Diesel price protection, explained for truckers
A diesel spike can eat into your pay. Here’s price protection in plain words, and how it works beside your surcharge and fuel card.
Diesel in 2026
Diesel
Jan. 12, 2026
Diesel
Sept. 21, 2026
Record high
+$3.07 a gallon in 8 months
Sept. 21 was the highest weekly price since EIA’s records start in 1994 (not counting inflation).
Source: EIA weekly diesel prices
A spike can eat into your pay
Over $400
Source: Land Line, September 2026
Your rate is set before you fuel up, and it takes time for rates to catch up with fuel. As Pugh puts it, “truckers feel it first.”
There’s little room to spare
Under 1¢
Source: ATRI trucking cost report, 2026
A spike that lasts months could wipe that out.
From late August to Sept. 21, at least 16 trucking companies filed for bankruptcy as diesel rose and other costs stayed high, FreightWaves counted. At least seven ran six trucks or fewer.
What protection is, in plain words
Pick a cap: the most you want to pay a gallon. Pay a small fee per gallon up front.
If what you pay for diesel averages above the cap you picked, Hedjee pays you the difference.
| Compared | No protectionExample: 1,000 gallons in a month | With HedjeeSame month, with a $4.00 cap |
|---|---|---|
| At the pump | $5.00 a gallon on average | Same: $5.00 a gallon on average |
| Fee up front | None | $50 (5¢ a gallon) |
| Hedjee pays you | Nothing | $1,000 ($1 over your cap, on each gallon) |
| Your fuel, all in | $5,000 | $4,050, fee included |
Source: Hedjee guide, worked example
It works beside what you use now
Big fleets like Sysco lock in a price for much of their diesel ahead of time. Hedjee brings the same kind of protection to a fleet of any size.
| Compared | What it does | With Hedjee |
|---|---|---|
| Fuel surcharge | Helps offset a rise. It isn’t meant to cover all your fuel. | Keep it. Hedjee pays on top of it. |
| Fuel card | Pays at the pump and can bring discounts. | Keep it. Same card, same stations. |
| Futures | Sets a price ahead, 42,000 gallons a contract. Brokers may ask for more cash. | Any size, even one truck. One fee up front, nothing more to pay later. |
| Swaps | A private deal that fixes your price. If diesel falls, you pay the difference. | Pay under your cap? You owe nothing back and keep the lower price. |
Source: OOIDA fuel surcharge guide; CFTC futures glossary; CFTC futures report (diesel contract size); Sysco 2026 annual report (10-K)
What you can do
Explore how Hedjee could help your fleet. Bring your monthly gallons, and we’ll show what protection would cost and what it would have paid in the last spike.