MarginShock

Delivery
fuel surcharge calculator

Delivery margins are thin and fuel is one of the biggest variable costs per stop. A small change in fuel price, multiplied across thousands of stops, can wipe out the profit on a route. See what it's costing you per delivery.

Worked example

Gasoline $3.20 → $4.10

$0.56

surcharge per delivery

Extra / month
$1,350
Of avg ticket
3.1%

Illustrative · enter your own below

Surcharge engine · inputs

Example numbers — replace with yours

Example: 6 vans, ~2,400 stops a month, $18 average delivery

The cost that changed
$
$
How much you use

From fuel cards, receipts, or supplier invoices.

How many deliverys the cost is spread across.

Your pricing
$

Used to express the surcharge as a %.

%

e.g. 20 for 20%.

Gallon change

▲ 28.1%

Extra / month

$1,350

Extra / delivery

$0.56

No account needed. Inputs are saved anonymously to build industry benchmarks — never shown individually. Privacy

(What drives the cost)

Where the fuel goes in delivery fleets.

  1. 01Stop-and-go driving that lowers fuel economy.
  2. 02Route density — fewer stops per mile means more fuel per delivery.
  3. 03Idling at loading docks and customer sites.
  4. 04Rush and same-day orders that break efficient routing.

(Pricing it)

How to add a surcharge customers accept.

01

Index it for B2B accounts

Business customers are used to fuel surcharges that move with a published diesel or gasoline index. A tiered table is easy to put in a contract.

02

Per-stop cents add up

The per-delivery amount may look tiny. Show it as a percentage too — that's what your customers compare.

03

Protect route pricing

If you price by route, recover fuel per route rather than per stop so you're not penalizing dense, efficient customers.

(Sample customer notice)

A surcharge letter you can adapt.

Built from the example numbers. Create a free account to generate one from your own numbers as an email, SMS, invoice note, or contract clause — then review it before sending.

Generate mine free

Email · friendly · draft

Review before sending

Subject: A small fuel surcharge on upcoming deliverys

Hi [Customer name],

Fuel prices have risen sharply, and fuel is one of the biggest costs of every delivery we do for you. Rather than raise our base prices, we're adding a temporary fuel surcharge of $0.56 per delivery, starting [date].

This covers only the added fuel cost — nothing more. We'll review it regularly and reduce or remove it when fuel prices come back down.

Thank you for your business. If you have any questions, just reply to this message.

[Your name]
[Company]

(FAQ)

Delivery Fleets fuel surcharge questions

01How do delivery companies calculate fuel surcharges?

Commonly as a percentage of the delivery charge that changes when a public fuel price index crosses set thresholds. This calculator gives you the break-even amount to anchor that table.

02Should I charge per stop or per mile?

Per stop is simpler to invoice; per mile is more accurate on spread-out routes. Start with per stop and adjust for outlier routes.

03Is a fuel surcharge the same as a credit card surcharge?

No. A fuel surcharge recovers an operating cost. Credit card surcharges are a separate practice with their own rules.

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