How do I calculate cost per mile for a truck?

Add your monthly fixed costs (truck and trailer payment, insurance, permits, compliance) to your variable costs (fuel, maintenance, tyres) and your own pay, then divide by your LOADED miles for the month — not total miles. Dividing by total miles understates your real cost per paid mile by roughly your deadhead percentage.

What is a good cost per mile for an owner-operator?

It varies enormously with equipment, truck payment, insurance and how many miles you run, so any single figure quoted as a benchmark is close to meaningless. What matters is your number, calculated honestly, and whether the rates you're accepting clear it with margin.

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Cost per mile calculator

Q: Why does deadhead matter so much?

Because brokers pay you for loaded miles while your costs run on every mile you turn. A carrier running 12% deadhead who calculates cost against total miles is understating cost per paid mile by about 12% — which for many operators is the entire margin.

Your cost per mile is the most important number in your business and the one most often calculated wrong. This one accounts for deadhead, which is where the error usually is.

Free tool

Work out your real cost per mile

Most owner-operators quote a cost per mile that ignores deadhead, and then wonder why the year didn't add up. Enter your monthly figures — the defaults are illustrative only.

Fixed costs — per month

Truck & trailer payment ($)

Insurance ($)

Permits, IFTA, ELD, compliance ($)

Other fixed — parking, phone, accounting ($)

Variable & miles

Total miles per month

Deadhead %

MPG

Fuel price ($/gal)

Maintenance & tyres ($/mile)

Your pay — take home ($/month)

Nothing is sent anywhere. This runs entirely in your browser.

Your numbers

Fixed costs—

Fuel—

Maintenance—

Your pay—

Total monthly cost—

Loaded miles—

Cost per LOADED mile— Enter your figures to see your rate floor.

This is the number below which sitting beats driving.

Why loaded miles, not total miles

Brokers pay you for loaded miles. Your costs run on every mile, loaded or empty. A carrier running 12% deadhead who calculates cost against total miles is understating their real cost per paid mile by roughly the same 12% — which is often the entire margin.

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