Diesel price protection, explained for lenders and factors
When diesel spikes, your trucking clients pay more at the pump before the load pays them. What protection is, and how it can help them keep paying you.
Diesel in 2026
Diesel
Jan. 12, 2026
Diesel
Sept. 21, 2026
Record high
+$3.07 a gallon in 8 months
Jan. 12 was 2026’s low. Sept. 21 was the highest weekly price since EIA’s records start in 1994 (not counting inflation).
Source: EIA weekly diesel prices
A spike hits your clients’ cash first
30–40¢ a mile
Your clients pay for fuel today. They may wait 30 to 45 days to get paid for the load, or 3 to 5 days through a factor, less its fee (FreightWaves).
Then it can reach you
Under 1¢
Source: ATRI trucking cost report, 2026
With so little room, a spike can make loan payments late. It can park trucks, so fewer invoices reach a factor. Truck maker and lender PACCAR says its customers’ ability to pay depends partly on fuel costs.
What protection is, in plain words
Your client picks a cap and pays a small fee per gallon. If what they pay averages above it, Hedjee pays them the difference after the protected months end. That can help with their next payment.
| Compared | A $1 spike, no protectionDiesel rose 96¢ in one week of March 2026 | With HedjeeYour client owes nothing back if diesel falls |
|---|---|---|
| Example | One truck, 2,000 gallons in a month. They pay $5.00 a gallon on average, up from $4.00. | The same, with a $4.00 cap |
| Extra fuel cost | $2,000 | $2,000 |
| Fee, up front | None | $100 (5¢ a gallon) |
| Hedjee pays, after the month | Nothing | $2,000 |
| What the spike cost, all in | $2,000 | $100 |
How it sits beside what they use
Each one keeps its job. Hedjee adds the same kind of protection big companies like Sysco use, based on what your client actually pays.
| Compared | What it does | With Hedjee |
|---|---|---|
| Fuel surcharge | Passes part of a rise to shippers, often later. Some small carriers can’t add one. | Keep it. Hedjee pays on top of it. |
| Fuel card | Can take cents off each gallon | Same cards, same fuel stops |
| Fuel advance | Gets cash to the pump sooner | Can bring back what a spike adds above the cap |
| Futures and swaps | How big companies lock in a price. Sysco’s swaps cover about 87 million gallons. | The same kind of protection, even for one truck. No deposit. |
Source: Transport Topics, September 2026; Sysco 2026 annual report (10-K)
What you can do
Start with the clients a spike hurts first: those on fixed-rate freight or short on cash. On a free 20-minute call, we’ll look at one client group and a small pilot, no commitment. Credit decisions stay yours.