Truck Cost per Mile Calculator

Cost per mile is the number every owner-operator and small fleet prices loads against: everything it costs to run the truck for a month, divided by the miles it covered. This calculator splits your costs into fixed costs, which you pay even when the truck is parked, and variable costs, which rise with every mile, then shows the rate you need to charge to hit a target profit.

How to use this tool

1. Enter the miles the truck runs in a typical month, loaded and empty.
2. Enter the diesel price and the truck's real fuel economy.
3. Add the monthly fixed costs: truck and trailer payments, insurance, plates and permits.
4. Add the per-mile costs for maintenance, tires and driver pay, plus monthly tolls.
5. Set a target profit per mile to see the minimum rate to accept.

Formula

Fuel per mile = Diesel price ÷ MPG

Cost per mile = (Fixed costs + Variable costs per month) ÷ Miles per month

Minimum rate = Cost per mile + Target profit per mile

Fixed costs are truck and trailer payments, insurance and permits. Variable costs are fuel, maintenance, tires, tolls and driver wages. Because fixed costs are spread over the miles you run, a truck that sits for a week has a higher cost per mile even though the bills stay the same.

Example

A truck runs 10,000 miles a month. Diesel at $3.90 and 6.5 MPG costs $0.60 a mile. Fixed costs of $2,200 (truck) + $500 (trailer) + $1,000 (insurance) + $300 (permits) = $4,000, or $0.40 a mile. Maintenance at $0.15, tires at $0.04 and $300 of tolls ($0.03 a mile) bring variable costs to $0.82. The total is $1.22 per mile, or $12,200 a month. With a $0.50 profit target, loads should pay at least $1.72 per mile across all miles driven.