Building fuel surcharge from EIA diesel

How auto transport brokers and fleets can tie FSC to the EIA weekly diesel index instead of gut-feel fuel add-ons.

Fuel is the line item customers argue about most. A surcharge pulled from a published index is easier to defend than a round number invented on the phone. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) weekly retail diesel series is the common reference for many freight contracts.

Pick a baseline and a formula

Agree with customers on a base diesel price and a cents-per-mile (or percent-of-linehaul) adjustment per change in the index. Document the region (national or PAD) you use. Consistency matters more than cleverness.

Automate the weekly refresh

Manual spreadsheet updates drift. A TMS that ingests EIA pricing and applies FSC on active lanes keeps quotes and settlements aligned. Pair fuel with weather and ETA impact so pricing and operations share the same lane picture.

Show the math on the quote

Transparency closes deals. When the customer sees index date, base, and calculated surcharge, you spend less time renegotiating after diesel spikes.