Free · No login required # Trucking Cost per Mile Calculator Cost per mile = monthly fixed costs ÷ miles driven + variable costs per mile. Divide by the share of loaded miles to get the rate per loaded mile you need just to break even. Example values for a one-truck operation. Replace them with your own. ## Fixed costs per month Truck payment or lease $ Trailer payment or lease $ Insurance $ Permits & licenses $ IRP plates, UCR, IFTA decals and the HVUT (Form 2290), spread per month. Other fixed costs $ Office, phone, ELD, accounting, parking; owner-operators add their own salary here. ## Miles Miles per month mi All miles driven, loaded and empty. Deadhead (empty miles) % Industry reports put empty miles at about 16.5% of all miles. ## Variable costs Diesel price $/gal Fuel economy mpg Repair & maintenance $/mi Tires $/mi Tolls $/mi Driver benefits $/mi Health insurance, retirement, bonuses, per mile. Other per-mile costs $/mi Driver pay Per mile% of revenue Driver pay per mile $/mi Total cost per mile $2.155/mi Fixed $0.465 + Variable $1.690 ## Your cost per mile Cost per loaded mile $2.535 Total per month $21,550 Break-even rate per loaded mile $2.54/mi The lowest linehaul rate that covers all your costs, before profit. 8,500 of 10,000 miles loaded ## Compared with the ATRI benchmark ATRI puts the average cost of running a truck in 2025 at $2.336 per mile, or $1.854 excluding fuel. | | You | ATRI | Difference | | -------------------------- | ------ | ------ | -------------------------------------- | | Total per mile | $2.155 | $2.336 | $0.181 per mile below the ATRI average | | Excluding fuel | $1.555 | $1.854 | $0.299 per mile below the ATRI average | | Driver wages\* | $0.700 | $0.818 | −$0.118 | | Fuel\* | $0.600 | $0.482 | +$0.118 | | Truck & trailer payments\* | $0.310 | $0.404 | −$0.094 | | Repair & maintenance\* | $0.200 | $0.215 | −$0.015 | | Driver benefits\* | $0.100 | $0.210 | −$0.110 | | Insurance\* | $0.110 | $0.106 | +$0.004 | | Tires\* | $0.050 | $0.050 | +$0.000 | | Tolls\* | $0.040 | $0.043 | −$0.003 | | Permits & licenses\* | $0.015 | $0.008 | +$0.007 | [Source: ATRI, An Analysis of the Operational Costs of Trucking, 2026 update (2025 data).](https://truckingresearch.org/2026/07/analysis-of-the-operational-costs-of-trucking-2026-update/) \* Totals from ATRI. The per-item split is as reported in trade coverage of the report (the full report is gated); the items add up to the published total. [Summar Financial](https://summar.com/atri-trucking-costs/) · [Heavy Duty Trucking](https://www.truckinginfo.com/news/trucking-fleets-faced-record-operating-costs-during-third-year-of-freight-recession) ## How to calculate cost per mile for a truck Split your costs into fixed and variable, turn both into a per-mile figure and add them up. 1. Add up fixed costs for a month: truck and trailer payments, insurance, permits and licenses, and overhead. Divide by the miles you drove that month. 2. Add up variable costs per mile: fuel (diesel price ÷ MPG), repair and maintenance, tires, tolls, and driver pay and benefits. 3. Cost per mile = fixed cost per mile + variable cost per mile. In the example on this page: $0.465 + $1.690 = $2.155. 4. Divide by the share of loaded miles to get the cost each paid mile has to cover. With 15% deadhead: $2.155 ÷ 0.85 = $2.54 per loaded mile, your break-even rate. ## Trucking cost per mile: frequently asked questions ### What is the average cost per mile for a truck? ATRI puts the average marginal cost of operating a truck in 2025 at $2.336 per mile, the highest in the report's history, or $1.854 per mile excluding fuel. Driver wages and fuel are the largest items. Small fleets and owner-operators often run higher because fixed costs are spread over fewer miles. ### How do I calculate my cost per mile? Divide your monthly fixed costs (truck payments, insurance, permits, overhead) by the miles you drove that month, then add your variable costs per mile (fuel, maintenance, tires, tolls, driver pay). Fuel per mile is the diesel price divided by your MPG: $3.90 at 6.5 MPG is $0.60 per mile. ### What is the difference between fixed and variable trucking costs? Fixed costs stay the same whether the truck moves or not: payments, insurance, permits and licenses. Variable costs rise with every mile: fuel, repairs, tires, tolls and per-mile driver pay. Driving more miles lowers fixed cost per mile, which is why utilization matters so much. ### How do deadhead miles affect cost per mile? Empty miles cost the same to drive but earn nothing, so loaded miles have to pay for them. Divide your cost per mile by the share of loaded miles: at $2.336 per mile and 16.5% deadhead, each loaded mile has to earn $2.80 just to break even. ### What rate per mile do I need to break even? Your break-even rate is your cost per loaded mile: total monthly cost divided by loaded miles. Any load that pays less loses money unless it positions you for a better one. If you pay drivers a percentage of revenue, their pay grows with the rate, so the calculator solves for the rate at which revenue covers every cost. ### How can I lower my cost per mile? Cut empty miles with better load planning, run more miles on the same fixed costs, improve MPG through speed and idle control, keep up preventive maintenance to avoid breakdowns, and review insurance and payments every year. Compare each item with the ATRI figures on this page to see where you are above average. [Check one trip with the trip profitability calculator →](/en-us/tools/profitability)[IFTA fuel tax calculator →](/en-us/tools/ifta-calculator) Know your cost per mile on every trip Transportial tracks cost and revenue per trip and per truck, so you see which lanes and customers make money. [Try Transportial free →](https://portal.otms.transportial.com/auth/register) [← Back to all free tools](/en-us/tools) --- Canonical page: https://transportial.com/en-us/tools/cost-per-mile-calculator