Why is fuel excluded from cost per mile here?

Fuel price and fuel efficiency vary trip to trip and even day to day, so folding a single average fuel cost into a monthly figure would make this number less accurate for any specific load. Use the Fuel Cost Calculator for a specific trip, and add that on top of this cost per mile.

What counts as a fixed cost vs. a variable cost?

Fixed costs — truck payment, insurance, permits and licensing — stay roughly the same whether you drive 5,000 or 15,000 miles that month. Variable costs — maintenance, repairs, tires — scale more closely with how much you actually drive.

How should I use this number?

Enter it as your operating cost per mile on the Load Profit Calculator or Break-Even Rate Calculator instead of relying on the default placeholder assumption those tools use. A real, expense-based number gives you a much more accurate picture of load profitability.

What if my monthly miles or expenses vary a lot month to month?

Use an average over the last 3-6 months for a more stable number. A single unusually low-mileage or high-repair month can skew the result if used on its own.

Cost Per Mile Calculator

Calculate your true fixed and variable operating cost per mile from your actual monthly expenses, so you can stop guessing and start pricing loads off a real number.

Best for: owner-operators who want a real, expense-based cost-per-mile figure to use in the other calculators instead of guessing.

Enter your monthly numbers

Distance unit

Currency

Monthly miles driven*

miles

Fixed costs (monthly)

Truck payment

Insurance

Permits & licensing

Other fixed (optional)

Variable costs (monthly, excluding fuel)

Maintenance & repairs

Tires

Other variable (optional)

Fuel is excluded — use the Fuel Cost Calculator alongside this one for a full picture.

Enter your monthly numbers and select “Calculate cost per mile” to see your results.

How this calculator works

The calculator adds up your fixed monthly costs (truck payment, insurance, permits and licensing, and any other fixed cost) and your variable monthly costs (maintenance and repairs, tires, and any other variable cost), then divides each total, and the combined total, by the miles you drove that month. Fuel is intentionally left out — see the FAQ below for why.

Worked example

A truck drives 10,000 miles in a month with a $1,800 truck payment, $600 insurance, and $150 permits and licensing — $2,550 in fixed costs. Maintenance and repairs run $800 and tires $200 — $1,000 in variable costs. Total monthly cost is $3,550, giving a cost per mile of $0.355 — about $0.255/mile fixed and $0.10/mile variable.

Understanding the inputs and outputs

Fixed cost per mile shrinks as you drive more miles in a month, since the same fixed costs are spread over more miles.
Variable cost per mile stays closer to constant regardless of monthly mileage, since these costs scale with usage.
Annual cost is simply 12x the monthly total — useful for budgeting and comparing against annual revenue.

Common mistakes

Using a rough industry-average cost per mile instead of your own real expenses.
Forgetting fixed costs like insurance or permits because they're paid annually or quarterly rather than monthly — divide those by the number of months they cover first.
Leaving fuel out of every calculation instead of adding it back in separately.

Limitations

This calculator deliberately excludes fuel — use the Fuel Cost Calculator alongside it for a full per-mile picture. It also assumes your monthly expenses stay fairly consistent; one unusually high or low month (a big repair bill, for example) will skew the result if used on its own.

Frequently asked questions

Why is fuel excluded from cost per mile here?: Fuel price and fuel efficiency vary trip to trip and even day to day, so folding a single average fuel cost into a monthly figure would make this number less accurate for any specific load. Use the Fuel Cost Calculator for a specific trip, and add that on top of this cost per mile.
What counts as a fixed cost vs. a variable cost?: Fixed costs — truck payment, insurance, permits and licensing — stay roughly the same whether you drive 5,000 or 15,000 miles that month. Variable costs — maintenance, repairs, tires — scale more closely with how much you actually drive.
How should I use this number?: Enter it as your operating cost per mile on the Load Profit Calculator or Break-Even Rate Calculator instead of relying on the default placeholder assumption those tools use. A real, expense-based number gives you a much more accurate picture of load profitability.
What if my monthly miles or expenses vary a lot month to month?: Use an average over the last 3-6 months for a more stable number. A single unusually low-mileage or high-repair month can skew the result if used on its own.

Want to build this figure by hand from your own expenses first? See How to Calculate Your Trucking Cost Per Mile for a step-by-step worksheet, or Fixed vs. Variable Trucking Expenses for why the fixed/variable split above matters strategically, not just for bookkeeping.

Related calculators

Load Profit Calculator

Find out if a specific load is worth taking by calculating true profit after fuel, deadhead, and operating costs.

Break-Even Rate Calculator

Find the minimum rate you need to charge to avoid losing money on a load.

Owner-Operator Profit Calculator

Estimate monthly and annual business profit from your gross revenue and full expense picture.

All results are estimates based on the figures you enter. This calculator does not account for fuel or taxes and is not financial, tax, accounting, or legal advice. Actual costs depend on your specific operation.