Cost-Per-Mile Calculator — Know Your True Cost Per Mile
Enter your monthly expenses and find your break-even load rate — so you never haul at a loss.
Cost breakdown
What Goes Into Cost Per Mile?
Two buckets: fixed costs (same every month regardless of miles) and variable costs (scale with how far you drive). Both eat into your load rate.
Fixed vs. Variable Costs
Fixed costs — truck payment, insurance, permits, phone/ELD — happen every month whether you drive 5,000 miles or 15,000. More miles means lower fixed CPM. Variable costs like fuel scale directly with miles. Both add to your cost per mile and determine your floor rate.
$1.20
Low end CPM
$1.80
High end CPM
Free
To calculate yours
Load Evaluator
Enter an offered rate and instantly see if the load is profitable — profit/mile, and monthly projection.
Save & Export
Save up to 3 calculations free. Pro unlocks unlimited history and PDF exports.
Expense categories
Every cost that eats your margin
Fuel
Your single largest variable cost. Enter $/gallon and MPG — or override with a direct $/mile figure if you track it that way.
Typical range
~$0.48–0.68/mi
Truck Payment
Monthly note payment on your tractor. Owner-operators average $1,800–$3,500/month depending on age and financing.
At 10k mi/mo
$0.18–0.35/mi
Insurance
Commercial trucking insurance runs $600–$1,500+/month for owner-ops. One of the fixed costs that doesn't change with miles.
At 10k mi/mo
$0.06–0.15/mi
Maintenance & Tires
Budget $0.15–$0.25/mile for routine maintenance, plus amortized tire replacement. These are often underestimated.
Industry range
$0.15–0.25/mi
Why it matters
Accepting the wrong load rate costs you money.
Know your floor before you negotiate.
Enter your expenses
Input monthly miles, fuel costs, truck payment, insurance, maintenance, tires, permits, and any other fixed costs. The calculator spreads them across your miles.
Get your cost per mile
See fuel CPM, fixed CPM, and total CPM broken out. Your break-even load rate is displayed instantly — this is your floor. Never accept below it.
Evaluate any load
Enter an offered rate to see profit per mile, profit per load at your monthly miles, and your monthly projection. Walk away from bad loads with confidence.
Common questions about cost per mile
Straight answers for CDL drivers and owner-operators.
Know your floor before your next negotiation
Calculate your cost per mile free. Pro unlocks unlimited saves, history, and PDF exports.