Free tools · Rate after fuel
Rate after fuel calculator
The rate the broker quotes is gross. Take out fuel and the empty miles between loads and you get the rate after fuel per mile. It doesn't include truck payment, insurance, or maintenance. Plug in four numbers below — math runs live, free, no signup.
Rate after fuel
89% of the rate is left after fuel and deadhead. Truck payment, insurance, and maintenance still come out of this.
Rate
+ $2.50
Fuel cost
− $0.00
Deadhead (12%)
− $0.27
How rate after fuel 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 rate after fuel.
- 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.
- Rate after fuel = rate − fuel − deadhead. From this you still pay truck payment, insurance, maintenance, and your salary.
Heads-up: this is a planning estimate. Your actual margin still depends on tolls, idling, accessorials, and everything else. It isn't a tax figure.
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.
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