Trucking cost per mile calculator
Enter your own monthly costs and miles to get the cost per mile and the break-even rate each loaded mile must earn.
Nothing you enter leaves this page.
Break-even rate per loaded mile
$/ loaded mile
- Cost per mile, all miles
- $ / mile
- Total cost per month
- $
- Variable costs
- $
- Fixed costs
- $
- Driver pay
- $
Your costs divided by your miles. Nothing here is an industry average.
How this is calculated
Add your variable costs (fuel, maintenance, tires, tolls and anything else that moves with miles), your fixed costs (payment, insurance, permits) and any driver pay. That is your total cost for the month. Divide it by all miles driven for cost per mile, or by the loaded miles only for the rate each loaded mile has to earn to break even. Loaded miles are miles driven times the loaded percentage.
break-even per loaded mile = total monthly cost ÷ (miles × loaded %)
The method, the constants and the limits are written out in how fuel cost is calculated.
How to enter each line
Use your own monthly numbers. For fuel you can type the dollars you spent in a month, or enter mpg and the average price per gallon and let the tool work out the fuel. Put a cost in the variable group if it rises as you drive more miles, and in the fixed group if you pay it whether the wheels turn or not. A cost you pay every year can be divided by twelve first. This page has no defaults and no industry averages, because every operation is different.
Fixed and variable costs
Variable costs per mile stay roughly the same however far you go. Fixed costs per mile fall as miles go up, because the same monthly bill is spread over more miles. That is why a slow month can show a high cost per mile even though nothing about the truck changed.
Why loaded miles matter
You only get paid for loaded miles, but you pay for every mile. If 15 percent of your miles run empty, the loaded miles have to earn enough to cover the empty ones too. The break-even rate per loaded mile is your total cost divided by the loaded miles. A rate below it loses money, and a rate above it leaves something over.
Worked example with hypothetical numbers
All of these figures are invented to show the arithmetic. 10,000 miles in a month, 85 percent loaded. Fuel from 6.5 mpg at $4.00 a gallon. Maintenance $800, tires $400, tolls $300. Truck payment $1,800, insurance $1,100, permits $150. No driver pay.
- Fuel: 10,000 ÷ 6.5 × $4.00 = $6,153.85.
- Variable: 6,153.85 + 800 + 400 + 300 = $7,653.85.
- Fixed: 1,800 + 1,100 + 150 = $3,050.00. Total: $10,703.85.
- Cost per mile: 10,703.85 ÷ 10,000 = $1.07. Loaded miles: 10,000 × 0.85 = 8,500. Break-even per loaded mile: 10,703.85 ÷ 8,500 = $1.26.
For a car or a personal vehicle use the cost per mile calculator. To work out mpg from a fill-up, use the fuel consumption calculator. A single trip’s fuel cost is on the fuel cost calculator.
Common questions
Is the break-even rate the same as the cost per loaded mile?
Yes. The break-even rate per loaded mile is your total cost divided by your loaded miles, so it is the same number. It is the rate at which a loaded mile pays for all the miles.
What if I drive empty on the way back?
Set the loaded percentage to the share of your miles that carry a load. The lower it is, the higher the break-even rate.
Should I include my own pay?
Enter a driver pay figure if you want the rate to cover a wage for yourself or a driver. Leave it blank to see the cost of running the truck alone.
Does this use industry benchmarks?
No. Every number comes from you. Nothing on this page is an industry average.