UPS updates its Ground and Air fuel surcharges every Monday, based on the prior week's U.S. EIA national average diesel price. Below is the current UPS fuel surcharge, updated live from the latest EIA diesel price.
Next update:Monday 19 October, based on the EIA diesel price for the week of 12 October.
UPS revises every Monday on the prior week’s EIA national average diesel price.
This week (Oct 12, 2026): the UPS Ground fuel surcharge is 24.00% (estimate), unchanged from last week, on EIA diesel of $6.18/gallon. Rates refresh automatically from the EIA diesel index — bookmark this page for the current UPS fuel surcharge each week.
EIA week of Oct 12, 2026 · national diesel $6.18/gal
| Carrier / service | This week |
|---|---|
| UPS Ground estimate This page | 24.00% → unchanged from last week |
| FedEx Ground estimate View → | 24.50% → unchanged from last week |
| LTL dry van (composite) View → | 50.00% → unchanged from last week |
| Reefer LTL (composite) View → | 56.50% → unchanged from last week |
| Reefer FTL ($/loaded mile) View → | $0.91 → unchanged from last week |
UPS and FedEx rows are the carriers' published Ground tables where we have loaded them, otherwise marked estimate. LTL and reefer figures are CargoTools composites derived from the same EIA diesel price — see each page for the method.
Enter your average base rate and monthly UPS shipments to see the fuel surcharge in real dollars.
UPS applies a fuel surcharge as a percentage of your base transportation charge on every shipment. The percentage comes from a published table that maps the prior week's diesel (Ground) or jet fuel (Air) price to a surcharge rate. UPS uses the U.S. EIA national average on-highway diesel price from the prior week, and the new rate takes effect every Monday, running through Sunday.
Because the surcharge is a percentage of the base rate, the dollar amount you pay is driven by two things: the surcharge percentage (set by diesel prices) and your base rate (set by weight, zone, and dimensional weight). Lowering either lowers the surcharge in absolute dollars.
At this week's EIA diesel of $6.18/gal the UPS Ground surcharge is 24.00% (our estimate). On a shipment with a $40.00 base transportation charge, the fuel surcharge is $40.00 × 24.00% = $9.60. At 300 shipments a month that is $2880.00 a month — before any accessorials, which carry the same percentage on most contracts.
| UPS Service | Index used | Updates | This week |
|---|---|---|---|
| UPS Ground / Ground Saver | EIA On-Highway Diesel | Monday | 24.00% (est.) |
| UPS Air (NDA, 2DA, 3DS) | EIA USGC Jet Fuel | Monday | Separate jet-fuel table |
This week (Oct 12, 2026), the UPS Ground fuel surcharge is 24.00% (estimate), based on EIA diesel at $6.18/gallon. The live rate is shown at the top of this page and updates automatically each week from the EIA diesel index.
UPS maps the prior week's EIA national average on-highway diesel price to a surcharge percentage using its published table. The new rate takes effect every Monday and applies through Sunday. Air services use a jet-fuel index instead of diesel.
UPS updates its fuel surcharge every week, with the new rate effective each Monday and running through Sunday. FedEx, by contrast, updates every Wednesday.
UPS periodically revises the surcharge table itself — the formula that converts diesel prices into percentages. When the table is adjusted upward, your surcharge can rise even when the underlying diesel price is flat.
Paying too much in fuel surcharges?
Get a real freight quote and see how your effective fuel surcharge compares.