Not long after Katrina hit, suppliers and subcontractors had no choice but to add a "fuel surcharge" line item to their invoices. This seemingly random cost has been born by the end user thus far because the proof was at the pump. As gas prices continued their skyward trek, no one would think of questioning this fee. Those that did got the following story:
"Because the price of gas is so volatile, it is much easier to keep the fuel surcharge as a line item. This means we don't have to keep submitting price increases every time gas goes up."
Well what about now. It is time to dust off those agreements and discover just what price constitutes a fuel surcharge. It very well may be that the price of fuel today is lower than when the deal was struck. Hmmm, is there such a thing as a fuel credit? Probably not.
