Guide
How to calculate trucking cost and profit per mile
Divide costs by all miles traveled for the same period to find operating cost per mile. Subtract those costs from revenue, then divide by the same miles to find operating result per mile. Loaded miles alone leave empty travel out of the calculation.
Choose one period and one set of records
Use one completed week, month or trip. Keep revenue, costs, loaded miles and empty miles on that same basis. For a trip, allocate an appropriate share of recurring costs separately and state the method. Do not compare one load’s revenue with a whole month’s expenses.
Decide whether you are comparing earned revenue or cash received, and keep that choice consistent. An unpaid invoice can be earned revenue without being cash available to pay a bill. This worksheet does not reconcile those two views.
An illustrative month
Suppose recorded revenue is $25,000, operating costs are $18,000, loaded miles are 8,000 and empty miles are 2,000. These are teaching figures, not industry averages.
| Measure | Calculation | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Total miles | 8,000 + 2,000 | 10,000 miles |
| Revenue per total mile | $25,000 ÷ 10,000 | $2.50 |
| Cost per total mile | $18,000 ÷ 10,000 | $1.80 |
| Operating result | $25,000 − $18,000 | $7,000 |
| Operating result per total mile | $7,000 ÷ 10,000 | $0.70 |
Define what the costs include
Build one cost total from categories such as fuel, maintenance, tires, tolls, insurance, permits and an allocated share of recurring business overhead. Include compensation or an allowance for your own work if that is part of your comparison, and label it.
Use each expense once. A fuel receipt attached to a load must not also be added as a second general expense. A maintenance reserve and the repair it funds should not both be treated as the same period’s actual expense. Choose a consistent approach to truck financing, leases or depreciation with your bookkeeper; this guide does not determine their accounting or tax treatment.
Interpret the result
The $0.70 result is the remainder after only the costs included in this example. It is not automatically after-tax take-home pay, cash flow or audited accounting profit. Missing insurance, unpaid work or repairs will change the result.
Compare several periods using the same method. Investigate missing miles, delayed expenses and one-time repair bills before concluding that a change reflects a better business. The calculator shows the arithmetic; the completeness of your records determines how useful the answer is.