Free tool for haulers
Tie your freight rate to the EIA diesel price. Set the base price on the day you quote, choose your trigger and percentage, and get this week’s surcharge, a price schedule and a clause to paste into your quote.
1 · Base fuel price
Find the latest weekly on-highway diesel price on the EIA Gasoline and Diesel Fuel Update. Use the price for the U.S. or your region, published as of the day you send the quote. The starting value is an example; replace it with the current EIA price.
2 · Your surcharge terms
Example terms: every 15 cents a gallon above the base adds 2.5% to the quoted freight rate. Set your own.
3 · This week
Each week, enter the newest EIA price to see the surcharge that applies to that week’s work.
4 · Your freight rate
Fuel’s share is used only to check your terms against your real fuel cost. The hauling rate calculator shows your fuel cost for a day.
This week’s fuel surcharge
Surcharge schedule
| EIA price a gallon | Surcharge | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Up to $6.425 | 0% | $10.00 |
| $6.426 to $6.575 | 2.5% | $10.25 |
| $6.576 to $6.725 | 5% | $10.50 |
| $6.726 to $6.875 | 7.5% | $10.75 |
| $6.876 to $7.025 | 10% | $11.00 |
| $7.026 to $7.175 | 12.5% | $11.25 |
| $7.176 to $7.325 | 15% | $11.50 |
| $7.326 to $7.475 | 17.5% | $11.75 |
| $7.476 to $7.625 | 20% | $12.00 |
| $7.626 to $7.775 | 22.5% | $12.25 |
| $7.776 to $7.925 | 25% | $12.50 |
Estimates only. Results use the prices and terms you enter. Agree on surcharge terms with your customer in writing before work starts. VTA is not part of EIA and does not set or recommend surcharges. General information, not legal advice. Nothing you enter leaves your device.
How it works
A fuel surcharge lets you quote a rate today and keep it fair if diesel climbs during the job. Both sides can check the EIA price, so there is nothing to argue about: the price moved, the rate moved by the amount you agreed on.
Pricing the haul first? Use the hauling rate calculator to price per ton, per hour or per load, then add your surcharge clause to the quote.
FAQ
General information for planning, not legal or financial advice. Diesel prices: U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Start with a base diesel price: the EIA weekly price on the date you send the quote. Then pick a trigger and a percentage. Each time the EIA price rises by the trigger amount, the freight rate goes up by that percentage. For example, with a $6.276 base, a 15-cent trigger and 2.5% a step, a price of $6.590 is 31.4 cents higher, or two full steps, so a $10.00-a-ton rate becomes $10.50.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration publishes the average retail price of on-highway diesel, taxes included, every week for the U.S. and for regions such as the Lower Atlantic, Midwest and Gulf Coast. Each weekly price is dated on a Monday. Haulers and shippers use it because it is public, neutral and easy for both sides to check at eia.gov/petroleum/gasdiesel.
Use the price you and your customer agree on, and name it in the quote. Many haulers use the U.S. average; others use the region where they work, such as the Lower Atlantic for Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas, Virginia and West Virginia. Use the latest weekly price published as of the date you send the quote as your base.
Set terms you can explain. A quick check: divide the trigger by the base price, then multiply by the share of your rate that goes to fuel. At a $6.276 base with fuel at 20% of the rate, a 15-cent rise adds about 0.48% to your cost. The calculator shows this next to your schedule so you can see whether the surcharge matches, covers less than, or recovers more than your fuel cost.
Only if your agreement says so. Many quotes never go below the quoted rate; others lower the rate in the same steps when the EIA price falls below the base. Choose either option in the calculator, and the clause it writes says which one applies.
Weekly is common, since EIA updates its price every week. Apply the latest EIA price to the work done that week, and keep a copy of the EIA price you used with your invoices.
No. Open the EIA page, find the latest weekly on-highway diesel price for the U.S. or your region, and type it in. That keeps the number you quote exactly the same as the one your customer can check.
No. VTA is an independent publication and is not part of EIA. The calculator uses only the numbers you enter, VTA does not publish or suggest surcharge rates, and each hauler sets its own terms. This is general information, not legal advice.
Price a haul, work out your legal payload and track short-haul hours.