Introduction

A fuel surcharge is an additional fee that haulage and transport companies use to balance out changes in diesel prices. Since fuel costs can fluctuate weekly, surcharges help carriers keep their base haulage rates stable while covering increases at the pump. These charges are usually linked to official fuel price indexes, making them a fair and transparent way to share rising costs.

Key features in Qargo

Automatic calculations applied through invoicing based on rate card configurations
Customer-specific calculations can be set for each customer
Flexible calculation methods include percentage based and price indexed calculations
Exclusion capabilities allow specific customers to be excluded from fuel surcharges ensuring tailored applicability.

Terminology

Term	Definition
Fuel Surcharge (FSC).	An extra fee added to transport costs to cover fluctuations in fuel prices.
Base Rate (or Linehaul Rate).	The standard charge for moving freight, excluding extra costs like fuel surcharges, tolls, or accessorial fees. This stays steady while the surcharge changes with fuel prices.
Price Index.	A government-published or industry-recognised average price of diesel fuel (e.g., UK’s Department for Energy Security and Net Zero weekly fuel data). Carriers use this as the benchmark for calculating surcharges.
Percentage Index.	A structured table or formula linking fuel prices to a surcharge percentage. As fuel prices rise above the agreed base level the surcharge % increases.

Configuration

Create Fuel Surcharge Template

Navigate to RATES > Order Input and click Price Index (fuel surcharge).
- Click 'New Price Index' to begin adding a new Fuel Surcharge.

Enter a Name for the fuel surcharge index and complete any additional details, including description
Add the appropriate VAT for invoices (both sales & purchase if applicable)
Add appropriate nominal codes assigned for sales / purchase invoices;
- This will ensure the fuel surcharge is allocated and imported to the correct chart of accounts
Select the INDEX method, options include:
1. Price index: based on a fixed value.
  1. Use this option if looking to calculate fuel surcharge based on a price index value; or if looking to only calculate fuel based on a % of charge
2. Percentage index: based on a percentage.
  1. Use this option if looking to calculate fuel surcharge based on a percentage rate applied across ALL or just the transport charges.

Configure Price index

Price index uses a base index value, with tiered rates configured based on the date and an associated index value.
Set the percentage of fuel costs in the field 'Fuel: % of the total cost';
- Can be allocated up to 100%
  - A specific amount can be selected that represents the fuel component within the total value of the charge, ie: 50% of charge = fuel cost.
  - If applying 100% this will apply the calculation across the total value of the charges specified
Add Default Index list values.
- Enter the Valid from date
- Add the Price Index value

📚 Orders that have a collection date which falls within the Valid from date, will use the corresponding assigned Value.

Activate the applicable transport service that the fuel surcharge applies to
Use the 'Link rate card' to add the surcharge to the rate card(s) as applicable.
Add the Fuel surcharge Base value to the rate card

‼️ Be sure to click SAVE before navigating away from the page ‼️

Configure Percentage Index

Percentage index uses tiered rates configured based on the date and an associated % value
Add Default Index list values.
- Enter the Valid from date
- Add the Price Index value

📚 Orders that have a collection date that falls within the Valid from date, will use the corresponding assigned Value.

Activate the applicable transport service that the fuel surcharge applies to
Use the 'Link rate card' to add the surcharge to the rate card(s) as applicable.
Set the fuel surcharge charge to "Manual" under the Add to Order configuration to prevent automatic application.

‼️ Be sure to click SAVE before navigating away from the page ‼️

How is the fuel surcharge calculated?

Price Index Calculation

On an order, the price will be calculated as follows:

(Value in Surcharge - Base Value assigned to the Rate card) / Base value * by % set in the Fuel % assigned = Fuel surcharge rate

Calculated in order:

Percentage Calculation

On an order, the price will be calculated as follows:

Specified charges * % rate based on valid from date
- Compares collection date to determine appropriate valid from date

Calculated in order:

Customer specific rates

Create customer specific fuel surcharge rates in the same Surcharge table
- Navigate to the Fuel Surcharge
- Click 'Add customer specific index'
- Complete the Valid from date and Value / %; depending on the Index type selected
- Click SAVE.

Manage Fuel Surcharges

Bulk update Price Index rates

Manage fuel surcharges for many customers, update price index values for all of them at once — without editing each customer individually.
Inside a Price Index configuration: + Add New and Edit Existing.
- Opens a spreadsheet-style grid that supports direct paste from Excel, making it fast to apply new diesel price values across an entire customer base in a single operation.

Add new price index values in bulk

Use the Add New flow to insert a new price index entry (e.g., a new date row with updated values) across all customer-specific indexes at once.

Navigate to Rates > Order input > Price index (fuel surcharge).
Open the relevant price index.
From the Add Price Indices screen, Click + Add New to open the bulk entry grid.
The grid shows one row per exception (e.g. Default index, plus any customer-specific indexes).
1. Fill in Valid From DATE and Value (%) for each row, or paste your data directly from Excel.
Use the Search bar at the top or the column filter icons to narrow down specific exceptions by name, date, or value.
Review the entries and click Save to apply.

Edit existing price index values in bulk

Use the Edit flow when you need to update or correct existing price index entries across customers, including updating valid from dates.

Navigate to Rates > Order input > Price index (fuel surcharge).
Open the relevant price index.
Click Edit Existing to open the bulk edit grid.
All existing customer-specific index values are displayed in a spreadsheet layout. Modify values directly in the cells, or paste updated data from Excel.
Use the Search bar or the column filter icons to narrow down to specific exceptions, date ranges, or value ranges.
Click Save to apply your changes.

Data is entered by pasting into the grid interface, not by uploading an Excel file directly.
- Prepare your data in Excel first, then paste it into the grid.
Customer-specific indexes must already exist in Qargo before you can add values via the + Add New flow.
- If a customer does not yet have a customer-specific index configured, create it individually first.
The + Add New and Edit Existing flows are blocked if there are duplicate or unnamed customer-specific indexes in the price index.
- Clean up any such entries before using bulk operations.

Troubleshooting

Issue	Resolution
Fuel surcharge is not appearing on invoices	Check that the surcharge has been linked to the correct rate card via 'Link rate card', and that the applicable transport service has been activated on the price index.
Fuel surcharge calculation is returning an unexpected value	Verify the Base Value assigned to the rate card is correct. For price index calculations, confirm the formula: (Surcharge Value − Base Value) ÷ Base Value × Fuel % = surcharge rate. Also check that the Fuel % of total cost field is set as intended.
The wrong surcharge rate is being applied to an order	Qargo uses the order's collection date to determine which 'Valid from' date applies. Check that the correct date range is configured in the Default Index list and that no gap exists in the date coverage.
A customer is not receiving their specific rate	Ensure a customer-specific index has been created under the fuel surcharge using 'Add customer specific index', with the correct Valid from date and value saved.
Percentage index is applying automatically when it shouldn't	Under the 'Add to Order' configuration, set the fuel surcharge charge to "Manual" to prevent automatic application.
The + Add New or Edit Existing bulk update flow is blocked	Check for any duplicate or unnamed customer-specific indexes within the price index and clean these up before attempting bulk operations.
A customer is missing from the bulk Add New grid	Customer-specific indexes must be created individually in Qargo before they appear in the bulk entry flow. Add the customer-specific index manually first, then use the bulk flow.
Fuel surcharge is posting to the wrong account in the accounting system	Check that the correct nominal codes have been assigned for both sales and purchase invoices in the fuel surcharge template configuration.
Changes to the fuel surcharge configuration are not being retained	Ensure you click Save before navigating away from the configuration page — unsaved changes will be lost.
How do I add the surcharge for ferry fuel?	Ferry fuel surcharge can be set up as a General Surcharge, and does not fall under the Price Index rate.