Government Shutdown Shuts Down National Fuel Index

BreakthroughFuel is providing carriers and shippers with a national retail diesel fuel cost average in lieu of the DOE’s index

Green Bay, Wis.Oct. 15, 2013—The U.S. government shutdown resulted in the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) announcement that it is no longer supplying a national fuel index as of October 11, 2013. The DOE diesel fuel index is used by a large number of trucking companies to generate their fuel invoices.

“The lack of the DOE index is a major problem because many of these carriers have contractual agreements with their clients requiring them to use the DOE’s index to determine fuel costs,” said Craig Dickman, BreakthroughFuel CEO and CIO. “Without it, they can’t bill for their services, which will hurt many companies that may not have the cash reserves to wait for payment. Our goal is to help them continue to operate.”
 
In an effort to fill the marketplace void, BreakthroughFuel is providing carriers and shippers with a national retail diesel fuel cost average in lieu of the DOE’s national fuel index. BreakthroughFuel’s national retail diesel fuel index is published every Monday at 5 p.m. (EST) at www.learnmore-breakthroughfuel.com/average-weekly-diesel-fuel-prices.
 
BreakthroughFuel’s national retail average is generated using fuel prices from thousands of locations throughout the country. The DOE uses 400 locations nationwide to develop its index: “We’ve tracked our index against the DOE for many years and it’s accurate,” Dickman said. “Hopefully, the carriers’ clients will understand the situation and work to allow trucking companies to use our index.”

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