Diesel price protection, explained for shippers
When diesel jumps, fuel surcharges carry it onto your freight bill. Here’s what price protection is, and how it can help your budget hold.
Fuel surcharges in 2026
70¢ a mile
Source: U.S. Bank and DAT, October 2026
Surcharges follow diesel, week by week
Sept. 21 was the highest weekly price since EIA’s records start in 1994 (not counting inflation).
Source: EIA weekly diesel prices
Fuel surcharges often reset every week to follow this price, Supply Chain Dive reports. So a jump at the pump soon reaches your freight bill.
Your carriers have little room to soak it up
Under 1¢
Source: ATRI trucking cost report, 2026
So a long spike can come back to you. Supply Chain Dive says shippers head into contract renewals facing costly diesel, rising rates and unhappy carriers.
What protection is, in plain words
Pick the gallons behind your shipments, a period and a cap: a top price a gallon. Pay a small fee per gallon up front. That’s the whole cost.
If the price paid for those gallons averages above your cap, Hedjee pays you the difference.
| Compared | No protectionSay 10,000 gallons are behind your shipments | With HedjeeSame gallons, with a cap and a 5¢ fee |
|---|---|---|
| Price paid for those gallons | $1 a gallon over your cap, on average | The same |
| Fee, paid up front | None | 5¢ a gallon: $500 |
| Hedjee pays you | Nothing | $10,000: $1 on each gallon |
| Your freight bill | Carries the rise through surcharges | The same bill. Hedjee pays you separately. |
Source: Supply Chain Dive, October 2026; Hedjee’s worked example
It works beside what you use today
Each one keeps its job. Hedjee adds on top, for a freight budget of any size.
| Compared | What it does | With Hedjee |
|---|---|---|
| Fuel surcharge | Carriers pass each diesel rise to you, often every week. | It keeps working. Hedjee pays you on top of it. |
| Fixed-rate contract | A set rate. Carriers may pad it for spikes, or re-bid when diesel climbs. | Your contracts, carriers and lanes stay the same. |
| Carriers’ fuel cards | Can save carriers cents a gallon at the pump. | Nothing changes. They fuel where they always do. |
| Futures and swaps | Lock in a diesel price ahead of time. Hershey and General Mills use them. | The same kind of protection. No deposits, and nothing owed back if diesel falls. |
Source: Supply Chain Dive, October 2026; Hershey 2025 annual report (10-K); General Mills 2026 annual report (10-K)
What you can do
Bring fuel into your next freight review. Start with a free 20-minute call: bring a rough freight spend, no commitment.