Diesel price protection, explained for fleet platforms
Your fleets check their fuel in your app. What a diesel spike does to them and to you, and where a Protect button could fit.
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 hits your fleets first, then you
Under 1%
Source: ATRI trucking cost report, 2026
If rates don’t keep up, high diesel can wipe that out.
At least 16 trucking companies landed in bankruptcy court from late August to Sept. 21, 2026, as diesel climbed. A fleet that closes stops paying for its software.
What protection is, in plain words
A fleet picks a cap: the most it wants to pay a gallon. It pays a small fee per gallon up front. If what it pays averages above that cap, Hedjee pays it the difference. It owes nothing back.
| Compared | No protectionExample: diesel jumps $1, from $4.00 to $5.00 | With HedjeeExample: the fleet picked a $4.00 cap |
|---|---|---|
| Paid at the pump | $5.00 a gallon on average | The same $5.00, same card, same stations |
| Fee, paid up front | None | 5¢ a gallon |
| Hedjee pays the fleet | Nothing | $1 a gallon, the gap over its cap |
| On 1,000 gallons, the jump costs | $1,000 | $50, just the fee |
Source: Hedjee’s worked example
Big companies like Sysco lock in the price of much of their diesel
Source: Sysco 2026 annual report (10-K)
Hedjee brings the same kind of protection to fleets of any size, based on what they actually pay. In your app, it could be an optional Protect button on the fuel screen.
How it sits beside your app and other fuel tools
| Compared | What it does | What Hedjee adds |
|---|---|---|
| Fuel reports | Show fleets what fuel cost them | A way to protect the months ahead, right there |
| Fuel-card links | Save a few cents a gallon | Pays back if what fleets pay averages above their cap |
| Route and MPG tools | Burn fewer gallons | Protection for the gallons they still buy |
| Fuel surcharge | Helps cover a fuel rise, billed to the customer | Keep it. Hedjee pays on top of it. |
| Futures and swaps | Lock in a price ahead of time. Sysco uses swaps. | The same kind of protection, for any size |
Source: OOIDA fuel surcharge guide; Sysco 2026 annual report (10-K)
Every tool keeps its job. Hedjee adds on top.
What you can do
See how Hedjee fits your platform. Bring one fleet workflow, no commitment.
Nothing is built in yet: a pilot starts with a simple link for one group of your fleets, no engineering needed. Your revenue share is agreed before launch.