Diesel up Tk20 a litre: a pickup's daily cost rose Tk200–240 on a fare of Tk30–35 per sack
A pickup driver delivering from Khatunganj, Chattogram, burns 10–12 litres of diesel a day. The price rise adds Tk200–240 a day; he says the old fare won't cover costs and plans to add Tk1–5 per sack.
A pickup driver delivers goods from Khatunganj, Chattogram's largest wholesale market, to various shops in the city. According to a Prothom Alo report from September 2026, his pickup uses 10 to 12 litres of diesel a day; with the price up Tk 20 a litre, his daily fuel cost has risen by Tk 200 to 240. Until now he charged Tk 30 to 35 per sack to carry onions; by his reckoning he will now have to charge Tk 1 to 5 more per sack. In his words, “If I run the vehicle at the old fare, I won't cover my costs. So I'll have to raise the fare a bit too.” Another pickup driver's daily diesel cost was Tk 1,000 to 1,500; at the new price it will exceed Tk 2,000. Long-distance trucks face the same pressure: the fare for a truckload of onions from Pabna to Khatunganj has risen from Tk 28,000 to Tk 32,500, while that truck's round trip uses about 220 litres of diesel, an extra cost of Tk 4,400 — meaning fuel eats up almost all of the extra fare. The report says fares depend on distance, the type of truck, demand and whether a load can be found for the return trip; so not all trucks charge the same fare for the same distance.
Lessons
- 1.Knowing litres per day and income per trip tells you exactly how much to raise fares when diesel goes up.
- 2.Small per-unit fare increases (Tk1–5 per sack) are easier for customers to accept.
- 3.Fuel can swallow a fare rise; plan loan instalments and costs with fuel-price risk in mind.
We published this with the person's permission, without revealing who they are.
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