Solutions for Rising Fuel Costs

repartidor repostando diesel caro

Solutions for Rising Fuel Costs

It’s six in the morning. Your delivery driver starts the vehicle and the first thing he does is check the fuel gauge. Yesterday he filled it at €1.90/l (Source: Average Fuel Prices, April 2026). That gesture, which used to be pure routine, is now the start of a countdown: every kilometer that vehicle travels through the city center costs 20.4% more than just a year ago (Source: MITMA Cost Variation Index).

The problem is that while costs are taking the elevator up, Horeca distribution profitability seems to be stuck in the basement. If you don’t want your fleet’s fuel tank to swallow up the entire year’s profit, these are the cards you have on the table:

1. Escaping the Labyrinth of Urban Inefficiencies

Urban delivery has always been complex, but new restrictions and Low Emission Zones (LEZ) have changed the rules. Your vehicles can no longer easily enter certain streets, they have to take detours, and they waste an average of 20 minutes looking for a loading and unloading zone that is almost never free.

According to the DUM-H 2025 study by Fedis Horeca, commercial speed in urban centers has dropped by 15%. This means your driver makes fewer stops per hour, but your engine consumes much more fuel being stuck in traffic or idling. The first option is clear: renegotiate routes not by proximity, but by energy efficiency windows.

2. The “Taboo” of Law 15/2009: Your Legal Shield

Many distributors fear that applying price increases will drive away hospitality clients, but the law is your best ally. Article 38 of Law 15/2009 mandates a review of the transport price when diesel rises by more than 5%. It is not a suggestion; it is a legal right.

Distributors who will make it to 2027 are those who have stopped being afraid and have started breaking down the energy surcharge on every delivery note transparently. They have understood that transport can no longer be a “gift” included in the price of the case.

3. The JBP: Bringing the Manufacturer to the Table

If you have a partnership agreement with a major brand, you have a JBP (Joint Business Plan). Basically, it is the Joint Business Plan where you agree on how to grow together. Traditionally, this agreement served to set how many cases you were going to sell, but in 2026, the JBP must be a pact for logistical survival.

You cannot continue to assume the same level of service if the manufacturer does not take shared responsibility. The real options here are:

     

  • Demand minimum orders: If the delivery is not profitable due to fuel costs, the order should not leave the warehouse.

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  • Capillarity compensation: The manufacturer must financially support delivery in critical zones or accept a reduction in visiting days to consolidate cargo.

What is the sector really doing?

The market has already split into three very defined groups (Source: Horeca Distribution Barometer Q1-2026):

     

  • The “Resistant” (60%): They are taking the hit by cutting commercial offers. They have stopped aggressive promotions to try and let that extra margin cover the diesel gap. This is a temporary measure that doesn’t solve the core problem.

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  • The “Strategic” (25%): They have implemented service fees by zone. If the client is in a historic center or a high-restriction zone, they pay a surcharge for the logistical difficulty of the delivery.

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  • The “Efficient” (15%): They have connected their ERP to smart routing systems, reducing kilometers traveled by 12%. They know exactly what each stop costs them and, if a client is losing money due to their location, they renegotiate terms immediately.

Conclusion

Diesel at €1.90/l has arrived to remind us that the “courtesy delivery” model is dead. Survival doesn’t depend on selling more cases, but on delivering each one of them intelligently.