MarginShock

Tree service
fuel surcharge calculator

Tree work burns fuel twice: driving heavy bucket trucks, chip trucks, and trailers to the job, then running chippers, stump grinders, and saws all day once you're there. Most of that equipment runs on diesel, so a diesel spike shows up on every job. Work out the cost per job before your next round of quotes.

Worked example

Diesel Fuel $3.70 → $4.80

$11.00

surcharge per job

Extra / month
$770
Of avg ticket
1.0%

Illustrative · enter your own below

Surcharge engine · inputs

Example numbers — replace with yours

Example: 2 crews, ~70 jobs a month, $1,100 average job

The cost that changed
$
$
How much you use

From fuel cards, receipts, or supplier invoices.

How many jobs 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

$770

Extra / job

$11.00

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

(What drives the cost)

Where the fuel goes in tree service.

  1. 01Bucket trucks, chip trucks, and log trucks with very low miles per gallon.
  2. 02Chippers and stump grinders burning diesel for hours on site.
  3. 03Hauling chips and wood to dump sites or yards, often a separate round trip.
  4. 04Saws and handheld equipment on mixed gas, which also rises with fuel prices.

(Pricing it)

How to add a surcharge customers accept.

01

Build it into quotes, not the invoice

Tree jobs are usually quoted up front. Add the fuel cost into new quotes, or show it as a labeled line, rather than surprising customers on the final bill.

02

Count equipment hours, not just miles

On big removals the chipper and grinder can burn more diesel than the drive. Include equipment fuel in your monthly usage so the per-job number is honest.

03

Honor open quotes

Quotes already accepted at an old price should usually stand. Apply the fuel adjustment to new quotes, and add an expiry date to quotes going forward.

(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 jobs

Hi [Customer name],

Fuel prices have risen sharply, and fuel is one of the biggest costs of every job we do for you. Rather than raise our base prices, we're adding a temporary fuel surcharge of $11.00 per job, 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)

Tree Service fuel surcharge questions

01Do tree service companies charge fuel surcharges?

Some add a fuel line during price spikes; many build the cost into job quotes instead. Either way, base it on your real extra fuel cost per job, which the calculator shows.

02How do I include chipper and stump grinder fuel?

Add the gallons your equipment uses in a normal month to your truck fuel when entering monthly usage. Fuel logs or fuel card statements make this easy.

03Should I add a quote expiry date?

Yes. When fuel moves quickly, a 14–30 day expiry on quotes protects you from doing the work at last month's costs.

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