Fuel Surcharge Calculator
How much extra to charge for diesel this week.
Diesel price: EIA, week of Sept 21, 2026
Diesel in is $6.53 a gallon this week. For a -mile load, add $812 fuel surcharge.
Tap the blue boxes to change them
That’s $0.812 per mile.
What this means
Your rate
$2,000
e.g. $2.00/mi
Fuel surcharge
$812
Ask the broker
$2,812
A fuel surcharge is extra money for diesel above the price already in your rate. When diesel goes up, it goes up. How is this calculated?
What is a fuel surcharge?
A fuel surcharge (FSC) is extra money on top of your freight rate. It pays you back when diesel costs more than a set price, called the base price. When diesel goes up, the surcharge goes up. When diesel goes down, it goes down.
Real-life example
You haul 1,000 miles. Your rate is $2,000. Diesel is $6.53 this week. With a $1.25 base and 6.5 MPG, the fuel surcharge is $812.
- Freight rate
- $2,000
- + Fuel surcharge
- $812
- You should get
- $2,812
How to calculate a fuel surcharge
Take this week's diesel price. Subtract the base price. Divide by your miles per gallon. Then multiply by the miles.
Fuel surcharge per mile = (Diesel price − Base price) ÷ MPG
- 01
Find the difference.
Diesel price minus base price.
$6.529 − $1.25 = $5.279per gallon
- 02
Divide by MPG.
Divide the difference by your truck's MPG.
$5.279 ÷ 6.5 = $0.812per mile
- 03
Multiply by miles.
Multiply by loaded miles.
$0.812 × 1,000 = $812for the load
Use loaded miles only (miles with freight). Most contracts don't pay FSC on empty miles.
Fuel surcharge chart for this week
Per mile, with diesel at $6.529 (EIA U.S. average, Sept 21, 2026). Many shippers call this the DOT or DOE fuel surcharge chart.
| Base | 6.0 MPG | 6.5 MPG | 7.0 MPG |
|---|---|---|---|
| $1.25 | $0.88 | $0.81 | $0.75 |
| $2.50 | $0.67 | $0.62 | $0.58 |
| $3.00 | $0.59 | $0.54 | $0.50 |
Higher base price = smaller surcharge. Better MPG = smaller surcharge.
Diesel price by region this week
Where you buy fuel changes your surcharge. Some contracts use a regional price instead of the U.S. average.
| Region | Diesel | FSC / mile* |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. average | $6.529 | $0.81 |
| East Coast | $6.268 | $0.77 |
| Midwest | $6.680 | $0.84 |
| Gulf Coast | $6.177 | $0.76 |
| Rocky Mountain | $6.340 | $0.78 |
| West Coast | $7.456 | $0.95 |
| California | $8.246 | $1.08 |
*At a $1.25 base and 6.5 MPG. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), weekly on-highway diesel prices.
How to get paid your fuel surcharge
- 01
Put it on the rate con.
The rate confirmation (the broker's written load agreement) should say “FSC” and the amount. If it only says “all-in”, fuel is already inside the rate.
- 02
Ask for linehaul and FSC separately.
Say: “$1.85 linehaul plus FSC, $0.81 this week.” If a broker offers $2.60 all-in, subtract $0.81. Your real rate is $1.79 a mile.
- 03
Count empty miles.
Fuel for deadhead (driving empty to the pickup) is not in the surcharge. Add it to your rate yourself.
More on this: 11 rate confirmation mistakes that cost carriers money
See fuel, tolls and real profit on every DAT load
LoadConnect is a free Chrome extension for DAT and Truckstop. Open a load and see the route map, fuel cost, tolls and rate per mile. Check the broker's MC and email them in one click.
- Fuel + tolls for every load
- Real rate per mile, after fuel
- Broker MC check in one click
Works on DAT and Truckstop. No credit card.
Fuel surcharge questions
Diesel prices: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), weekly retail on-highway diesel, published Mondays. This page updates the same week. Numbers are estimates to help you plan, not a quote.