How to Ask for a Rate Review With Published Cost Indexes
Apply BLS and EIA indexes to your own cost mix, line by line, and see how your cost per mile moved since the month you set your rate. A worked example and a message to send.
Why this matters. You agreed a rate years ago. Diesel, driver pay, tires and insurance have all changed since, each on its own path. A rate review request that says "costs are up" gets a polite no. One that lists each cost line, its published index and the change gets read. This article shows how to build that list on your own numbers.
This is arithmetic, not a rate
Indexes are national and describe prices, not your costs. Each cost line uses a stand-in series, and the latest BLS months are preliminary. The result shows how your cost would have moved if each line followed its index. It is not a market rate, a quote or advice, and no index here is a lane rate. The cost mix in the example is invented.
Step 1: date your last rate change
Pick the month your rate, or your cost per mile, was last set. Everything is measured from there. Without a base month a review letter has nothing to stand on.
Step 2: know what moved and by how much
Here is how the series moved. All are published by BLS or EIA, and the snapshot runs to Aug 2026, retrieved Oct 10, 2026.
| Series | 12 months | Since Jan 2021 | Since Jan 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diesel (EIA, monthly average) | +45.9% | +103.7% | +83.3% |
| Truck transportation hourly pay | +4.1% | +25.7% | +35.8% |
| Heavy truck price (PPI) | +1.2% | +9.8% | +11.5% |
| Tire price (PPI) | +1.9% | +31.2% | +33.1% |
| Motor vehicle parts (PPI) | +5.7% | +20.0% | +20.5% |
| Insurance carriers (PPI) | +2.7% | +28.1% | +29.6% |
| Truckload price index (PPI) | +13.9% | +42.1% | +48.4% |
Source: BLS Public Data API and EIA open data API v2, retrieved Oct 10, 2026. Recent BLS months are preliminary and get revised. BLS.gov cannot vouch for the analyses derived from these data once retrieved.
Notice that lines move at different speeds. In the last 12 months diesel rose 45.9% while hourly pay rose 4.1%. A fleet that is fuel-heavy and a fleet with a high pay share will see different totals from the same indexes.
Step 3: apply your own cost mix
Example data: you set your rate in Jan 2019, when your all-in cost was $2.10 a mile, and you charged $2.60. Your mix, from your books, is 35% diesel, 30% pay, 12% truck, 3% tires, 8% parts, 7% insurance and 5% everything else. For each line:
| Cost line | Your share | Index change | Effect per mile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diesel fuel | 35% | +83.3% | $0.612 |
| Driver and shop pay | 30% | +35.8% | $0.226 |
| Truck and trailer | 12% | +11.5% | $0.029 |
| Tires | 3% | +33.1% | $0.021 |
| Parts and repair | 8% | +20.5% | $0.034 |
| Insurance | 7% | +29.6% | $0.044 |
| Everything else (CPI) | 5% | +33.1% | $0.035 |
| Total | 100% | $1.001 |
Each line is rounded to a tenth of a cent, and the total adds the rounded lines.
The example cost per mile moves from $2.10 to $3.101, a rise of 47.7%. Over 100,000 miles a year that is $100,100. For comparison, the truckload price index moved 48.4% over the same months. If your cost rose more than the market index, the market has not passed it on yet. If it rose less, expect a harder conversation.
In this example the rate that kept the same $0.50 over cost would be $3.60. That is arithmetic on invented numbers, not a suggestion for any lane.
Step 4: send facts, not a demand
Every figure in that message can be checked, and that is the point. A broker can look up each source.
Where it can go wrong
- A stand-in is not your bill. Your diesel price follows your cards and regions, and your truck payment may be fixed by a lease. Note which lines fit poorly.
- Use your books for shares. A fuel-heavy long haul and a local lane have different mixes.
- Re-run each quarter. Keep the letter and the date.
Common questions
- Is this a rate suggestion? No. The tool applies published price indexes to a cost mix you enter. A lane rate depends on the market, the lane and the broker, and no index here is a lane rate.
- How good is each index as a match for my cost? Rough at best. Hourly pay is for all employees in truck transportation, not drivers only. The heavy truck index is for new trucks, not your lease or loan. The insurance index covers direct property and casualty insurers, not commercial auto only. Diesel is the U.S. average at the pump.
- Why are the latest BLS values marked preliminary? BLS revises the latest months of these series for several months. State the retrieval date in your message so the reader knows which version you used.
- Where does the cost mix come from? From you. The mix in this article is invented and is not an industry average.
Try it on your own mix with the cost-line escalator. It runs in your browser and nothing you type leaves the page. If you want a second look at how your rates compare with what you billed and were paid, send us your last 20 loads.
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