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Free trucking cost per mile calculator for carriers, owner-operators, and dispatch teams. Convert fuel, maintenance, deadhead, and monthly overhead into a realistic break-even loaded-mile rate, then layer in dispatch cuts and target margin.
Last updated: April 13, 2026
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Target rate per loaded mile
$3.21
Includes dispatch fee and target margin assumptions
Operating cost / mile
$2.11
Break-even / loaded mile
$2.57
Trip cost (total)
$1,590.78
Target trip gross
$1,988.47
Total miles
713.0 mi (93.0 deadhead)
Fuel cost (trip)
$429.90
Dispatch-adjusted break-even
$2.79
Separates fuel/driver/maintenance from monthly overhead spread across utilization.
Converts total trip cost into required loaded-mile pricing when backhaul is weak.
Avoid underpricing when dispatcher percentage is taken from gross revenue.
Produces a practical quote anchor for spot or contract conversations.
Converts rate to total trip dollars so dispatch can prioritize viable loads.
Test fuel spikes, lower monthly miles, or higher deadhead before accepting freight.
620 loaded miles, 15% deadhead, 6.8 MPG, 8% dispatch fee, 15% target profit.
Operating CPM
$2.11
Break-even loaded
$2.57
Target loaded
$3.21
Trip gross target
$1988
The model builds total trip miles from loaded miles plus deadhead, computes fuel spend from MPG and diesel price, adds variable and fixed costs, and derives a break-even rate per loaded mile. It then adjusts for dispatch fee percentage and applies a target profit margin.
target rate = (break-even loaded ÷ (1 - dispatch%)) × (1 + profit%)Give dispatch and owner-ops a common pricing baseline.
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