Free Cost Per Mile Calculator
for owner-operators.
Drop a settlement, rate con, fuel receipt, or 1099 — whatever trucking paperwork you have. We pull your real cost per mile, revenue per mile, what brokers paid vs. what you cleared, where you're leaking money, and quarter-to-date IFTA prep. Free.
Real CPM
What every mile actually costs you — fuel, insurance, truck, everything.
Revenue per mile
Weekly, monthly, YTD. Know whether the next load is worth it.
Broker margin
What the shipper paid vs. what you cleared — per load, per broker.
IFTA prep
State-by-state miles & gallons, ready to file through your base state.
Upload
Any trucking doc — settlement, fuel receipt, rate con, 1099. PDF, image, or phone photo.
We read it
Miles, gallons, broker names, rates, and deductions pulled automatically — no data entry.
See your numbers
Email-gated full report: CPM, revenue/mile, broker margins, IFTA prep, leak detector.
Drop your documents here
Rate confirmations, fuel receipts, settlement statements
Free. Max 20 files. Images are resized in your browser before upload.
Want a break-even calc?
What rate per mile keeps the truck running — before you pay yourself a dime. Two numbers; we'll save them so you don't re-enter.
Fill in all three fields to see your break-even per mile.
We save these to your browser. Sign up free and we'll move them to your account so they sync across devices.
Free lane rate check
What's the market paying on your lane this week?
Market $/mile, 12-week trend, and load-to-truck ratio. The numbers brokers see. Free, no signup.
How cost per mile is calculated
Your cost per mile (CPM) is the total amount you spend to put your truck on the road divided by the miles you actually drove. It's the single most important number in owner-operator trucking because it tells you the floor of what a load has to pay for you to break even.
Formula
CPM = (fixed costs + variable costs) ÷ total miles
Fixed costs (paid whether you drive or not)
- Truck payment or lease
- Insurance (liability, physical damage, occupational accident)
- Permits, IRP, UCR, IFTA license, plates
- Phone, ELD subscription, accounting tools
- Depreciation (for tax purposes)
Variable costs (driven by miles)
- Fuel (the biggest one — typically 25-35% of revenue)
- Maintenance and repairs (tires, oil, brakes)
- Tolls and scale fees
- Lumpers, detention advances
- Driver pay (if you're a fleet owner, not driving yourself)
Most owner-operators running a single truck land between $1.80 and $2.40 per mile in true CPM, depending on equipment type, loan status, and insurance class. Older paid-off trucks can come in under $1.60/mi; newer financed rigs hauling reefer or hazmat routinely sit above $2.50/mi.
What's a healthy revenue per mile for owner-operators?
Revenue per mile (RPM) minus your cost per mile (CPM) is your actual take-home per mile. Target RPMs vary by equipment — and the load market matters too (spot rates swing 20-30% seasonally). These are rough 2026 benchmarks to calibrate against:
| Equipment | Break-even RPM | Healthy RPM |
|---|---|---|
| Dry van | $2.00/mi | $2.50+/mi |
| Reefer | $2.30/mi | $2.80+/mi |
| Flatbed / step deck | $2.40/mi | $2.90+/mi |
| Power only | $1.60/mi | $2.00+/mi |
| Hotshot (1-ton dually) | $1.40/mi | $1.80+/mi |
| Tanker / hazmat | $2.60/mi | $3.20+/mi |
Break-even assumes a paid-off truck with average insurance and no deadhead over 10%. Your numbers will move with your actual CPM — which is what the calculator above is for.
Why your broker doesn't want you to see this
A freight broker's revenue comes from the spread between what the shipper pays them and what they pay you. Industry-average broker margins run 15-25% on typical lanes. On a $2,000 load, that's $300-$500 the broker keeps. Some brokers post rates that cut 30-40% off the top — especially when the carrier is new, desperate, or doesn't know the lane.
Federal law (49 CFR 371.3) requires brokers to disclose the shipper-paid rate to any carrier who asks. Most carriers don't ask because they don't know the rule exists, don't want to lose the relationship, or don't have a written demand letter ready. Our paid tool handles the letter. The free analyzer above compares your offered rate to market, so you know when the gap is worth a conversation.
See our broker transparency toolThis report? Free.
Every load after? Automatic.
You just ran one snapshot. The paid OTR app runs it on every load, every week, every quarter — so you never wonder what the numbers say again.
Plaid bank sync
Every deposit, every fuel charge categorized the day it hits.
Fuel-card CSV import
WEX, Comdata, EFS, RTS — drop the file, done.
Samsara ELD miles
Real state miles and trip data, straight from the truck.
Load grading A–F
Every load scored before you book. Reject the junk.
What the big carriers see (and you don't)
| A $50M fleet sees | You, with OTR |
|---|---|
| Real-time cost per mile across the whole fleet | Your real CPM per truck — today, not last quarter |
| Broker margin tracked per lane per broker | Broker margin per load, per broker, with demand letters on tap |
| Load scoring before the rep says yes | A–F grade before you hit book |
| Daily IFTA accrual, never behind | Daily IFTA — PDF ready on filing day one |
| Full dispatcher dashboard with 14-day cash runway | Same cash runway, built for one truck |
| $600K back-office software budget | $79–$499/mo — and a 30-day free trial |
FAQ
Is this really free?+
Yes. One full performance report per IP and email. For ongoing analysis on every load, that's what the paid app is for.
What documents can I upload?+
Settlements, rate confirmations, fuel receipts, BOLs, PODs, invoices, 1099s. PDF, JPG, PNG, or phone photo. Up to 20 files per run.
Do I need an account to see my report?+
No account — but we ask for your email before showing the dollar figures. You get a PDF copy to keep, and nothing is charged until you actively start a trial.
Why do you need my email to see the numbers?+
Two reasons. One: we email you a PDF copy so you have the report for your records and tax prep. Two: real-driver data is what makes OTR's benchmarks honest — gating it on email keeps bots and fake accounts out of the numbers other drivers rely on.
Will you sell my data?+
No — not to brokers, not to factoring, not to insurance, not to anybody. Your documents and numbers are yours. See our privacy page for the full policy.
Can I run this every week for free?+
The free analyzer is one-time per IP/email. For continuous insights across every load, connect your bank, fuel card, and Samsara ELD on the paid app — $79/mo, 30-day free trial.
Stop guessing what you made this week.
Free report got you one snapshot. The paid OTR app keeps the picture live — every load, every broker, every mile.