Truck Cost per Kilometre Calculator
Work out a truck's operating cost per km from fuel, AdBlue, maintenance, tyres, driver, finance, insurance and tolls, plus the rate per km to charge.
Knowing your cost per kilometre is the starting point for quoting any load. This calculator adds up a truck's running costs, which grow with every kilometre (diesel, AdBlue, maintenance and tyres), and its monthly fixed costs (driver, finance, insurance, tolls and overheads). It then shows the cost per kilometre driven, per paid kilometre once empty running is allowed for, and the rate you need to charge for your target margin.
How to use this tool
- Enter the kilometres the truck runs in a month and the share that are loaded and paid.
- Enter fuel consumption, the diesel price and AdBlue use.
- Add maintenance and tyre costs per km.
- Enter the monthly costs and your target profit margin, then read the cost per km and the rate to charge.
Formula
Cost per km = (fuel + AdBlue + maintenance + tyres) per km + monthly fixed costs ÷ km per month
Fuel per km = L/100 km ÷ 100 × price per litre. AdBlue per km = fuel litres per km × AdBlue % × its price. Cost per paid km = total monthly cost ÷ (km × paid share). The rate to charge = cost per paid km ÷ (1 − margin), so a 10% margin means profit is 10% of the rate, not 10% added to the cost.
Example
A truck runs 10,000 km a month at 32 L/100 km with diesel at €1.60: fuel is 0.32 × 1.60 = €0.512 per km. AdBlue at 5% and €0.60 adds €0.0096, maintenance €0.10 and tyres €0.03, so running costs total €6,516. Driver, finance, insurance, tolls and overheads add €8,900, making €15,416 a month, or €1.542 per km. With 90% of kilometres paid the cost is €1.713 per paid km, and a 10% margin needs a rate of €1.903.
Frequently asked questions
What is a typical truck cost per km?
It varies by equipment, route, distance and labor costs. Use your own records and a realistic monthly distance; the calculator has no industry-average cost assumptions beyond editable example inputs.
Why does empty running matter?
You pay for every kilometre but are only paid for loaded ones. If 10% of kilometres are empty, each paid kilometre must cover about 11% more cost.
Should tolls be per km or per month?
Distance-based tolls rise with kilometres. If your routes are steady, enter last month's total; if not, convert your toll rate per km into a monthly figure for your planned distance.
Last updated: 2026-10-30