Dump Truck Fuel Surcharge Calculator

Work out the surcharge that covers diesel above the price you agreed with your customer.

  • Free · No sign-up
  • Updated
  • Diesel: $6.53/gal, U.S. average for week of September 21, 2026 (EIA).
Truck type

Starting numbers are examples. Enter your own.

Diesel prices
In dollars per gallon.

The price agreed with your customer. The surcharge covers diesel above it.

In dollars per gallon.

Diesel: $6.53/gal, U.S. average for week of September 21, 2026 (EIA).

Your rate and fuel use
In dollars per hour.

Your hourly rate before any surcharge.

In gallons per hour.

Typical for this truck, varies. Enter your own.

More options
In hours per day.

Fuel surcharge

4.7%

  • Diesel above your base price$1.18/gal
  • Extra fuel cost per hour$5.90/hr
  • Extra fuel cost per work day$58.95

Add this surcharge to a bid

The surcharge covers the extra fuel you burn each hour, as a share of your hourly rate. Show it as its own line on quotes and invoices.

What's next

How this is calculated

  1. Diesel today − base price
  2. × gallons per hour
  3. ÷ hourly rate
  4. Surcharge %
  • Diesel increase = current price − base price (0 if diesel is at or below the base).
  • Extra fuel cost per hour = increase × gallons per hour.
  • Surcharge % = extra fuel cost per hour ÷ your hourly rate × 100.
  • Extra per work day = extra fuel cost per hour × hours per day.

Worked example: base $5.35, diesel now $6.529 (an increase of $1.179), a tri-axle burning 5 gallons an hour and a $119.70 hourly rate. The extra fuel costs $5.895 an hour, so the surcharge is 4.9%, or $58.95 over a 10-hour day. If diesel drops to $5.00, below the base, there is no surcharge.

Related guides

Questions

What is a fuel surcharge?

An extra charge that covers diesel costing more than the price you and your customer agreed on. It is shown as its own line on the quote or invoice, so the customer can see it is a pass-through and not a rate increase.

How is the surcharge worked out here?

From the extra fuel you burn each hour: (current diesel − base diesel) × gallons per hour, as a percentage of your hourly rate. With a $5.35 base, diesel at $6.529, 5 gallons an hour and a $119.70 rate, the extra fuel is about $5.90 an hour, a 4.9% surcharge.

What base diesel price should I use?

The price you agree with your customer, usually the price when the job or contract was priced. This calculator starts with $5.35 as an example.

Where does the current diesel price come from?

The starting value is the weekly U.S. average retail price for No. 2 diesel from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), updated each week. Prices differ by state and by fuel card, so enter what you pay if it is different.

Can I use it on per-ton or per-load work?

Yes. The surcharge is a percentage, so it goes on an hourly, per-ton or per-load price the same way. If your per-ton or per-load price was worked out from the same hourly rate (for example with the per-ton converter, with no tolls or other extras), the same percentage covers the same extra fuel. The bid calculator adds it to all three kinds of quote.

My customer has their own fuel surcharge formula. Which do I use?

If a contract sets the formula, use that one. This calculator is a simple, cost-based way to price a surcharge when there is no agreed formula.

Do highway haulers figure the surcharge differently?

Yes. Per-mile operators divide the fuel increase by miles instead of hours. Our sister site CostPerMile walks through the per-mile version.

Sources

Last updated: