Fuel surcharge calculator
Enter a base fuel price, current diesel price, and your MPG to compute the fuel surcharge per mile and per load — with both the MPG method and a stepped peg schedule. Nothing is saved; the math runs in your browser.
Peg / step schedule
MPG method
(current − base) ÷ mpg
$0.450
per mile
$225
over 500 mi
Peg / step method
45 steps × $0.010/mi
$0.450
per mile
$225
over 500 mi
What a fuel surcharge is for
Line-haul rates are negotiated against a base fuel price. When diesel climbs above that base, the fuel surcharge (FSC) reimburses the carrier for the extra fuel cost so a spike at the pump doesn’t eat the margin on a load that was priced weeks earlier. It is a separate, transparent line — not part of the line-haul negotiation.
The two standard methods
The MPG method is continuous: take the price above base and divide by your truck’s MPG to get dollars of surcharge per mile. The peg/step method publishes a table — for every fixed increase in fuel above base (the “peg,” often $0.06/gal) the surcharge steps up by a set amount per mile (often $0.01). Broker and shipper contracts usually reference a step schedule, so it pays to know how many steps today’s price triggers.
Check that the schedule actually covers you
A peg schedule bakes in an assumed fuel economy. If your truck runs worse than that assumption, the stepped surcharge can fall short of your real fuel cost — which the MPG method, run against your own MPG, will reveal. Comparing both is how carriers make sure a shipper’s fuel program keeps them whole instead of quietly underpaying on every mile.
Frequently asked questions
- How is a fuel surcharge calculated?
- The most common method divides the amount fuel is above an agreed base price by your truck's MPG. If diesel is $3.95 and the base is $1.25, fuel is $2.70 over base; at 6 MPG that's $2.70 ÷ 6 = $0.45 per mile of fuel surcharge. Multiply by the load's miles for the surcharge on that load. Many contracts instead publish a stepped 'peg' schedule that adds a fixed amount per mile for every set increase in fuel price.
- What is the base fuel price in a fuel surcharge?
- The base price is the diesel price baked into the line-haul rate — the threshold below which no surcharge applies. Fuel surcharges only reimburse the cost of diesel above that base. A common historical base is around $1.20–$1.25 per gallon, but the base is negotiable and should be stated clearly in the rate agreement so both sides know when the surcharge kicks in.
- What is a peg / step fuel surcharge schedule?
- A peg schedule adds the surcharge in fixed steps rather than continuously. For example: for every $0.06 that diesel rises above the base, add $0.01 per mile. Fuel that is $0.30 above base is five full steps, so the surcharge is $0.05 per mile. Steps only count when a full peg increment is crossed — being partway into the next step adds nothing until you reach it.
- Does the fuel surcharge depend on my MPG?
- Under the MPG method, yes — a less fuel-efficient truck burns more gallons per mile, so the same price gap over base produces a larger surcharge per mile. Peg/step schedules bake an assumed MPG into the published table instead, so the surcharge is the same per mile regardless of your actual fuel economy. Knowing both lets you check whether a shipper's schedule actually covers your fuel cost.