Cost per mile and break-even rate

How to read the result

The big number is what one mile costs you once every monthly bill is spread across every mile you ran, empty miles included. The break-even rate is the same number read the other way: the rate per mile at which a load pays for itself and nothing more. The target-margin line adds the margin you asked for on top of revenue, which is the rate you need to be quoting, not the rate you can live with.

The split between fixed and variable matters as much as the total. Variable costs rise with each mile and fall when the truck sits. Fixed costs are owed either way, so a slow month makes every mile you do run more expensive. A high fixed share means the fleet needs steady miles more than it needs high rates.

What to do about it

Use real months, not a budget. Pull three months of fuel, payroll, repair and insurance bills, average them, and run the tool with that. Then run it again with your worst month. The gap between the two is the range your rates have to cover. Owners who know their all-in cost per mile walk away from loads that look fine per mile and are losers once empty miles and the fixed share are counted. Before adding a truck, run its costs here on realistic miles for its first few months, since a new truck carries full fixed costs before it carries full loads. Our guide to adding trucks without running out of cash walks through that math.