Fuel Surcharge Calculator Widget

Embed a freight fuel surcharge calculator on a carrier, broker or shipper page. Users either compare this week's diesel price with the contract base price and the truck's fuel economy, or apply the percentage step from a carrier's schedule to the linehaul charge.

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<iframe src="https://a2z.tools/embed/w/fuel-surcharge-calculator" title="Fuel Surcharge Calculator by A2Z Tools" width="100%" height="700" style="border:0;width:100%" loading="lazy" allow="clipboard-write"></iframe>

A plain iframe. Works everywhere, including site builders that strip scripts. Adjust height if your content needs more room.

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How it works

The per-distance method is the usual cents-per-mile programme: the surcharge reimburses only the fuel cost above an agreed base price. The widget subtracts the base from the current price (never going below zero) and divides by the truck's miles per gallon, giving a rate per mile; in metric mode it multiplies the per-litre difference by L/100 km and divides by 100 for a rate per km. The trip total is that rate times the distance, and the cards also show the fuel burned. With diesel at 3.85, a 1.20 base and 6 mpg, the surcharge is 0.442 a mile, or 441.67 for 1,000 miles. The percentage method is for carriers that publish a table of fuel-price bands, each with a percentage of the linehaul; pick the step for this week's price and the widget applies it. Fuel prices are typed in by the user - the widget fetches nothing.

Calculation method

  • Per mile = max(0, current price per gal - base price per gal) / mpg
  • Per km = max(0, current price per L - base price per L) x (L/100 km) / 100
  • Trip surcharge = rate x distance; fuel used = distance / mpg, or distance x L/100 km / 100
  • Percentage method: surcharge = linehaul x schedule percentage / 100

Worked examples

US truckload, per mile

Inputs: Current 3.85/gal, base 1.20/gal, 6 mpg, 1,000 miles

Result: Surcharge 441.67; 0.442 per mile; 166.7 gal of fuel

(3.85 - 1.20) / 6 x 1,000.

Percentage schedule

Inputs: Linehaul 1,800; schedule step 28%

Result: Surcharge 504.00; total 2,304.00

The percentage comes from the carrier's published table.

European haulage, per km

Inputs: Current 1.70/L, base 1.10/L, 32 L/100 km, 500 km

Result: Surcharge 96.00; 0.192 per km; 160 L of fuel

Metric form of the same programme.

An estimate for planning and quoting; the surcharge that applies is the one in your carrier contract or tariff.

Limitations

  • Does not look up fuel prices; enter the published figure the contract refers to and its date.
  • LTL and parcel carriers usually apply their own weekly percentage tables rather than a per-mile formula; use the percentage method for those.
  • Deadhead miles, minimum charges and accessorial fees are not included.

Where publishers use it

  • Owner-operator and small-fleet websites explaining their cents-per-mile surcharge
  • Freight broker quote pages showing linehaul and fuel separately
  • Shipper procurement teams auditing carrier invoices against the contract base price
  • Logistics courses teaching how surcharge programmes track the weekly diesel average
  • Courier and haulage firms in metric countries quoting a per-km fuel adjustment

Questions

How is a per-mile fuel surcharge calculated?

Subtract the base fuel price in the contract from the current price and divide by the truck's mpg. With diesel at 3.85, a 1.20 base and 6 mpg: (3.85 - 1.20) / 6 = 0.442 per mile, so 441.67 for a 1,000-mile load.

Where do carriers get the current diesel price?

Most US programmes use the US Energy Information Administration's weekly retail on-highway diesel price, published every week for the nation and for regions. Enter the figure your contract names.

What base price and mpg should I use?

Whatever the contract states. Base prices are often set near the fuel price when the rate was agreed, and the mpg is a fixed economy written into the agreement rather than the truck's measured figure, so every load on the contract is surcharged the same way.

How does a percentage schedule work?

The carrier publishes bands of fuel price, each with a percentage. If this week's price falls in a 28% band and the linehaul is 1,800, the surcharge is 504 and the total 2,304.

Is there a surcharge when fuel is below the base?

No. The widget returns zero when the current price is at or below the base; some contracts include a credit in that case, which you would agree separately.

Who pays the fuel surcharge - shipper or carrier?

The shipper or its broker pays it to the trucking company on top of the linehaul rate, as a separate invoice line. Because it floats weekly with the diesel index, the base rate can stay fixed for a whole contract term while volatile pump prices are passed through transparently.

How does the metric version work?

Enter prices per litre and consumption in L/100 km. At 1.70 a litre against a 1.10 base and 32 L/100 km, the surcharge is 0.60 x 32 / 100 = 0.192 per km, or 96.00 for 500 km.

Sources

  1. Gasoline and Diesel Fuel Update - U.S. On-Highway Diesel Fuel Prices - US Energy Information Administration . Weekly retail on-highway diesel prices, national and regional - the index most US surcharge schedules use. Link only: the widget does not fetch prices. Checked 2026-10-01.

Cite or recommend this tool

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A2Z Tools Fuel Surcharge Calculator
https://a2z.tools/embed/fuel-surcharge-calculator
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