Free tools · Real margin
Trucking cost per mile calculator
The rate the broker quotes is gross. After fuel and the empty miles between loads, what's left in your wallet is your real margin — your true rate per mile. Plug in four numbers below — math runs live, free, no signup.
Your real margin
68% of the rate sticks to your wallet.
Rate
+ $2.50
Fuel cost
− $0.54
Deadhead (12%)
− $0.27
Healthy. Above the typical floor for this trailer.
Implied fuel surcharge
($3.78 − $1.20) ÷ 7 MPG
Per mile
$0.369
For subscribers
Inside, we calculate this for every load you run.
- Pull from your real loads — no typing required
- See your real margin by month, by lane, and by broker
- Compare your rates to the market on every haul
- Plus broker tracking and lane tracking with weekly alerts
30 days free · Cancel anytime
How real margin is calculated
Rate per mile is what the broker quoted. Fuel cost per mile is your diesel price divided by your truck's MPG. Deadhead is the empty-mile percentage you average between loads, applied to the rate. What's left after both is the real margin — usually 30 to 50 percent less than the sticker rate.
- Fuel cost per mile = diesel ÷ MPG. At $3.78/gal and 6 MPG, that's $0.63 of every mile gone before anything else.
- Deadhead cost per mile = the empty-mile percentage you average between loads, applied to your rate. 12% deadhead at $2.50/mi is $0.30 of every loaded mile paid to the empty miles.
- Real margin = rate − fuel − deadhead. From this you still pay truck payment, insurance, maintenance, and your salary.
Heads-up: this is a planning grade. Your actual margin still depends on tolls, idling, accessorials, and everything else. Use it to triage offers, not to file taxes.
Cost per mile FAQ
How do I calculate my trucking cost per mile?
Divide every cost by the miles it covers. Fuel cost per mile is diesel price ÷ MPG. Fixed costs (truck payment, insurance, plates) are the monthly total ÷ monthly miles. Deadhead spreads your paid miles over unpaid ones. This calculator handles the fuel and deadhead portion live; your fixed costs come from your own numbers.
What is a good rate per mile?
There's no universal number — a rate that profits a paid-off truck at 7 MPG loses money on a financed truck at 5.5 MPG with long deadhead. That's the point of computing YOUR cost per mile: any rate above it is profit, any rate below it costs you money to haul, whatever the load board says.
Why subtract deadhead from the rate?
Empty miles burn the same fuel and hours as loaded ones but pay zero, so the loaded rate has to cover them. If you average 12% deadhead, every $2.50 loaded mile is really carrying about $0.30 of unpaid driving.
Is this calculator free?
Yes — free, no signup, no card. Inside the OverTheRoad.AI app the same math runs automatically on every load you log, using your real fuel purchases and miles instead of estimates.
See it catch real money
60-second tour — a caught shortpay, a slow broker, your weekly numbers. No signup.
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