Fuel surcharge meaning (FSC)

The common formula

Fuel surcharge per mile = (current diesel price - base price) / miles per gallon divisor

Each program sets its own base price and divisor. The current price usually comes from the EIA's weekly U.S. average retail on-highway diesel price, which was $6.199 a gallon for the week of October 5, 2026.

Source: U.S. EIA, Gasoline and Diesel Fuel Update (weekly retail on-highway diesel, U.S. average) · checked 2026-10

EIA diesel this week

$6.199

Program base price

$1.25

Divisor (mpg)

6

FSC per mile

$0.825

Loaded miles

800

FSC for the load

$660

Base price and divisor are EXAMPLES; every program sets its own.

What a fuel surcharge doesn't cover

• Fuel below the base. The surcharge only pays for the part of the price above the program's base. Fuel up to the base comes out of linehaul.
• Empty miles. It's usually paid on loaded miles only, while you buy fuel for every mile.
• Your actual mpg. The divisor is the program's number, not your truck's.

So a fuel surcharge softens price swings; it doesn't make fuel free. Price every load on its all-in rate; see cost of trucking statistics for what fuel costs per mile now.

On the rate con

When a rate con lists linehaul and FSC separately, add them to get the real rate. When a broker quotes "all-in," fuel is already included. Check the rate confirmation guide, and run the numbers in the fuel surcharge calculator.

Who sets the fuel surcharge?

The shipper or broker, through its fuel program: the base price, the divisor and which weekly index it uses. Some carriers with direct shippers negotiate their own schedule.

Is the fuel surcharge negotiable?

The formula usually isn't; the linehaul is. Negotiate the total you need for the trip.