MarginShock

Local logistics
fuel surcharge calculator

Courier and local freight work runs on tight per-shipment pricing, often under contracts that assumed last year's fuel price. B2B clients expect fuel surcharges, but they also check them. Calculate the true added cost per shipment before you send a new rate sheet.

Worked example

Diesel Fuel $3.70 → $4.80

$1.60

surcharge per shipment

Extra / month
$1,760
Of avg ticket
2.5%

Illustrative · enter your own below

Surcharge engine · inputs

Example numbers — replace with yours

Example: 4 box trucks, ~1,100 shipments a month, $65 average shipment

The cost that changed
$
$
How much you use

From fuel cards, receipts, or supplier invoices.

How many shipments the cost is spread across.

Your pricing
$

Used to express the surcharge as a %.

%

e.g. 20 for 20%.

Gallon change

▲ 29.7%

Extra / month

$1,760

Extra / shipment

$1.60

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

(What drives the cost)

Where the fuel goes in local logistics & courier.

  1. 01Box trucks and cargo vans running dense urban stop-and-go routes.
  2. 02Empty backhauls and repositioning between clients.
  3. 03Rush and on-demand runs that break efficient routing.
  4. 04Traffic and dock wait times with engines idling.

(Pricing it)

How to add a surcharge customers accept.

01

Use a published fuel index

Tie your surcharge to the EIA weekly diesel price so clients can verify it. Shippers are used to this from national carriers.

02

Separate contracted and on-demand work

Contract rates may need notice before they change. On-demand and spot work can reflect the current surcharge right away.

03

Express it as a percentage

B2B shippers compare fuel surcharges as a percent of line-haul. Translate your per-shipment amount into a percentage for the rate sheet.

(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 More letter, SMS & invoice templates

Email · friendly · draft

Review before sending

Subject: A small fuel surcharge on upcoming shipments

Hi [Customer name],

Fuel prices have risen sharply, and fuel is one of the biggest costs of every shipment we do for you. Rather than raise our base prices, we're adding a temporary fuel surcharge of $1.60 per shipment, 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)

Local Logistics & Courier fuel surcharge questions

01What fuel surcharge percentage do couriers charge?

It depends on your fuel use per shipment and your rates, so a borrowed percentage can over- or under-charge. Use your own numbers above to find the break-even percentage.

02How often should a courier update the fuel surcharge?

Weekly or monthly against a public index is common. MarginShock's saved policies let you record the rule and threshold you use.

03Should the surcharge apply to accessorial charges?

Typically it applies to the base transportation charge only. State clearly in your rate sheet what it applies to.

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