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Trucking Cost Per Mile Calculator
Most drivers divide the load pay by the miles and call it a day. That number hides a lot. This calculator counts your bills, your fuel, the money you should save, your own pay and some safety money. Then it shows the lowest rate you can take.
Cost Per Mile CalculatorLoad Profit Demo
Your true cost per mile
$0.00
costs + your pay + safety money, for every mile you drive
Cost before your pay
$0.00
a mile
Lowest rate per loaded mile
$0.00
counts your empty miles
You need to bring in
$0
a week · $0 a month
| Bills | $0.00 |
|---|---|
| Fuel, DEF and tolls | $0.00 |
| Money to save (repairs, tires, next truck, emergency fund) | $0.00 |
| Cost before your pay | $0.00 |
| Your pay | $0.00 |
| Safety money | $0.00 |
| True cost per mile | $0.00 |
How this calculator works
Your cost per mile is every dollar the truck needs, divided by the miles you drive. The hard part is not the division. It is remembering every dollar. The calculator adds six buckets:
| Bucket | What goes in | Typical, 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Bills | Truck and trailer payments, insurance, plates, ELD, load boards, phone, parking. They come even when the truck does not move. | $0.62 a mile |
| Fuel, DEF and tolls | Fuel price today, divided by your miles per gallon. Plus DEF and tolls. | $1.04 a mile |
| Money to save | Repairs, tires, your next truck and an emergency fund. You do not pay these every day. You pay them all at once, one day. | $0.40 a mile |
| Your pay | What you want to take home in a week, spread over your miles. Without this, "cost per mile" is just the point where you work for free. | $0.58 a mile |
| Safety money | A cushion on top of costs. Diesel moves. Brokers pay late. 10% is a common start. | $0.21 a mile |
| Empty miles | Deadhead miles burn fuel and time but pay nothing. The lowest rate per loaded mile is higher because of them. | 15% of all miles |
The typical numbers come from public 2026 sources: EIA diesel prices, ATRI and ATBS cost studies. They are a starting point, not your truth. Change them to yours.
Two numbers to remember
Cost before your pay. Bills, fuel and money to save. At this rate, the truck survives and you work for free.
True cost per mile. The same, plus your pay and safety money. This is the number to compare against a load. With typical 2026 numbers, it is about $2.84 a mile, all miles counted. Per loaded mile, because 15% of miles are empty, it is about $3.34.
Questions people ask
Why is my number so much higher than the "$2.00 a mile" I hear? Most rules of thumb skip your pay, the money to save and the empty miles. Add those three and $2.00 becomes $3.00 fast.
I am leased-on. What do I type? Type the part of the load pay you keep (for example 70%). The calculator raises the rate you need, because 30% never reaches you.
My truck runs on gas or electric. Type the price for one gallon (or one kWh) and the miles you get from it. The spreadsheet handles the four fuels by name; here, the math is the same.
Does it do IFTA or taxes? No. Taxes change by state and by year. Your accountant does that. This is a planning tool, not tax, legal or financial advice.
The calculator forgets. The sheet remembers.
Keep your numbers and every load in one sheet
Miles to Money uses this same math, plus a load log, a dashboard for your week and month, money brokers still owe you, and a fuel surcharge check. $9.98, one time.
