Cost per mile calculator
Add up your fixed monthly overhead and per-mile running costs to find your true cost per mile — and the break-even rate you must charge to profit. Nothing is saved; the math runs in your browser.
Your true cost per mile
$1.85
Break-even rate: $1.85 / mile. Charge above this to profit; below it, the load loses money.
- Fixed overhead / mile$3,700/mo ÷ 10,000 mi
- $0.37
- Fuel / mile3.95/gal ÷ 6.5 mpg
- $0.61
- Maintenance / mile
- $0.18
- Tires / mile
- $0.04
- Tolls / mile
- $0.05
- Driver pay / mile
- $0.60
- Total cost / mile
- $1.85
At these miles your rig costs $18,477/month to run.
Why cost per mile is the only number that matters
You can’t tell whether a load pays until you know what it costs you to move a truck one mile. Cost per mile is that number. Every rate a broker offers is really an offer of dollars per mile against your miles — and if you don’t know your own cost, you’re guessing every time you say yes.
Fixed vs. variable costs
Fixed costs — truck and trailer payments, insurance, permits, ELD, parking — are owed whether the truck rolls or not. The more miles you run, the cheaper they get per mile. Variable costs — fuel, maintenance, tires, tolls, and driver pay — scale with the odometer and stay roughly constant per mile. This calculator splits the two so you can see how much of your cost is utilization (miles) versus operations.
From cost per mile to break-even rate
Your break-even rate per mile equals your total cost per mile. Charge exactly that and you make nothing; charge above it and the difference is profit. Small carriers who track this number quote with confidence, walk away from cheap freight, and know instantly whether a $2.10/mile lane is a win or a loss for their truck.
Frequently asked questions
- What is a good cost per mile for an owner-operator?
- Most single-truck owner-operators land somewhere between $1.50 and $2.00 per mile all-in once fixed overhead, fuel, maintenance, tires, tolls, and driver pay are counted. Your real number depends on your truck payment, insurance, fuel economy, and — critically — how many miles you actually run each month, because fixed costs get cheaper per mile the more you drive. Enter your own numbers above to see yours.
- How do I calculate my true cost per mile?
- Add up your fixed monthly costs (truck and trailer payments, insurance, permits) and divide by the miles you drive that month to get your fixed cost per mile. Then add your per-mile variable costs: fuel (diesel price divided by MPG), maintenance, tires, and tolls, plus driver pay. The sum of fixed-per-mile and variable-per-mile is your true cost per mile — the rate you must beat to make money.
- Why does running more miles lower my cost per mile?
- Fixed costs — your truck payment, insurance, permits — are the same whether you run 8,000 or 12,000 miles in a month. Spreading that fixed dollar amount over more miles lowers the fixed cost per mile. Variable costs (fuel, maintenance, tires) stay the same per mile, so utilization only moves the fixed half. That is why a parked or under-dispatched truck is so expensive per mile.
- Should I include my own pay in cost per mile?
- Yes. If you drive the truck, your labor is a real cost — pay yourself a per-mile driver wage so the break-even rate reflects what you actually need to charge. If you run the numbers with driver pay set to zero, the leftover above break-even is your total take (owner pay plus profit combined), which makes it easy to under-price loads.