Trucking Rate Per Mile Calculator
See your true cost per mile with fuel set at $0.50 per mile and a baseline of 10,000 miles per month. Adjust your miles, fixed expenses, driver pay and profit target to find the minimum rate per mile you need to stay profitable.
This calculator is built for owner-operators and small fleets that want a simple, honest view of what it really costs to run a truck — and what you need to charge.
How to Use This Rate Per Mile Calculator
- Start with your real monthly fixed costs: truck and trailer payments, insurance, permits, office, parking, software.
- Adjust fuel cost per mile based on your MPG and local diesel price. (Example: $4.00 diesel ÷ 8 MPG = $0.50/mile.)
- Add realistic numbers for maintenance, tires, tolls and fees.
- Set your driver pay per mile. For an owner-operator, this is your take-home pay. For a fleet, this is your driver's pay rate.
- Choose a profit target per mile. This is what's left after everything else is paid.
The calculator instantly shows your all-in cost per mile, your minimum rate per mile to charge, and the monthly revenue you need based on your miles.
Rate Per Mile Calculator
Baseline Cost Breakdown (10,000 miles / month)
These numbers match the default values in the calculator above: 10,000 miles per month and $0.50/mile fuel cost. Adjust them to match your operation, but this gives you a realistic starting point for a single truck.
| Category | Per Mile | Per Month (10,000 mi) |
|---|---|---|
| Fuel | $0.50 | $5,000 |
| Maintenance & Tires | $0.22 | $2,200 |
| Other Variable (tolls, fees, factoring) | $0.12 | $1,200 |
| Fixed Costs Truck + trailer payments, insurance, permits, office, etc. | $0.62 | $6,230 |
| Driver Pay | $0.60 | $6,000 |
| All-In Cost | $2.06 | $20,630 |
| Profit Target | $0.30 | $3,000 |
| Target Rate Per Mile | $2.36 | $23,630 |
With this baseline, a truck running 10,000 miles per month needs to bill around $23,630 per month (or about $2.36/mile) to cover all expenses, pay the driver, and hit a $0.30/mile profit target.
Turn Your Rate Per Mile Into Real-World Loads
Once you know your number, the next step is finding freight that hits it. Use the Trulos Free Load Board to search loads, or run your full workflow — quotes, BOLs, rate confirmations and invoices — inside Trulos Dispatch.
Rate Per Mile Calculator FAQ
What is a good rate per mile for trucking?
It depends on your costs, but many owner-operators need somewhere between $2.25 and $2.75 per mile to cover fuel, maintenance, truck payments, insurance, driver pay and profit. This calculator helps you dial in your number based on your actual miles and expenses.
How do I calculate my cost per mile?
Add all of your monthly fixed costs, then divide by your average miles per month to get fixed cost per mile. Next, add your variable costs: fuel, maintenance, tires, tolls, factoring and driver pay. The total is your all-in cost per mile. Add profit on top to find your minimum rate per mile.
Why use $0.50 per mile for fuel?
$0.50 per mile is a useful baseline that assumes roughly $4.00 per gallon diesel and about 8 MPG. If your truck gets better or worse fuel mileage, or fuel prices change, just update the fuel field in the calculator to keep your numbers accurate.
How often should I update my rate per mile?
At minimum, review your cost per mile every quarter or any time a major cost changes — fuel spikes, insurance renewal, truck payment changes, or big repairs. Using a calculator like this regularly keeps you from running cheap and burning out your equipment or your business.