--- title: "Diesel fuel surcharges: select the series and week" description: "Prepare a freight fuel reference worksheet with the contract's diesel series, geography, observation week, lag, units, and rounding for owner review." canonical: "https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/diesel-surcharge-series-week-freight-contract" --- ## Site navigation - [Scale With Search](https://scalewithsearch.com/) - Services - Services - [AI systems](https://scalewithsearch.com/ai-systems) - [Site build](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#site-build) - [Whole website fix](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#whole-website-fix) - [Content library with SEO](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#content-library) - [Working session](https://scalewithsearch.com/audit) - Start here - [Send your brief](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#send-your-brief) - [Example scope](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#review-the-example-scope) - [Prices and terms](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#prices-and-terms) - Industries - Real estate - [Real estate agents and teams](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate) - [Platforms, ownership, and IDX](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate/real-estate-website-platforms-ownership-idx) - [Search, content, and AI](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate/real-estate-search-content-ai) - [Inquiries, campaigns, and handoffs](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate/real-estate-website-inquiries-campaigns-handoffs) - [Buyer, seller, and local pages](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate/real-estate-buyer-seller-local-resources) - [Rules, privacy, and trust](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate/real-estate-website-rules-privacy-trust) - Browse by business - [Trades and home services](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-trades) - [Health, wellness, and animal care](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-practices) - [Law, finance, and IT](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-professional) - [Marketing and SEO agencies](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-agencies) - [Shops and manufacturers](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-manufacturing) - [Restaurants, shops, studios, and nonprofits](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-local-services) - Chiropractic practices - [Chiropractic and wellness practices](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/chiropractic-and-wellness-practices) - [Chiropractic and physical therapy clinics](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/chiropractic-and-physical-therapy-clinics) - [All industries](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/) - Resources - Free tools - [AI readiness check](https://scalewithsearch.com/check) - [Free tools](https://scalewithsearch.com/tools/) - [Free Starter Kit](https://scalewithsearch.com/kit/business-memory-starter-kit.zip) - Guides - [AI-native library](https://scalewithsearch.com/ai-native) - [Industry intelligence](https://scalewithsearch.com/intelligence) - [Office job guides](https://scalewithsearch.com/guides/) - [Business memory](https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/business-memory-for-ai-agents-guide) - [Agent governance](https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/ai-agent-governance-guide-small-business) - [Migration and ownership](https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/leaving-vendor-ai-memory-guide) - Articles - [All articles](https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/) - [What changed](https://scalewithsearch.com/changes/) - About - Evidence - [Proof](https://scalewithsearch.com/proof) - Scale With Search - [About](https://scalewithsearch.com/about) - [How it works](https://scalewithsearch.com/how-it-works) # Diesel fuel surcharges: identify the series and week in your freight contract Before checking a freight fuel surcharge, identify the reference your contract names. Record its geography, observation week, publication date, baseline, lag, units, and calculation rule. Give unresolved wording to the contract owner before treating a calculated difference as a billing error. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) publishes diesel prices. It does not calculate, assess, or regulate diesel surcharges. Its explanation leaves the calculation method with the companies involved. [EIA diesel surcharge explanation](https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/diesel-fuel/diesel-fuel-surcharges.php). That distinction defines this guide's purpose. You are preparing reference inputs for review. You are not deciding what a signed clause means. The proposed worksheet below keeps those two jobs separate. For the wider office context, see the [logistics and supply chain overview](/for/logistics-and-supply-chain). The [public intelligence guide](/intelligence/logistics-and-supply-chain) describes a broader fuel discrepancy watch. This article concentrates on the choices that must be settled before such a comparison becomes useful. ## Start with the controlling document Ask the contract owner to identify the accepted agreement and applicable schedule. Record the document version, effective period, and clause location. Keep a later email or proposed amendment separate until the owner confirms its status. Use a private document reference in the worksheet. Public research does not require a customer name, shipment reference, or copy of the agreement. Keep commercial records in the company's approved storage. Prepare a short transcription of the reference wording for internal review. Preserve the exact series name and date language. Do not replace an unfamiliar phrase with wording that seems clearer. A paraphrase can conceal the question the owner needs to answer. If the agreement refers to an unavailable attachment, mark the attachment missing. Ask which schedule applies to the shipment under review. Do not select the newest file merely because its filename looks current. Also identify the event that selects the applicable rule. Ask whether the agreement uses pickup, dispatch, delivery, invoice, or another date. Leave that field unresolved when the text does not supply an unambiguous answer. ## Identify the diesel series without substituting geography EIA's [weekly fuel update](https://www.eia.gov/petroleum/gasdiesel/) lists on-highway diesel separately from gasoline. The diesel table includes national and regional rows, with prices expressed in dollars per gallon. Its footnote says prices include taxes. In your worksheet, copy the complete selected row label. Save the source link beside it. A shorthand label such as “diesel index” is insufficient for another person to reproduce the selection. Ask the owner to confirm the match between the contract wording and that row. If the clause names a regional reference, keep the regional reference visible. Do not replace it with the national figure because the national figure is easier to find. For example, imagine an internal instruction that names Lower Atlantic while the worksheet contains the U.S. row. The proposed finding is “geography differs.” It is not a conclusion that either value governs. The owner must resolve the conflict against the accepted documents. Apply the same restraint when a shipment crosses regions. Do not infer that the pickup location, delivery location, or largest mileage segment selects the index. Ask which document establishes that choice. Record a missing reference as missing. A plausible substitute can produce precise arithmetic while answering a different question. ## Separate observation week from publication week EIA's [diesel methodology](https://www.eia.gov/petroleum/gasdiesel/diesel_proc-methods.php) describes Monday price collection as of 8:00 a.m. local time. It describes Tuesday publication around 10:00 a.m. Eastern, with Wednesday releases on government holidays. The delayed release still represents Monday prices. Preserve both the observation label and the publication date. Also record when your office retrieved the source. Those fields answer different questions: what period the value describes, when it became available, and when your team obtained it. At access on October 28, 2026, the update displayed an October 27 release and an October 26 observation column. That dated source view illustrates the distinction. It does not select a week for your agreement. [EIA weekly update](https://www.eia.gov/petroleum/gasdiesel/). Ask the contract owner what “prior week” means in the actual clause. Does the wording refer to an observation date, a publication, or a defined business period? Do not turn “last week” into an automatic seven-day subtraction without that answer. When a release moves, consult EIA's [release schedule](https://www.eia.gov/petroleum/gasdiesel/schedule.php). Preserve the observed release date in the record. The contract owner decides how the agreement handles that timing. For an unavailable publication, record the failed retrieval and missing week. Do not carry the previous value forward unless the owner identifies an approved rule for that case. Treat a later lookup as a separate retrieval. If it returns a different value or label, retain the earlier evidence for the reviewer. Ask whether the difference concerns the selected series, a source update, or the worksheet's transcription. Do not overwrite the accepted input before someone resolves the difference. For an archived calculation, preserve the source week used at the time. Opening today's table answers a different retrieval question. The reviewer should be able to see both records without assuming that the newer fetch invalidates the earlier selection. Record the resolution beside the original worksheet. ## Prepare a reference worksheet the owner can answer Use the following proposed fields for one contract and one shipment period. They are review prompts, not an industry standard or an EIA template. | Field | Question to resolve | Evidence to retain | | --- | --- | --- | | Controlling document | Which agreement and schedule apply? | Version and clause location | | Trigger date | Which shipment event selects the period? | Exact date wording and event record | | Geography | Which national or regional reference is named? | Clause wording and complete source label | | Series | Which fuel product and price measure apply? | Official series link and title | | Baseline | What value, unit, or table threshold starts the adjustment? | Accepted schedule reference | | Observation | Which dated value describes the selected period? | Source column or history entry | | Publication | When was that observation released? | Release date and source copy | | Lag | How does the clause shift the applicable period? | Owner-confirmed timing rule | | Formula | Does the agreement use a formula, bracket, or percentage schedule? | Complete approved rule | | Rounding | Where and how is precision reduced? | Written rounding instruction | | Mileage or charge basis | Which quantity receives the adjustment? | Approved quantity and unit | | Review | Who resolved each missing or conflicting input? | Name, decision date, and supporting reference | Give every unresolved field a specific question. “Need fuel details” leaves the next person to rediscover the issue. “Does the clause select the observation before pickup or the publication before pickup?” identifies the decision. Keep source values and decisions in separate columns. A published value is evidence. The owner's decision about its applicability is a different record. Preserve both when the review closes. ## Keep dollars per gallon, cents per mile, and percentages distinct A diesel price and a mileage adjustment use different units. Label every number before doing arithmetic. Do not carry a bare number from a source table into a surcharge field. Consider this entirely fictional worksheet. Its numbers do not describe current diesel prices, a real carrier, or a recommended contract method. Assume an owner has already approved this example's calculation rule. The selected reference is 4.20 dollars per gallon. The example baseline is 3.00 dollars per gallon. The difference is 1.20 dollars per gallon. Dividing that difference by an assumed six miles per gallon gives 0.20 dollars per mile, equivalent to 20 cents per mile. Applied to an assumed 600 eligible miles, that component equals 120 dollars. The arithmetic demonstrates dimensional consistency only. It does not establish the fuel efficiency, mileage, baseline, or charge that your contract requires. Write the units beside the intermediate results. If someone records 0.20 in a cents-per-mile field, the worksheet needs correction before review. The value in that field would be 20, not 0.20. A percentage adjustment requires its own approved basis. In a separate fictional example, five percent of an eligible charge of 2,000 dollars is 100 dollars. Do not combine that example with the mileage calculation. They illustrate different rule types. Ask which charge receives the percentage. Also ask how exclusions, minimums, negative differences, or thresholds work if the agreement mentions them. Do not fill those gaps with a familiar formula from another customer. ## Ask where rounding occurs Record the source value at its published precision. Keep the calculation's intermediate result separate from the rounded amount presented for review. Ask the owner which rounding instruction controls each step. For a fictional illustration, suppose an intermediate adjustment is 0.2033 dollars per mile over 600 eligible miles. Using that displayed intermediate produces 121.98 dollars. Rounding it first to 0.20 dollars produces 120.00 dollars. Those results differ because the sequence differs. Neither sequence is a recommendation for your agreement. The useful question is whether the accepted rule specifies the rounding step and precision. If the agreement uses a bracket table, retain the relevant table version and row boundaries. Ask how an exact boundary value is handled. Do not substitute a continuous formula because it appears easier to calculate. Use “rounding instruction unresolved” when the evidence is incomplete. A small difference still needs an explanation before someone labels the invoice incorrect. ## Describe a discrepancy without changing the invoice Prepare a comparison with the draft charge, worksheet result, and unresolved inputs. State the status in plain language. Useful descriptions include “ready for owner review,” “series mismatch,” and “period selection unresolved.” Avoid a definitive error label when the geography or applicable week remains unsettled. A difference between two calculations proves that their outputs differ. It does not establish which input or interpretation is correct. Keep the proposed correction separate from the current invoice record. The billing owner decides whether to amend a charge through the company's approved process. A research worksheet should not issue a credit, reprice a shipment, or contact a customer. If the question concerns a market comparison rather than a signed fuel reference, use the [USDA produce truck-rate guide](/articles/usda-produce-truck-rates-fuel-comparison). Its reported lane observations require a different comparison basis. Do not attach a contract surcharge to a public rate by habit. ## Preserve the decision for the next review Store the accepted series selection, timing rule, and rounding instruction beside their evidence. Include the effective period and approving role. Give a later amendment its own dated record instead of overwriting the earlier basis. The [business memory guide](/articles/business-memory-for-ai-agents-guide) explains why reusable decisions belong in company-controlled records. For this job, the useful memory is concrete: which document, which source, which week, and who accepted the match. Before requesting a system scope, prepare one approved example and one unresolved example. Remove private identifiers from any initial inquiry. Describe the record locations and review roles without uploading the underlying contracts publicly. Scale With Search can scope the preparation and comparison work around those boundaries. Keep contract interpretation, invoice approval, and commercial changes with the responsible people. [Discuss a written scope](/work) ## Source and example note Sources were reopened on October 28, 2026. The linked EIA update and release schedule can change after access. The methodology and surcharge explanation support the source descriptions above. All worksheet designs and calculation values are synthetic editorial examples. Continue the website review: [AI-native logistics: the first functions to build](/articles/ai-native-logistics-first-functions); [Courier service-area pages without invented offices](/articles/courier-service-area-website-pages); [Freight broker website: make company facts verifiable](/articles/freight-broker-website-trust-information); [Freight inquiry uploads: define who can open the files](/articles/freight-inquiry-document-upload-checklist); [Freight quote forms: collect a usable shipment request](/articles/freight-quote-form-website-fields); [Freight service pages: explain the work you accept](/articles/freight-service-pages-website-scope); [Logistics AI rules: data, approvals, and spend](/articles/logistics-ai-rules-data-approvals-spend); [Write a logistics case study without naming customers](/articles/logistics-anonymous-case-study-website); [Keep your logistics capability PDF and website aligned](/articles/logistics-capability-statement-pdf-website); [Logistics careers pages: route driver applications](/articles/logistics-careers-driver-application-pages); [Fix a shipment tracking link on your logistics website](/articles/shipment-tracking-link-website-repair); [USDA truck rates: compare a produce lane without double-counting fuel](/articles/usda-produce-truck-rates-fuel-comparison); [Warehouse ISO claims: check the certificate and logo](/articles/warehouse-iso-certification-website-claims); [Warehouse location SEO: show the facility facts](/articles/warehouse-location-pages-seo). [logistics and supply chain companies](/for/logistics-and-supply-chain): website and search resources. ## Related: logistics and supply chain companies - [Freight broker website: make company facts verifiable](/articles/freight-broker-website-trust-information) - [Freight inquiry uploads: define who can open the files](/articles/freight-inquiry-document-upload-checklist) - [Freight quote forms: collect a usable shipment request](/articles/freight-quote-form-website-fields) ---- ```text .|########||. .|########||. .|########||. |##||. .||##|. |##||. .||##|. |##||. .||##|. |#|. .|#|. |#|. .|#|. |#|. .|#|. |#| |#| |#| |#| |#| |#| .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#. .#| .#. .#| .#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |# ...... #| |# ...... #| |# ...... #| .# ||#########| #| .# ||#########| #| .# ||#########| #| .#. |######||######|. .#. .#. |######||######|. .#. .#. |######||######|. .#. #. .##|###|##|#|######| .# #. .##|###|##|#|######| .# #. .##|###|##|#|######| .# || |##|#||||||||||||#||#| || || |##|#||||||||||||#||#| || || |##|#||||||||||||#||#| || # |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. # |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. # |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || # .#||||||||||||||||||||||||#| # # .#||||||||||||||||||||||||#| # # .#||||||||||||||||||||||||#| # || ....|||#||||||##|#|||#|#||##||||....|. || || ....|||#||||||##|#|||#|#||##||||....|. || || ....|||#||||||##|#|||#|#||##||||....|. || #. . ....|# ....#||| ||| .#||| ....#. .# #. . ....|# ....#||| ||| .#||| ....#. .# #. . ....|# ....#||| ||| .#||| ....#. .# # . ||||#| .#####|| . .#| .#||| ||||# #. # . ||||#| .#####|| . .#| .#||| ||||# #. # . ||||#| .#####|| . .#| .#||| ||||# #. .| ||||| #. |#|||||. || #. |#||. .||||| || .| ||||| #. |#|||||. || #. |#||. .||||| || .| ||||| #. |#|||||. || #. |#||. .||||| || || |.... #. ....|#. |. ...|. ....|| || || |.... #. ....|#. |. ...|. ....|| || || |.... #. ....|#. |. ...|. ....|| || #. .||||||##||||||##||####|||||||#||||||#| .# #. .||||||##||||||##||####|||||||#||||||#| .# #. .||||||##||||||##||####|||||||#||||||#| .# # .||####|###########################|. # # .||####|###########################|. # # .||####|###########################|. # # .#||||||.#.|| # |. ..# #| #|||||#| # # .#||||||.#.|| # |. ..# #| #|||||#| # # .#||||||.#.|| # |. ..# #| #|||||#| # # .#|||||| .. |# ## |#| ...#|#|||#| # # .#|||||| .. |# ## |#| ...#|#|||#| # # .#|||||| .. |# ## |#| ...#|#|||#| # # .#|||#|# .# .#| #| ##|.#..#|||||#| # # .#|||#|# .# .#| #| ##|.#..#|||||#| # # .#|||#|# .# .#| #| ##|.#..#|||||#| # # .#||||||############|######|||||#| # # .#||||||############|######|||||#| # # .#||||||############|######|||||#| # # |...||#||||||#||||#|#||||||#|||||#||| |.| # # |...||#||||||#||||#|#||||||#|||||#||| |.| # # |...||#||||||#||||#|#||||||#|||||#||| |.| # #. .. ||||# .|||##|. |#| .|| || .|||#. #| # .# #. .. ||||# .|||##|. |#| .|| || .|||#. #| # .# #. .. ||||# .|||##|. |#| .|| || .|||#. #| # .# || | ...|| ...##| | #| .|. |. ##### .. .| || || | ...|| ...##| | #| .|. |. ##### .. .| || || | ...|| ...##| | #| .|. |. ##### .. .| || || ||||| || ||||#| . |. |. |#. ||||| |#| || || || ||||| || ||||#| . |. |. |#. ||||| |#| || || || ||||| || ||||#| . |. |. |#. ||||| |#| || || .# |.....#|....|#.||||.|||##.|#|....||.#||.#. #. .# |.....#|....|#.||||.|||##.|#|....||.#||.#. #. .# |.....#|....|#.||||.|||##.|#|....||.#||.#. #. #.|||||||#############################| ||| .# #.|||||||#############################| ||| .# #.|||||||#############################| ||| .# || ##||#||#||||||#||#||#||#||##. || || ##||#||#||||||#||#||#||#||##. || || ##||#||#||||||#||#||#||#||##. || # .#|||||||||#||#|||||||||||#| # # .#|||||||||#||#|||||||||||#| # # .#|||||||||#||#|||||||||||#| # || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || .# |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. .# |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. .# |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. || |#||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||#| || #. .######|#|#########| .# #. .######|#|#########| .# #. .######|#|#########| .# .#. |#####||||#####| .#. .#. |#####||||#####| .#. .#. |#####||||#####| .#. |# ||########|| #. |# ||########|| #. |# ||########|| #. |# ...... #| |# ...... #| |# ...... #| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#. |#. .#. |#. .#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. |#| |#| |#| |#| |#| |#| .|#|. .|#|. .|#|. .|#|. .|#|. .|#|. |##||. .||##| |##||. .||##| |##||. .||##| .||########||. .||########||. .||########||. 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