Fuel Surcharges

Modified on Mon, 17 Jun at 10:40 AM

Pricing>Fuel Surcharges

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Fuel Surcharge Schedules and Components
Fuel Surcharge Schedules
Fuel Surcharge Tables
Fuel Prices
Fuel Surcharge Calculators

Fuel Surcharge Schedules and Components

Fuel Surcharge on Orders will be calculated according to the setup on the Fuel Surcharge Schedule associated to the Account and the Fuel Surcharge option setup on the Price List. Fuel Surcharge is calculated on the Order delivery price and depending on the calculation mode, can also be calculated on specified Extra Fees.

The Fuel Surcharges menu is divided into 4 sections:

Fuel Surcharge Schedule: This is the Fuel Surcharge that is associated to an Account and it contains one or more Fuel Surcharge Table.
Fuel Surcharge Table: The Fuel Surcharge Table is used to configure the calculation type that is used for each vehicle type. This is also the location where different flat percentages or flat surcharge per miles can be setup by dates.
Fuel Price: Fuel prices by date will be store here.
Fuel Surcharge Calculator: The Fuel Surcharge can be calculated based on a rated table by fuel price or by using a formula based on the Vehicle's base fuel mileage, fuel price and fuel base rate.

Fuel Surcharge Schedules

Fuel Surcharge Schedules can be configured to use different methods of calculation from fixed mileage price to a calculated percentage. Rules can be assigned to a Fuel Surcharge Schedules to use different Fuel Surcharge Tables depending on an Order's properties. All Fuel Surcharge Schedules will be associated to at least one Fuel Surcharge Table and depending on the selected method of calculation, a Fuel Price and Fuel Surcharge Calculation may also be needed in the setup.

Setup Fuel Surcharge Schedules

Before setting up a Fuel Surcharge Schedule, a Fuel Surcharge Table must created.

1) Click on Pricing, Fuel Surcharges and Fuel Surcharge Schedules.

2) Click on New Schedule:

3) Enter the name of the Schedule and select the Default Fuel Surcharge Table from the drop-down field then click on Save.

Add Rules to the Fuel Surcharge Schedule

If different Fuel Surcharge Schedules should be used depending on the field selections in the Order, Rules can be added to the Fuel Surcharge Schedule.

Before a Rule can be added, the Rule should first be created. For more information about Rules, please review the Rules article.

1) Before you set this up in the Fuel Surcharge Schedule, make sure the Rules are created.

2) Click on Pricing, Fuel Surcharges and Fuel Surcharge Schedules.

3) Click on the Fuel Surcharge Schedule to edit.

4) Click on Add Rule:

5) Enter the Priority, this is a numeric value.
The Priority is used if more than one Rule would return a True Value on an Order. In this case, the Fuel Surcharge Table associated to the Rule with the lowest priority will be used to calculate the Order Fuel Surcharge.

6) Select the Order Rule and the Fuel Surcharge Table.

7) Click Save.

When using Script Rules, if the rule looks at the Order Price, the Fuel Surcharge will NOT calculate on Order creation but will calculate once the order is set as picked up. 
This happens since the price on the Order is only saved

Edit Rules in a Fuel Surcharge Schedule

1) Click on Pricing, Fuel Surcharges and Fuel Surcharge Schedules.

2) Click on the Fuel Surcharge Schedule to edit.

3) Click on the row of the Rule to open it.

4) Make the change and click on Save.

Delete a Rule in a Fuel Surcharge Schedule

1) Click on Pricing, Fuel Surcharges and Fuel Surcharge Schedules.

2) Click on the Fuel Surcharge Schedule to edit.

3) Click on the garbage can icon on the row of the Rule to delete and click OK to confirm.

The Rule can also be opened by clicking on the row of the Rule and click on the Delete button then OK to confirm.

Fuel Surcharge Tables

There are four different calculation methods that can be used to calculate Fuel Surcharge:

Fixed Percentage
Fixed Price per Distance
Calculated Percentage
Calculated Price per Distance

A Fuel Surcharge Table must be setup first to associate to the Fuel Surcharge Schedule.

Different calculation methods can be setup for different Vehicle type on the Fuel Surcharge Table however, a default method must be chosen.

For Fixed Percentage and Fixed Price Per Distance, only the Fuel Surcharge Table will need to be setup before associating it to the Fuel Surcharge Schedule. When using calculated Fuel Surcharges, the Fuel Price, Fuel Surcharge Calculator and Vehicle Base Fuel Mileage will need to be setup first before the Fuel Surcharge Table is created.

Setup Fixed Percentage Fuel Surcharge Table

A fixed percentage can be setup as the default on the Fuel Surcharge Table. This fixed percentage will apply by default to all Vehicle type but it can be modified by Vehicle. A fixed percentage can be used to calculate Fuel Surcharge on Extra Fees like weight, distance, etc..

1) Click on Pricing, Fuel Surcharges, Fuel Surcharge Table.

2) Click on New Table.

3) Enter a required name.

4) From the Mode drop-down field, select Fixed Percentage.

5) This will enable the Default Surcharge field. This field is entered as a percent with up to 2 decimal places.

25% would be entered as 25, 15.58% would be entered as 15.58.

Enter the default percent that will be used for all vehicles.

6) Click Save.

A new section will be displayed, showing today's date as the Start Date and a - to show that all vehicles are using the default surcharge percent.

The start date cannot be set to before today however, if Fuel Surcharge is recalculate on an Order from a previous date, it will use the rules in the row where Base Surcharge is checked. The Base Surcharge checkbox is set automatically and cannot be unchecked or checked in another row.

Setup Fixed Price Per Distance Fuel Surcharge Table

A fixed price per distance can be setup as the default on the Fuel Surcharge Table. This fixed price per distance will apply by default to all Vehicle type but it can be modified by Vehicle. When using a Fixed Price per Distance, no Fuel Surcharge can be calculated on the Extra Fees.

1) Click on Pricing, Fuel Surcharges, Fuel Surcharge Table.

2) Click on New Table.

3) Enter a required name.

4) From the Mode drop-down field, select Fixed Price Per Distance.

5) This will enable the Default Surcharge field. This field is entered as a $ with up to 2 decimal places.

2.50 would be entered as 2.50.

Enter the default fixed price per distance that will be used for all vehicles.

6) Click Save.

A new section will be displayed, showing today's date as the Start Date and a - to show that all vehicles are using the default surcharge percent.

The start date cannot be set to before today however, if Fuel Surcharge is recalculated on an Order from a previous date, it will use the rules in the row where Base Surcharge is checked. The Base Surcharge checkbox is set automatically and cannot be unchecked or checked in another row.

Setup Calculated Price Per Distance or Calculated Percentage Fuel Surcharge Table

A calculated price per distance or calculated percentage can be setup as the default on the Fuel Surcharge Table. This calculated price per distance/calculated percentage will apply by default to all Vehicle types but it can be modified by Vehicle. When using a Calculated Price per Distance, no Fuel Surcharge can be calculated on the Extra Fees.

Before setting up a Calculated Price per Distance Fuel Surcharge Table, make sure to create the Fuel Prices and Fuel Surcharge Calculator that you will use. 
For more information please review how to setup the Fuel Price and the Fuel Surcharge Calculator.

1) Click on Pricing, Fuel Surcharges, Fuel Surcharge Table.

2) Click on New Table.

3) Enter a required name.

4) From the Mode drop-down field, select Calculated Price Per Distance or Calculated Percentage.

5) In Prices, select the Fuel Price that will be used in the Calculator.

6) In Calculator, select the Fuel Surcharge Calculator that will be used.

7) Click on Save.

Setup Different Modes or Values per Vehicle Type

The default value entered on the Fuel Surcharge Table will be used on all Vehicles. If needed, this can be changed at the Vehicle level.

1) Open a Fuel Surcharge Table.

2) Click on the Date to open the Vehicle list for this Start Date.

3) Check the Override checkbox to unlock the Mode and Settings and enter a different mode with its Settings.

To change to a Fixed Percentage, select in Mode Fixed Percentage then enter the percentage in settings.

To change to a Fixed Price per Distance, select in Mode FIxed Price per Distance then enter the price per distance in settings.

To change to a Calculated Percentage, select in Mode Calculated Percentage then select the Fuel Price in Prices and the Fuel Surcharge Calculator in Calculator.

To change to a Calculated Fixed Price per Distance, select in Mode Calculated Price per Distance then select the Fuel Price in Prices and the Fuel Surcharge Calculator in Calculator.

4) Repeat for each Vehicle which should be different than the default then click Save.

The modification will show on the Surcharge cell in the table:

Add a new Start Date

When fixed price or percentage are selected, you will want to change the value according to the change in price. A new Start Date can be entered so that when Orders are created, picked up or delivered, the status date change on the Order will determine which row will be used to calculate the Fuel Surcharge.

The default surcharge should not be changed as this will change all values where the override checkbox was not checked and you will lose historical values. If Fuel Surcharge is recalculated on an Order, the new default will also be used.

Therefore when adding a new Start Date, the override checkboxes should be checked for all vehicles which will change surcharge value.

1) Open the Fuel Surcharge Table and click on Add Surcharge.

2) Enter the date when the new values enter into effect. This can be a date in the past but the date cannot be before or the same as the Base Surcharge start date or the same as another Start date already on the Fuel Surcharge Table.

3) Check the Override checkbox and enter under Settings, the new percentage or fixed price per distance value.

4) Click on Save.

Fuel Prices

A Fuel Price stores the fuel price at the pump by date. Fuel Prices can then be used to calculate. The fuel price is used to determine the surcharge percent/per distance price from a table or it can also be used in a formula to calculate the per distance price. The method of calculation is stored in the Fuel Surcharge Calculators.

Setup Fuel Price

Different Fuel Prices can be created to accommodate fuel prices by regions, by fuel type, dictated by customers, etc..

1) Open Pricing then Fuel Surcharges and click on on Fuel Prices.

2) Click on New Fuel Price:

3) Enter the name of the fuel price and click Save.

4) The first fuel price will show as Initial Price with today's start date. This fuel price will be used when Fuel Surcharge is recalculated on an Order for a date that is before the start date.

The fuel price can be updated by date from week to week, month to month or depending on your requirement.

5) Click on the Start Date to edit the Base Fuel Price and Reference Fuel Price.

The Base Fuel Price is the price where no Fuel surcharge would be calculated.
The Reference Fuel Price is the fuel price at the pump.
6) Enter the Base Fuel Price if needed and enter the Reference Fuel Price then click on Save.

The fuel price can be entered in dollars or in pennies. Depending on how this is entered, the same format will be used in the Fuel Calculators. 
The fuel price can have up to 4 decimals. If you need additional decimals, you can enter the fuel price in pennies. 
For instance, if the fuel price at the pump is $3.853467, you can enter this in pennies as 385.3467. The corresponding fuel calculator will be set in pennies as well, converting it to dollars when using the calculator of type formula.

Update Fuel Price

Fuel price will be updated from week to week or according to your or your customer requirements.

1) Open Pricing then Fuel Surcharges and click on Fuel Prices.

2) Click on the Fuel Price to update.

3) Click on Add Price:

4) Enter the Start Date for this price. The date cannot be before the Start date of the Initial Price and cannot be equal to any Start Date in this Fuel Price.

5) Update the Reference Fuel Price and if needed the Base Fuel Price. The price can have up to 4 decimals.

6) Click Save.

The Fuel Price name can also be updated by changing the name then clicking Save.

Delete a Fuel Price Date

If a Fuel price date needs to be removed because entered incorrectly, it can be deleted.

The Initial Price row cannot be deleted. Only subsequent rows can be deleted.

1) Open Pricing then Fuel Surcharges and click on Fuel Prices.

2) Click on the Fuel Price to update.

3) Click on the Start Date to delete.

4) Click on Delete and confirm the deletion by clicking Ok.

The row is permanently deleted.

Delete a Fuel Price

If a Fuel Price is no longer needed, it can be deleted.

If the Fuel Price is used in a Fuel Surcharge Table, it cannot be deleted.

1) Open Pricing then Fuel Surcharges and click on Fuel Prices.

2) Click on the garbage can icon to the right of the Fuel Price name to be deleted and confirm by clicking Ok.

If the Fuel Price is used, you will get an error message listing the Fuel Surcharge Tables where the Fuel Price is used and the Fuel Price will not be deleted.

If the Fuel Price is not used it will be deleted.

The Fuel Price can also be deleted by clicking on the Fuel Price Name and in the Fuel Price details, click on Delete button then Ok to confirm.

Fuel Surcharge Calculators

There are two types of Fuel Surcharge Calculator:

Sheet: This calculator stores a list of fuel prices and their corresponding fuel surcharge percentage or per distance price.
Formula: This calculator stores a formula using the Vehicle base fuel mileage, the base fuel price where fuel surcharge would be 0 and the fuel price at the pump.

The Fuel Surcharge Calculator will be used with the Fuel Price to create a Fuel Surcharge Table that will automatically update the Fuel Surcharge according to the Fuel Prices entered by date.

Setup Fuel Surcharge Calculator of Type Sheet

The Sheet calculator stores a table of rates and their corresponding mileage price or fuel surcharge %. Multiple Fuel Surcharge Calculator can be setup if the Accounts provide their Fuel Surcharge tables based on the fuel price.

This would normally not need to be updated once it has been setup.

Once the Fuel Surcharge Calculator is saved, the type cannot be modified.

1) Click on Pricing then Fuel Surcharges and click on Fuel Surcharge Calculators:

2) Click on New Calculator. Depending on the type selected, the calculator will be different.

3) Enter the name of the Calculator.

This can be named by Accounts or by areas. The name should be descriptive enough so you do not have to open the calculator when setting up the Fuel Surcharge Table.

4) Select Sheet as the Type.

5) Click on Download Template to get the template that you will use to enter the fuel price and corresponding fuel percentage/price per distance. An example Excel spreadsheet will be downloaded.

6) Open the file. As an example, the template shows the Reference fuel price (RFP) in pennies and the Rate. The rate entered can be a percent (entering 25.5 would be equivalent to 25.5%) or a per distance price (0.45 would be a fuel surcharge of 45 cents per miles).

7) Enter in the RFP column the reference fuel price and in the Rate column enter the corresponding rate or price per distance. The rate is valid up to and excluding the next row's RFP.

If a fuel price is not found in the table if the fuel price in Fuel Prices is higher than the largest RFP entered in the file, the rate returned will be 0. It is therefore advisable to enter in the RFP columns fuel prices that are higher.

8) Save the Excel file.

9) Click on Choose File button and navigate to the location where the file was saved. Select the file and click Open or drag and drop the file in the File box.

10) Click on Save.

Edit Fuel Surcharge Calculator of Type Sheet

You can make changes to the saved table if the percentage/per distance price has changed but you cannot change the type of a calculator once it is saved.

1) Click on Pricing then Fuel Surcharges and click on Fuel Surcharge Calculators:

2) Click on the Fuel Surcharge Calculator to edit.

3) You can change the name of the calculator and you can change the values within the table.

4) Download the saved file by clicking on the Download File button.

5) Open the Excel file and make the desired changes to the RFP and/or Rate columns then save the changes.

6) Click on Choose File button and navigate to the location where the file was saved. Select the file and click Open or drag and drop the file in the File box.

7) Click on Save.

Setup Fuel Surcharge Calculator of Type Formula

The Formula calculator stores a formula that is used to calculate the fuel surcharge with the vehicle base mileage and the fuel price.

This would normally not need to be updated once it has been setup.

Once the Fuel Surcharge Calculator is saved, the type cannot be modified.

1) Click on Pricing then Fuel Surcharges and click on Fuel Surcharge Calculators:

2) Click on New Calculator:

3) Enter the name of the Calculator.

This can be named by Accounts or by areas. The name should be descriptive enough so you do not have to open the calculator when setting up the Fuel Surcharge Table.

4) Select Formula as the Type.

5) Enter the formula in the Formula bar. You can review the different variables that can be used by clicking on Help?:

Click on Help? again to close the box.

Formula Calculator:

When using a formula, the formula can use the 3 parameters defined in the system:

Base Fuel Price (BFP) – Otherwise called a threshold price. The base rate fuel cost above which a surcharge is applied. This was setup in the Fuel Prices.
Base Fuel Mileage (BFM) – The base mileage of a transportation truck. An average 18-wheeler’s mileage is approximately 6 miles per gallon, or 2.55086 km per liter. This was setup in the Vehicle details.
Reference Fuel Price (RFP) – This is the current price at the pump. In the U.S., it could be the price reported by the Department of Energy. In Canada, it could be the national average price of diesel fuel as reported by the Freight Carriers Association of Canada. It could also simply be the price at a given gas station. The system user will use the value of their preference and this was setup in the Fuel Prices.
You will also use the following operations:
- Sum: +
- Subtraction: -
- Division: /
- Multiplication : *

You can also use numbers and parenthesis in your formula.

The formula will not use the mathematical order of operations but rather the position in the formula:
1 + 2 / 3 * 4 will be calculated as 1 +2 first, then this result will will be divided by 3 and this result will be multiplied by 4.  
To ensure your values are calculated as needed, be sure to use parentheses. The content of the parentheses will be calculated first then it will calculate from the left to the right:
1 + (2/3) * 4 will be calculated as 1 + 0.6667 then this sum will be divided by 4.
For more information about the formula, click on the Help located at the bottom right of the Formula box. Click again on Help to close the instructions.

An example to calculate the fuel surcharge by mileage would use the following formula:

(RFP - BFP) / BFM

6) Click Save.

Edit Fuel Surcharge Calculator of Type Formula

You can make changes to the formula if needed.

1) Click on Pricing then Fuel Surcharges and click on Fuel Surcharge Calculators:

2) Click on the Fuel Surcharge Calculator to edit.

3) Modify the formula then click Save.

Delete a Fuel Surcharge Calculator

If a Fuel Surcharge Calculator is no longer needed, it can be deleted.

If the Fuel Surcharge Calculator is used in a Fuel Surcharge Table, it cannot be deleted.

1) Open Pricing then Fuel Surcharges and click on Fuel Prices.

2) Click on the garbage can icon to the right of the Fuel Surcharge Calculator name to be deleted and confirm by clicking Ok.

If the Fuel Surcharge Calculator is used, you will get an error message listing the Fuel Surcharge Tables where the Fuel Calculator is used and the Fuel Surcharge Calculator will not be deleted.

If the Fuel Surcharge Calculator is not used it will be deleted.

The Fuel Surcharge Calculator can also be deleted by clicking on the Fuel Surcharge Calculator name and in the Fuel Surcharge Calculator details, click on Delete button then Ok to confirm.