$202. That's how much more diesel is costing per van per month compared to January.
Diesel is at $5.62/gallon this week according to AAA. The EIA national average is $5.38. Either way, you're paying approximately 40%+ more than before the Iran war started — five weeks ago, per Pexara calculation from EIA baseline data.
The Pexara fleet benchmark baseline for fuel cost is $422/van/month. That was calibrated before the Strait of Hormuz got shut down.
Here's what it actually costs now.
The updated per-van fuel math
| Diesel price | Monthly fuel cost/van | Delta from baseline | |---|---|---| | Pre-war baseline | $422 | — | | $5.00 (March 17 crossover) | $556 | +$134 | | $5.38 (EIA national avg, April 2026) | $598 | +$176 | | $5.62 (AAA, April 7, 2026) | $624 | +$202 |
Sources: AAA national fuel pricing; U.S. Energy Information Administration; Pexara fleet benchmark data.
At 20 vans, the EIA-to-AAA range is $3,520–$4,040/month more than January. Annualized: $42,240–$48,480.
That wasn't in your budget. It arrived in eight weeks.
Fleet-level exposure
| Fleet | Added monthly cost | Added annual cost | |---|---|---| | 10 vans | $1,760–$2,020 | $21,120–$24,240 | | 20 vans | $3,520–$4,040 | $42,240–$48,480 | | 50 vans | $8,800–$10,100 | $105,600–$121,200 |
Per-van figure: $176–$202/month additional over pre-war baseline.
What this does to cost per stop
The $422 baseline fuel cost divides to $0.32/stop at 1,320 stops/van/month.
At current prices:
| Diesel price | Fuel cost per stop | |---|---| | Pre-war baseline | $0.32 | | $5.38 (EIA) | $0.45 | | $5.62 (AAA) | $0.47 |
That's $0.13–$0.15 more per stop, just from fuel. Across 1,320 stops/van, it adds $172–$198/van/month — consistent with the table above.
Against a $9 rate, that's 1.7 margin points gone. From one cost line. In five weeks.
What Amazon's fuel surcharge does and doesn't do
Amazon announced a 3.5% fuel and logistics surcharge on FBA fulfillment, effective April 17. Averages about 17 cents per unit. Source: Supply Chain Dive, CNBC.
That surcharge goes to Amazon's sellers using warehouse fulfillment.
It is not a DSP rate adjustment.
The FBA surcharge tells you Amazon is absorbing fuel cost increases in its own economics and passing them through. That passthrough doesn't extend to DSP operators. Your per-stop rate is a separate structure. No fuel adjustment has been announced for DSP rate cards.
The fuel cost increase hits your expense side. Your revenue side is unchanged.
What to run this week
Take your fleet size. Multiply by $176–$202. That's your monthly additional fuel cost vs. January.
Operators running diesel Sprinters absorb this harder than gasoline Transit operators — more fuel per mile. Fleet composition changes the magnitude. The direction is the same for everyone.
The IRU reported in early April that fuel prices are still climbing. No resolution timeline is visible on the conflict. Planning around a near-term price drop is a hope, not a strategy.
Honest question: does your current P&L reflect fuel at $5.38, or is it still running the pre-war number?
TL;DR
$176–$202/van/month is the additional fuel cost since January. For a 50-van fleet, that's $105K–$121K/year that wasn't in the budget. Amazon's 3.5% FBA surcharge doesn't reach DSP operators. The fuel hit is one-sided — it lands on your expense line and stops there.