1. Fixed cost per mile
weekly fixed costs ÷ (loaded miles + deadhead miles)Truck and trailer payments, insurance, permits, ELD/software, parking and other overhead continue whether the truck is loaded or empty.
Free owner-operator calculator
Truck Cost Per Mile Calculator
Calculate what it costs to run your truck across every business mile—including deadhead—then see the loaded rate needed to cover operating cost and the revenue-mile target needed for owner pay and reserve.
Browser-only Transparent formulas Your costs beat generic averages
The trucking cost per mile formula
The core formula is simple: total operating cost ÷ total business miles = operating cost per mile. The hard part is using complete costs and the same time period on both sides of the equation.
2. Variable cost per mile
diesel price ÷ MPG + maintenance + tires + other variable costsThese expenses move with the truck. Deadhead consumes them too.
3. Operating cost per all mile
fixed cost per mile + variable cost per mileThis is the economic floor across every mile the truck runs during the period.
4. Loaded break-even rate
weekly operating cost ÷ loaded milesThis shows how much revenue each loaded mile must recover when deadhead and other operating miles generate no freight revenue.
Worked example
A truck with $1,500 in weekly fixed costs and $0.90 in variable cost per mile runs 2,200 loaded miles plus 300 deadhead miles. Weekly variable cost is $2,250; total operating cost is $3,750; and operating cost across all 2,500 miles is $1.50/mi. Spread across only 2,200 revenue miles, the loaded break-even is about $1.70/mi. Add $1,500 desired owner pay and a $250 reserve and the planning target becomes $2.50 per loaded mile.
Average trucking cost per mile
Use the industry average as a benchmark—not your break-even.
The American Transportation Research Institute's 2026 Operational Costs of Trucking report put the industry-average cost to operate a truck in 2025 at $2.336 per mile. ATRI also reported $1.854 per mile excluding fuel. Those figures are valuable context, but your truck payment, insurance, fuel economy, maintenance history, equipment type and miles can move your personal number materially.
ATRI Operational Costs of Trucking source →ATRI 2026 report$2.336industry-average cost per mile for 2025
What owner-operators should include
Fixed owner-operator costs
- Truck and trailer payments or replacement reserve
- Commercial insurance
- Permits, plates and registrations
- ELD, TMS, accounting, parking and subscriptions
Variable owner-operator costs
- Fuel and DEF
- Maintenance and repair reserve
- Tires
- Tolls and mileage-driven operating expenses
Owner pay and business reserve
Do not hide the difference between operating break-even and the revenue target required to pay yourself and build a reserve. RigReceipts keeps those layers separate so a low operating floor is not mistaken for a healthy business target.
Deadhead changes the rate you actually earn.
Deadhead miles are non-revenue positioning miles. They still consume fuel, tires, maintenance life and time, which is why a trucking rate per loaded mile can look stronger than the economics across all miles.
Quoted load$2.20per loaded mile
With 10% deadhead$2.00revenue per total mile
If a $2,200 offer covers 1,000 loaded miles, it looks like $2.20/loaded mile. Add 100 deadhead miles and the same $2,200 produces $2.00 across the 1,100 miles the truck actually runs. That is why RigReceipts evaluates specific offers on an all-mile basis.
Check a load with deadhead →Cost per mile and rate per mile answer different questions.
Cost per mile asks what it costs to operate the truck. Rate per mile asks what freight pays. A carrier needs enough revenue to cover operating cost, owner compensation, reserve and the non-revenue miles surrounding the load. Market rates can help with context, but they do not tell you whether a load works for your cost structure.
The same formula works for hot shot trucking—use hot shot inputs.
Hot shot operators usually have a different truck, trailer, insurance, fuel economy, maintenance profile and revenue density than a Class 8 tractor-trailer. The correct calculation is still fixed costs plus variable costs divided by all business miles. Use the calculator above with your pickup and trailer costs, commercial insurance, fuel economy, maintenance, tires, permits and deadhead instead of borrowing a semi-truck average.
Common questions
How do you calculate truck cost per mile?
Add operating costs for one consistent period, then divide by all miles driven in that same period. A useful planning form is fixed cost per mile plus fuel, maintenance, tires and other variable costs per mile.
What is the average trucking cost per mile?
ATRI reported an industry-average operating cost of $2.336 per mile for 2025 in its 2026 Operational Costs of Trucking report. That benchmark is context, not a substitute for your own truck, insurance, fuel, maintenance and mileage profile.
Should deadhead miles be included in cost per mile?
Yes. Deadhead and other empty business miles consume fuel, tires, maintenance life and equipment time. This calculator includes deadhead in total miles and also shows the loaded revenue-mile rate needed to recover those costs.
What costs should an owner-operator include?
Typical categories include truck and trailer payments, insurance, permits, ELD or software, fuel, maintenance, tires, DEF, tolls and other operating overhead. Owner pay and a reserve are shown separately so operating break-even is not confused with the revenue target you want the business to earn.
Does the same formula work for hot shot trucking?
Yes. Hot shot operators have a different cost structure, but the math is the same: fixed costs plus variable costs divided by all business miles. Use your pickup and trailer costs, commercial insurance, fuel economy, maintenance, tires, permits and deadhead rather than semi-truck assumptions.
From cost profile to load decision
Evaluate a load Know your floor. Then test the actual freight.
Once you know your operating cost and target, use the RigReceipts freight-economics calculator to compare a specific offered load on an all-mile basis.