Cost Per Mile Calculator
A free cost per mile calculator for owner-operators and carrier companies. Add your fixed and variable trucking costs and your monthly miles to find your true cost per mile — the breakeven rate every load needs to beat to make money.
Your cost per mile
$0.00
Enter your costs and total miles to see your cost per mile.
- Total monthly cost
- $0
- Total miles
- 0
- Fixed cost / mile
- —
- Variable cost / mile
- —
How to calculate your cost per mile
Your cost per mile (CPM) is the single most important number in a trucking business. It tells you exactly how much it costs to move your truck one mile — and therefore the lowest freight rate you can accept without losing money. The formula is simple:
Cost per mile = Total monthly costs ÷ Total monthly miles
1. Add up your fixed costs
These stay the same whether you drive 5,000 or 12,000 miles — truck and trailer payments, insurance, permits, licenses, and IFTA. The more miles you run, the lower your fixed cost per mile becomes.
2. Add up your variable costs
These rise with every mile — fuel, maintenance and repairs, tires, tolls, and driver or owner pay. Fuel is usually the single largest variable cost for a carrier.
3. Divide by your miles
Add fixed and variable costs together, then divide by the miles you drove in the same period. The result is your true cost per mile — and your breakeven freight rate.
Worked example
Say an owner-operator runs 10,000 miles in a month with $4,000 in fixed costs (truck payment, insurance, permits and IFTA) and $11,200 in variable costs (fuel, maintenance, tires, tolls and pay). Total monthly cost is $15,200. Divide by 10,000 miles and the cost per mile is $1.52 — so any load paying more than $1.52 per mile earns a profit, and anything below it loses money.
Cost per mile FAQ
Stop calculating cost per mile by hand
DTV Soft tracks every load, mile, and expense automatically, so your cost per mile and profit are always up to date — no spreadsheets required.
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