Van freight spot rates hit $2.52/mile in March — a two-year high — because truckload carriers have an automatic fuel surcharge that adjusts when diesel moves. Theirs jumped from $0.40 to $0.61/mile in one quarter. If you're on a fixed last-mile rate card, yours didn't move at all.
The math is simple. A delivery van burning 15 gallons per day costs $52/day to fuel in January at $3.48/gal. At current EIA diesel ($5.64/gal as of April 6), that's $85/day. The difference is $33/van/day, or $8,125/van/year. On a 25-van fleet, you're absorbing roughly $203,000 in additional annual fuel cost compared to your January operating model — with no revenue offset unless your rate card has a fuel adjustment built in.
The truckload market solves this automatically. Freight surcharges are indexed to the EIA diesel average and reset weekly. Shippers pay the increase; carriers keep their margin. That mechanism doesn't exist in most last-mile arrangements. For Amazon DSPs, fuel is handled at the program level so direct exposure is different. For FedEx ISPs, USPS contractors, and independent operators, the fuel spike is sitting on your P&L right now.
One thing worth knowing: if you have van capacity that isn't fully committed — weekend availability, seasonal gaps — the spot freight market is paying $3.08 to $3.13/mile all-in (base + fuel surcharge) right now. That's 50+ cents per mile above the 2024 full-year average.
Takeaway: know what your effective per-mile rate is on your current routes and compare it to what the open market is paying. If you're below $3.00/mile effective and have any rate card flexibility, now is the time to run that conversation.
(Sources: DAT Freight & Analytics April 14, 2026; EIA diesel retail price data April 6, 2026; Overdrive Online April 15, 2026)