What does your truck
really cost per mile?
Most owner-operators can say what they charge per mile. Almost none can say what the truck costs per mile — so jobs that look profitable quietly lose money. Enter your real monthly numbers below and find yours in under a minute.
The math, in plain English
Cost per mile is every dollar the truck costs you in a month, divided by every mile it drives that month. That's it. The trap is forgetting which dollars count:
- Fixed costs — truck payment, insurance, plates and permits, parking. They hit whether the truck rolls or sits.
- Rolling costs — fuel and diesel exhaust fluid. Grows with every mile, empty or loaded.
- Wear costs — tires, brakes, oil, unexpected repairs. Cheapest to plan at a set amount per mile.
- Driver pay — if you drive for your own company, your pay is still a cost. Profit is what's left after you pay yourself.
Your truck, your numbers
- Truck, insurance & permits
- $0.27
- Fuel
- $0.48
- Tires, brakes & repairs
- $0.18
- Driver pay
- $0.83
Nothing here is saved. In LoadWorth, every number above is stored per truck and priced into each job and day automatically.
Deadhead miles are the silent profit killer
A rate that pays well per loaded mile can still lose money once you count the empty miles driving to the pickup and back.
Count every mile
Your truck doesn't know the difference between loaded and empty — it burns fuel and tires either way. Cost per mile is calculated on all miles driven, deadhead included.
Check the whole day
One profitable job doesn't make a profitable day. What matters is what the whole route kept after every mile, stop and empty leg — not just the best load on it.
Charge with confidence
Once you know your true cost per mile, you know exactly which rate to Take, which to Counter, and which to walk away from — with numbers behind you instead of gut feel.
LoadWorth does this with your real numbers.
The calculator above gives you one truck's cost per mile. LoadWorth goes further: it stores every truck's real costs, prices each job against them, tells you Take, Counter or Pass in seconds, plans the day to cut deadhead, and shows what the business actually kept at the end of the month.
Know your number. Never guess a rate again.
Create your free workspace in minutes and price your next job from your actual costs — not averages.
Create free account