Trucking Profit & Rate Per Mile Calculator
Decide whether a load is worth running before you book it. Enter the offered rate, loaded and deadhead miles, and your fuel, driver, variable, and fixed costs, and get rate per mile, cost per mile, net profit, margin, and the breakeven rate you would need. Do not know the mileage? Use the optional point A to B distance lookup.
Profit and rate per mile calculator
Enter the offered linehaul rate, the miles, and your costs. You get rate per mile, cost per mile, net profit, margin, and the breakeven rate you would need on this load. Everything updates as you type and runs in your browser.
This load clears your costs by $1,166.35. Anything below $2.07 per loaded mile loses money at these inputs.
Fuel here uses one flat diesel price for the whole trip and no fuel stop planning. Per state diesel averages, refuel stop counts, truck aware multi stop routing, hazmat and oversize restrictions, and quoting live inside FreightCanvas.
Costing more than one load?
Are you pricing a multi stop run, hauling hazmat or an oversize load, or trying to know what diesel really costs state by state before you quote a rate? That is what FreightCanvas is built for.
- Per state diesel averages applied at each refill
- Fuel stop count from tank capacity and route geometry
- Truck aware, multi stop routing with dimension limits
- Hazmat profiles and oversize routing restrictions
- 2D and 3D load planning that feeds the cost math
- Quotes, BOLs, and invoices built from the same trip
No credit card needed. This calculator stays free and open to everyone.
Four groups of numbers decide the answer
Rate and fees
Loaded and deadhead miles
Variable cost per mile
Fixed cost per day
A quick worked example
A broker offers $2,200 for 500 loaded miles, which looks like a strong $4.40 per loaded mile. Add 60 deadhead miles and it is $3.93 per total mile. At 6.5 MPG and $3.85 diesel the run burns about $332 of fuel. Driver pay at $0.60 per mile adds $336, other variable costs at $0.20 add $112, and 1.5 days of $225 fixed overhead adds $338. Total cost is roughly $1,118, so net profit is about $1,082, a 49 percent margin, and breakeven sits near $2.24 per loaded mile. That is your walk away number if the rate gets renegotiated.
Point A to B distance calculator
Type total miles yourself, or let the built in lookup fill them in. Enter a city and state, an address, or a ZIP for each end, press calculate, and loaded miles are populated with real driving distance plus an estimated drive time.
Driving miles, not straight line
Rate per mile only means something against practical highway distance. A straight line estimate usually understates a long haul by five to fifteen percent, which flatters every load you look at.
Deliberately barebones
Two points only. No intermediate stops, no truck height or weight restrictions, no hazmat avoidance, no toll modeling. It is a fast mileage number for a quick profit check.
Always overridable
If the rate confirmation or your dispatch software says something different, type that in. The math always uses whatever is in the miles fields.
All profit math runs locally in your browser. Only the two place names you enter are sent out, and only to return mileage.
What the full platform adds
This page is intentionally simple: one load, one flat diesel price, no freight detail. Inside FreightCanvas the same margin math sits on top of the route and the trailer you actually planned, so the quote you send is the trip you costed.
Per state diesel prices
Fuel stop planning
Multi stop truck aware routing
Hazmat and oversize routing
Load planning tied to the cost
Quotes built from the same numbers
Profit and rate per mile FAQ
How do you calculate rate per mile?
Divide the linehaul rate by the miles. A $2,200 load over 500 loaded miles is $4.40 per loaded mile. If you also ran 60 deadhead miles to the pickup, the honest number is $2,200 divided by 560 total miles, or $3.93 per total mile. Brokers usually quote the loaded figure, so always check the all miles version before you commit.
What is a good rate per mile for a truck?
There is no single number, because a good rate is anything comfortably above your own cost per mile. An owner operator with a cost per mile near $1.90 needs a very different rate than a fleet at $1.55, and reefer, flatbed, and hazmat freight all carry their own premiums. Calculate your cost per mile first, then judge every rate against it instead of against a market rumor.
How do I calculate cost per mile?
Add variable costs that scale with miles (fuel, driver pay, tires, maintenance) to fixed costs allocated to the trip (truck and trailer payments, insurance, permits, plates, dispatch, phone, accounting), then divide by total miles including deadhead. This calculator does that split for you: enter per mile variable costs, a fixed cost per day, and the days the load ties up the truck.
What is the difference between gross revenue and profit?
Gross revenue is the rate on the confirmation. Profit is what is left after fuel, driver pay, maintenance, fixed overhead, tolls, lumpers, and any broker or factoring fee. A high rate per mile on a long deadhead, a two day trip, or a load with heavy accessorial costs can easily net less than a plain short haul, which is why the net profit and margin outputs matter more than the headline RPM.
Should I include deadhead miles?
Yes. Empty miles burn fuel, wear the truck, and consume hours of service, and nobody pays for them directly. Enter them and the calculator shows deadhead share and rate per total mile. Loads with deadhead above roughly ten to fifteen percent of total miles deserve a closer look before you accept.
How does the breakeven rate work?
The breakeven rate per loaded mile is total trip cost divided by loaded miles. It is the floor: at that rate you finish the trip with zero dollars for your trouble. Use it as a walk away number when a broker calls back with a lower offer, and add your target margin on top to get your ask.
Does this account for a fuel surcharge?
If the load pays a fuel surcharge, add it to the rate field so total revenue reflects everything you will be paid, and keep the diesel price accurate so the fuel expense stays real. The tool compares total revenue against total cost, so a surcharge that does not cover your diesel shows up immediately in profit and margin.
Is my data saved?
No. All of the profit and rate per mile math runs locally in your browser and nothing is stored or sent anywhere. The optional point A to B distance lookup sends only the two place names you type, and only to return mileage.
Results are planning estimates. Actual costs vary with equipment, lane, fuel price, pay structure, detention, and accessorials. Confirm rate and fuel surcharge terms in writing before you rely on them.