Trucking cost per mile calculator
Enter your monthly fixed costs, your per-mile costs and your miles, and see your cost per mile, the rate you need to break even and whether a load pays. Your figures stay on this device.
How the numbers are worked out
- Fixed cost per mile is your monthly fixed costs (truck and trailer payments, insurance, plates and permits, software, tolls and everything else you pay whether the wheels turn or not) divided by all the miles you drive in a month.
- Fuel per mile is the diesel price per gallon divided by your miles per gallon.
- Variable cost per mile adds maintenance, tires and driver pay per mile to fuel.
- Cost per mile is fixed plus variable. Multiply it by your monthly miles for your monthly cost.
- Break-even rate is your monthly cost divided by your loaded miles: empty (deadhead) miles cost money but earn nothing, so the rate you are paid per loaded mile has to cover them.
Checking a load
Enter what the load pays, its loaded miles and the empty miles to get to the pickup. The calculator shows the rate per loaded mile, the rate over all the miles you will drive, and the load’s profit after your running cost per mile.
The example figures are there only so the page shows a result. They are not market rates; use your own numbers from your books.
Questions
How do I calculate my trucking cost per mile?
Add up everything the truck costs you in a month, fixed and variable, and divide by the miles you drove that month. Using a few months together smooths out repairs and quiet weeks.
Why is my break-even rate higher than my cost per mile?
Because you are paid only for loaded miles. If 12% of your miles are empty, the rate per loaded mile has to cover the empty miles too.
Are my numbers saved?
Yes, in your browser on this device only. Nothing is sent to us.