Cost Per Mile Calculator

Your truck costs (per month)

Operation

Truck payment

Insurance

Permits, plates & IFTA fees

ELD & dispatch software

Parking & yard

Accounting & admin

Your pay (owner pay)

Include your own pay and benefits before calling the remainder profit. Monthly costs are in USD.

Other monthly costs (up to 3)

Other cost 1

Other cost 2

Other cost 3

Fuel & mileage

Diesel price ($/gal)

Fuel economy (MPG)

Maintenance reserve ($/mi)

Tire reserve ($/mi)

DEF ($/mi)

Miles per month

Realistic for one truck: 6,000–10,000 — enter yours.

Target profit ($/mi, all miles)

Check a load

Load rate ($ — gross, fuel surcharge included)

Enter the full quote including the fuel surcharge, before factoring and trip costs.

Loaded miles

Deadhead miles

Loading, unloading & waiting hours

Other trip costs ($, e.g. lumper, tolls)

Factoring fee (% of gross)

Your number

Cost per mile

$2.15/mi

Fixed costs per mile: $1.15/mi
Variable costs per mile: $1.00/mi
Fuel + DEF per mile: $0.72/mi
Maintenance + tires per mile: $0.28/mi
Fixed cost per day: $302.63

Floor rate (never haul below)

$2.65/mi

Target profit per all mile: $0.50/mi

Load result

Load verdict

Good load

Clears your target profit after every mile, loaded or not.

Cost of this load: $2,195.35
Profit: $604.65
Margin: 21.6%
Revenue per loaded mile: $3.11/mi
Revenue per all miles: $2.75/mi
Deadhead: 11.8%
Net per working hour: $24.78/hr
Break-even for this load: $2,195.35
Break-even per loaded mile: $2.44/mi

Break-even and mileage rates use net revenue after factoring and trip costs. For the gross quote, add trip costs to break-even, then divide by the fraction of revenue retained after factoring.

Working time assumes 50 mph across all miles, plus loading, unloading and waiting. It excludes rest breaks; adjust waiting hours as needed.

Estimates only — not financial, tax or legal advice. Diesel moves fast. Re-check your numbers quarterly or whenever fuel, insurance or payments change. (2026-10)

What is cost per mile in trucking?

Cost per mile (CPM) is what it costs to run one truck for one mile, including your pay. Divide fixed monthly expenses by realistic monthly miles, then add diesel, DEF, maintenance and tires. This calculator uses US miles, US gallons and US dollars.

Start with the illustrative defaults, choose an operation preset and replace the amounts with your own bills. Then check a load, including empty miles, waiting time, factoring and tolls. Calculations run in your browser; a share link contains the scenario you choose to share.

How this calculator works

CPM = \frac{F}{M} + \frac{D}{MPG} + DEF + R + T

\text{floor} = CPM + P

\text{profit} = N - CPM \times (L + E)

Fixed costs are spread over every mile, including deadhead. Fuel includes diesel and DEF; maintenance and tires are separate reserves. Fixed cost per day uses a 30.4-day month. The floor adds your target profit per all mile.

$F$ : monthly fixed costs; $M$ : monthly miles; $D$ : diesel price per gallon; $MPG$ : miles per gallon; $DEF$ , $R$ , $T$ : DEF, maintenance and tire costs per mile; $P$ : target profit per mile; $N$ : revenue after factoring and trip costs; $L$ , $E$ : loaded and empty miles.

What belongs in your CPM

Fixed expenses: truck and trailer payments, insurance, permits, software, parking, accounting and your own pay. Convert annual bills to monthly amounts.
Diesel: use the price you actually pay and the fuel economy your truck achieves, not the brochure figure.
Maintenance reserve: set aside money per mile for repairs and service, even in months with no shop bill.
Tire reserve: spread replacement costs over the miles you expect from the set.
DEF: include diesel exhaust fluid separately so it is not lost in the diesel estimate.

Why deadhead belongs in every number

Empty repositioning miles burn fuel and use the truck without earning a loaded-mile payment. Count the drive to pickup and any unpaid repositioning after delivery. Above 20% empty miles, the calculator shows a caution; the verdict still follows your actual profit target.

Loaded mile vs all-mile rates

The same net revenue looks larger when divided only by loaded miles. Compare the all-mile rate with your CPM and floor; both rate displays deduct factoring and trip costs. Break-even is the net revenue needed to cover the truck, so add trip costs and account for factoring when quoting a gross rate.

Frequently asked questions

What should I include in my cost per mile?

Include fixed bills, your pay, fuel and reserves for maintenance and tires. Use the three other-cost rows for trailer payments or recurring expenses not already listed; do not count a cost twice.

How is the break-even rate calculated?

Multiply CPM by loaded plus deadhead miles. That is the net revenue required; the gross quote must also cover trip costs and factoring. Your floor adds target profit per all mile on top of CPM.

Why do deadhead miles matter?

They cost money just like loaded miles. Ignoring them overstates revenue per mile and can turn an apparently good load into a loss.

Should I count my own pay?

Yes. Treat your labor and benefits as a cost before measuring business profit. Otherwise a load may only appear profitable because you are working unpaid.

How often should I update these numbers?

Review them at least quarterly and whenever fuel, insurance or financing changes. Presets and October 2026 defaults are examples, not market quotes; use actual bills and realistic monthly mileage.

Estimates only — not financial, tax or legal advice. Diesel moves fast. Re-check your numbers quarterly or whenever fuel, insurance or payments change.