The Business of Independent Service Provider Contracting

Your contract indexes your Per-Stop Fuel Surcharge to the weekly average self-service cash price per gallon of diesel fuel for your station's ZIP code. Every ISP Agreement uses that language. FedEx does not write a separate index for contractors running gasoline vehicles, and it does not negotiate the indexing fuel based on what is actually in your fleet.

Most CSPs run gasoline. Step vans, Transits, ProMasters, E-series — the majority of P&D fleets in this network burn regular unleaded. Which means the majority of contractors are being paid a fuel surcharge that tracks a fuel they do not buy. In most years that is a footnote, because gas and diesel move roughly together. This is not most years.

Diesel averaged $6.285 a gallon the week of September 14, 2026 — the highest weekly price the U.S. Energy Information Administration has ever recorded and the first time it has ever crossed $6, driven by tight distillate supply rather than a crude shortage. That is up more than 37% from the July low. Regular gasoline over the same stretch went from about $3.78 to $4.319 — up roughly 14% (EIA September 15 fuel update). Diesel is up $2.55 a gallon year over year; gas is up $1.15.

So, the answer to whether the surcharge is helping or hurting is, for most of you, genuinely good news: it is helping, by more than you probably realize, and it is temporary. But the money only reaches your bottom line if you control the one variable the surcharge does not pay for. This post covers how much the spread is worth on a real CSA, why every mile matters more now than it did in June, and the specific numbers to manage against before peak volume lands on November 21.

Image by Workhorse Group Inc.

This blog post is written by our friends at Workhorse Group Inc.

Tips for transitioning to an EV fleet and the benefits for your business.

The adoption of Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) for fleets with daily return to base routes under 200 miles is becoming a fast-growing segment of the EV marketplace. More than two-thirds of surveyed fleets that have used BEVs plan to either pilot or purchase them in the next 12 months. *

This move to EVs can be attributed to the significant operational savings and the positive environmental impacts of an EV fleet. With more and more fleet managers moving to EVs, you may ask yourself - Is an electric fleet right for my business? Here are a few things to consider.

Image by Xos Trucks

This blog post is written by our friends at Xos Trucks.

The passenger transportation sector has seen a significant uptick in Electric Vehicle (EV) adoption over the last several years, yet the commercial side has been slower to follow.

Now, that’s changing. Increasing environmental regulations and a growing interest in reducing costs have begun to tip the scales toward more widespread fleet electrification.

As a fleet owner and operator, you might be asking yourself, “When, how, and why should I consider electric trucks for my business?” Unfortunately, there’s no simple, one-size-fits-all answer to “how” you should go about transitioning to electric, but “when” and “why” you should go electric can be more easily summarized.

Going electric can positively impact the efficiency and profitability of your business. Here’s a summary of the main reasons why you should consider electrifying your fleet.

(Stock Image from Canva)

Experts are predicting fuel prices will continue to increase in 2021. Why is that the general consensus?

First, we have to look at the main components of fuel pricing. The underlying components are a.) the cost of crude oil, b.) refining costs, and c.) distribution and marketing costs. Seems simple enough, but then federal, state and local taxes are added. That’s why pricing generally differs from one state to another.

Today's blog post is brought to you by our friends at Fleetcor.

As a Contractor, the work seems simple, deliver packages on time and customers will be happy.

It’s not always that easy, there’s an operational side to your business, the public never sees, that is just as important to your success. One example is managing fuel spend. Fuel fraud and misuse can tank your profits, and it’s not always glaringly obvious when it’s occurring, so it pays to introduce regular monitoring controls.

Keeping a watchful eye on expense trends can help catch fuel fraud early, before perpetrators have a chance to rack up extensive charges.