TruckProfitLoad Profit Calculator
Find out whether a specific load is actually worth taking. Enter the load revenue, loaded and deadhead miles, fuel details, and your operating cost per mile to see estimated profit, margin, and break-even revenue before you book.
Enter your load details
Leave blank to use a default assumption of $0.65/mile (covers truck payment, insurance, maintenance, tires, permits).
How this calculator works
The calculator adds your loaded and deadhead miles together to get total miles, then estimates fuel cost from your fuel price and fuel efficiency. It multiplies your total miles by your per-mile operating cost (everything besides fuel — truck payment, insurance, maintenance, tires, permits) to get non-fuel operating cost. Dispatch and factoring fees, if entered, are subtracted from revenue in sequence, since factoring is typically applied to revenue that's already net of dispatch fees. What's left after every cost and fee is your estimated profit.
Worked example
Suppose a load pays $2,000 for 800 loaded miles, with 100 deadhead miles to reach pickup — 900 total miles. Fuel is $4.00/gallon and the truck gets 6.5 MPG, so fuel cost is about $554. At an operating cost of $0.65/mile (excluding fuel), non-fuel operating cost is $585. Total operating cost is about $1,139, leaving an estimated profit of about $861 — a 43% margin. Revenue per loaded mile is $2.50, while revenue per total mile (including deadhead) is about $2.22 — a useful reminder that deadhead miles dilute your effective rate.
Understanding the inputs and outputs
- Operating cost per mile should reflect your all-in per-mile cost excluding fuel — this calculator asks for fuel separately because fuel price and efficiency vary trip to trip.
- Break-even revenue is the load revenue at which your estimated profit would be exactly zero, given the miles, costs, and fees you entered — a useful floor for rate negotiation.
- Revenue per total mile divides revenue by loaded plus deadhead miles, showing your real effective rate once empty miles are accounted for — typically lower than revenue per loaded mile.
Common mistakes
- Ignoring deadhead miles entirely when evaluating a load's rate.
- Using a rough guess for operating cost per mile instead of a number based on actual expenses (see the Cost Per Mile Calculator).
- Forgetting to include factoring or dispatch fees when they apply to a load, which can turn an apparently profitable load into a loss.
Frequently asked questions
- What counts as a profitable load?
- A load is profitable when the revenue it pays exceeds every cost required to run it — fuel, deadhead miles, and your per-mile operating cost (truck payment, insurance, maintenance, and similar fixed and variable costs). This calculator estimates that bottom-line number, not just the rate per mile.
- Should I include deadhead miles in the calculation?
- Yes. Deadhead miles cost fuel and wear on the truck the same as loaded miles, but they don't generate direct revenue for that leg. Leaving them out overstates how profitable a load actually is, which is why this calculator asks for deadhead miles separately from loaded miles.
- Where does the default operating cost per mile come from?
- If you leave the operating cost field blank, the calculator uses a general placeholder figure so you still get an estimate. It is clearly labeled as an assumption, not your real cost. For an accurate number based on your own expenses, use the Cost Per Mile Calculator.
- Does this calculator account for taxes?
- No. This tool estimates operating profit on a load before taxes. It is not tax, legal, or financial advice, and results should not be treated as your final take-home earnings.