TruckMarginA hypothetical $500 local box-truck route: what is left?
A hypothetical local box-truck route: 120 total miles, 8 stops, 6 hours and a $500 offer. Test how waiting and unpaid miles change its modeled profit.
THE INDEPENDENT OPERATOR’S TOOLKIT
It’s what
you keep.
A good-looking rate can hide a bad load. Put every mile and every cost in the picture.
Build my cost per mileFree tools. No account required.
Does this load pay?
01 / LOAD CHECKDry-van example · 500 paid miles. Edit these USD assumptions.
WHAT YOU KEEP$290.00
19.3% marginEntered costs $1,210.00Modeled profit
500 paid + 50 unpaid = 550 total miles
Profit is before income tax. Include owner pay and all operating costs in your cost per mile. Don’t know yours? Work it out below. Example offer: $3.00/paid mile. September 2026 national dry-van spot context: $3.01/mi including fuel. Your lane and costs will differ.
01 / WORK THE NUMBERS
Your truck. Your break-even.
Start with your costs.
Then put a load to the test.
Default costs are illustrative USD inputs. Distances are miles; fuel is per US gallon. Replace them with your records.
Cost / mile —Full breakdown ↓
Your all-in cost per mile
—
Fixed cost / mile—
Fuel / mile—
Maintenance, tires, DEF / mile—
Your pay / mile—
Break-even rate (to cover everything)—
Target rate at your margin
%
Rate per mile to hit that margin
—
Your cost profile stays in this browser for the load checker. Profit margin = profit ÷ revenue; the target rate uses cost ÷ (1 − margin).
Load estimate
—
Profit after modeled costs
—
Total miles (loaded + deadhead)—
Rate per total mile (all-in)—
Rate per loaded mile—
Estimated fuel cost—
Total cost (your CPM × total miles)—
Profit per mile—
Profit margin—
Your loaded-mile rate: —
Latest published national spot van: $3.01/mi
—
The fuel estimate is a breakdown only: fuel must already be included in your all-in cost per mile. Changing fuel here does not change that cost. Update your cost per mile when fuel changes. Estimates exclude any costs you have not entered.
DAT's latest published monthly national spot averages (September 2026, including fuel surcharge) provide USD context, not a quote for your lane. Equipment, lane, season and unpaid miles affect your result. Contribute to driver-reported lane rates →
LATEST FROM TRUCKMARGIN BRIEFS
A useful read for your next decision.
Diesel rose 9.7¢. What should change in your next quote?
Translate the October 19 US diesel increase into route costs, and read Canada’s latest manufacturing sales without confusing dollars with freight volume.
02 / FIND YOUR NEXT ANSWER
A tool for the decision in front of you.
Focused calculators.
Clear inputs. Useful answers.
01NEW TOOL
Box-truck delivery pricing
Price the whole day: driving, stops, people and profit.
02BOX TRUCKBox-truck cost per mile
Find your break-even and account for unpaid miles.
03FUELDiesel cost by state
Compare modeled fuel costs with clear source dates.
04FUELFuel surcharge
See what fuel really costs after your surcharge.
05YOUR BUSINESSOwner-operator take-home
Work from revenue to the money left after your costs.
06RUNNING COSTSMaintenance cost per mile
Put repairs, service and tires into the cost of each mile.
Loads & pricing
Truck & operating costs
Equipment & income
Cash flow & factoring
03 / SEE THE WORKING
Good decisions need
numbers you can check.
Every calculator starts with a stated formula. Reference data and illustrative assumptions are labeled separately, so you can decide what applies to your truck.
How TruckMargin calculates ↗01
Start with your records
Payments, insurance, actual miles and your own pay. Defaults give you a starting point.
02
Count the whole job
Include unpaid travel and time spent loading, waiting or making deliveries.
03
Compare what remains
Separate compensation for your work from business profit. Check the formula before you quote.
THE SHORT ANSWER
How is trucking cost per mile calculated?
Cost per mile = fixed monthly costs ÷ total monthly miles + fuel price ÷ MPG + maintenance/tires per mile + owner pay per mile. Load profit is revenue minus that cost multiplied by all miles needed for the job.
Worked example: $3,000 in monthly fixed costs over 10,000 miles is $0.30/mile. Add $0.80 fuel, $0.20 maintenance/tires and $0.50 owner pay: total cost is $1.80/mile. A 500-mile job costs $900; at $1,200 revenue it leaves $300 profit, a 25% margin. These are illustrative inputs.
DATA & METHOD
Diesel: EIA, week of Oct 19, 2026, released Oct 20. Freight context: DAT September 2026 all-in spot averages, published Oct 13: van $3.01, reefer $3.62, flatbed $3.61 per mile. USD national benchmarks; lane results vary. Market data JSON.
A FEW PRACTICAL QUESTIONS
Understand the number.
How do I calculate trucking cost per mile?
Divide monthly fixed costs by all miles driven, then add fuel per mile, maintenance, tires and your own pay per mile. Fuel cost per mile is fuel price per gallon divided by MPG. Use all miles, including unpaid travel.
Should I include my own pay?
Yes. Owner-driver compensation is a cost of doing the work. Include it before measuring business profit, so a load has to cover both the truck and your time.
How does deadhead affect load profit?
Unpaid pickup, return and repositioning miles still use fuel and truck capacity. Total-mile rate is load revenue divided by paid plus unpaid miles. The load checker compares that rate with your all-in cost.
Is profit margin the same as markup?
No. Margin is profit divided by revenue; markup is profit divided by cost. To target a 20% margin, divide cost by 0.80. A 20% markup gives about a 16.7% margin.
Can I use these tools in Canada?
The main calculator accepts USD or CAD entries, but switching currency only changes the label; it does not convert amounts. Enter all costs in the selected currency. Distances remain miles and fuel uses US gallons. Country-specific tax and fuel tools state their own scope.
Are the default numbers current market averages?
The diesel default is the EIA US national on-highway average for the week of October 19, 2026. Load benchmarks use DAT September 2026 national spot averages including fuel surcharge. Other default costs are illustrative assumptions. Replace them with your own records; national benchmarks do not predict a particular lane.
Does TruckMargin replace bookkeeping or tax advice?
No. These are planning tools for comparing costs and jobs. They do not replace bookkeeping, tax filings or advice specific to your business.