Gasoline hit $4.281 a gallon in the week of June 8, according to EIA weekly data — the fifth consecutive week above $4.25. For a ProMaster 2500 fleet, that's not a line item anymore. It's a margin problem.
Here's the math most operators aren't running. A Ram ProMaster 2500 averaging 18 mpg over a 120-mile daily route burns 6.7 gallons of regular unleaded per day. At $4.28, that's $28.67 per van. On a 100-stop route, fuel alone runs $0.29 per stop — before driver wages, insurance, lease payments, or maintenance. The Ford Transit 350 fares marginally better at 19 mpg: roughly $27.05 per van on the same run, putting you at $0.27 per stop.
Scale it to a 20-van fleet: $573 per day in fuel, $11,500 over a 20-day operating month. That's real money, and it moves every week whether your rate card does or not.
The structural problem is the mismatch: fuel reprices weekly, DSP contracts reprice infrequently if at all. Operators locked into fixed per-stop rates from Q4 2025 are absorbing every cent of this year's fuel creep with no pass-through mechanism.
What to watch: summer driving season typically keeps demand elevated through Labor Day. EIA's latest data shows no significant supply catalyst on the horizon that would break gasoline below $4.00 in the near term. Plan fuel expenses accordingly.
Two levers that actually move the number without waiting on rates: route consolidation (fewer miles per stop, same delivery count) and tire pressure discipline — underinflated tires add 2–3% to fuel consumption, which at $4.28/gal adds up across a fleet.
See how gasoline's share breaks down in your full cost per stop — free calculator at pexara.ai/calculator