileage = a bigger one.
The "per-penny" table shortcut
Brokers often hand you a printed table instead of a formula. The classic one (built on a 6-MPG truck): for every 6¢ diesel rises above the peg, add about 1¢ per mile of surcharge. It's the exact same math as above — just pre-figured so nobody has to do it at the dock.
When is there no surcharge?
Whenever diesel is at or below the peg. The surcharge only covers fuel above the included price, and it never goes negative — if fuel is cheap, you simply add $0. You keep your line-haul; you just don't tack on extra fuel money.
Educational tool only — not a quote. Fuel surcharge programs are set by the shipper, broker, or contract; always bill what your rate confirmation actually states.