BNSF’s mileage-based fuel surcharge for coal, ag products on track

BNSF’s mileage-based fuel surcharge for coal, ag products on track    BNSF Railway Co.’s mileage-based fuel surcharge program for coal and agricultural products customers will take effect Jan. 1, as scheduled.
   Intermodal, automotive and other carload customers will continue to pay a fuel surcharge based on percentage of their freight transportation bills, as the railway examines ways to implement effective information systems.
   For agricultural products customers, the mileage-based fuel surcharge will reflect rail mileage between origin and destination points according to BNSF’s online rail mileage inquiry tool at https://www.bnsf.com/bnsf.was5/RailMiles/RMCentralController , instead of highway mileage as originally announced.
   For coal unit-train customers, the mileage-based fuel surcharge will be based on rail mileage between origin and destination points.
   “Customer feedback indicated that while a mileage-based fuel surcharge program is considered more fair and equitable than the current percentage-based program, some customers need more time to make adjustments to their own information systems to accommodate the new program,” said John Lanigan, BNSF’s executive vice president and chief marketing officer.
   “As announced earlier this year, non-Rule 11 interline shipments also will continue to use the percentage-based fuel surcharge,” Lanigan said. “Currently, the system used by the rail industry to electronically exchange interline billing and settlement information cannot accommodate a mileage-based fuel surcharge.”
   BNSF said it is examining changes to its information systems required to implement the mileage-based fuel surcharge program, and expects to complete that process later this year.
   Further information about BNSF’s fuel-surcharge programs and tables for both mileage- and percentage-based programs are available at https://www.bnsf.com/tools/prices/fuelsurcharge/index.html .