Trucking cost per mile calculator
Enter what the truck costs you each month and per mile. You get the real cost per mile, the lowest rate per loaded mile that covers it once deadhead is counted, and what a given rate leaves you.
Inputs
Result
Where the money goes
Your costs per month and per mile, against ATRI’s 2025 industry average.
| Cost | Per month | Per mile | Share | ATRI avg |
|---|
How cost per mile is calculated
Fixed costs (truck and trailer payments, insurance, permits, software) are the same whether the truck runs 6,000 miles or 12,000, so they cost less per mile the more you drive. Variable costs (fuel, maintenance, tires, tolls, driver pay) rise with every mile. Count every mile, loaded and empty, because the truck burns fuel and wears tires either way.
Deadhead is why the break-even rate is higher than the cost per mile. If 15% of your miles are empty, the loaded 85% have to pay for all of them: a cost of $2.00 a mile needs at least $2.35 per loaded mile just to break even.
Industry average cost per mile
The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) surveys carriers every year. For 2025 it put the average marginal cost of running a truck at $2.336 a mile, a record:
| Cost | Per mile | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Driver wages | $0.818 | 35% |
| Fuel | $0.480 | 21% |
| Truck payments | $0.280 | 12% |
| Repair and maintenance | $0.220 | 9% |
| Driver benefits | $0.210 | 9% |
| Trailer payments | $0.120 | 5% |
| Insurance premiums | $0.110 | 5% |
| Tires | $0.050 | 2% |
| Tolls | $0.043 | 2% |
| Permits and licenses | $0.008 | 0% |
Driver wages and benefits together are about $1.03 of that. Without driver pay, the truck alone costs about $1.31 a mile. ATRI’s fuel figure reflects 2025 diesel prices; at October 5, 2026’s $6.20 a gallon and 6.5 mpg, fuel alone is about $0.95 a mile, which is why the calculator uses the current price.
Source: ATRI, An Analysis of the Operational Costs of Trucking, 2025 data (published 2026). Line items are rounded, so they add to slightly more than the published total. Diesel: U.S. EIA weekly on-highway price.
Using your number
- Turn down loads below break-even unless they reposition you for a better one, and count the deadhead to get there.
- Watch the fixed costs. A month of fewer miles raises the cost of every mile you do run.
- Fuel surcharge. On contract freight the surcharge moves with diesel; the fuel surcharge calculator shows what it should pay.
- Weight. Heavier loads burn more fuel; check axle groups with the bridge formula calculator.
Questions
What is the average cost per mile for a truck?
ATRI put the average at $2.34 a mile for 2025, including about $1.03 for driver wages and benefits and $0.48 for fuel. Your own figure depends on your payments, insurance, miles and fuel price, which is what the calculator works out.
How do I calculate my trucking cost per mile?
Add up a month of costs: fixed costs such as truck and trailer payments, insurance and permits, plus fuel (diesel price divided by mpg, times miles) and the other per-mile costs such as maintenance, tires, tolls and driver pay. Divide the total by all the miles driven that month, loaded and empty.
What is a break-even rate per mile?
The lowest rate per loaded mile that covers all your costs, including the empty miles. It is your cost per mile divided by the share of miles that are loaded: $2.00 cost with 15% deadhead needs $2.35 per loaded mile.
What is the cost per mile for an owner-operator without driver pay?
By ATRI's 2025 averages, about $1.31 a mile for the truck and trailer, fuel, maintenance, insurance, tires, tolls and permits. Everything above that on a load is the owner-operator's pay and profit, before taxes.
How does deadhead affect cost per mile?
It does not change what each mile costs, but it means fewer miles earn money. At 10% deadhead each loaded mile has to carry 1.11 miles of cost; at 25%, 1.33.
How much does fuel cost per mile for a semi?
Diesel price divided by mpg. At $6.20 a gallon (October 5, 2026, EIA) and 6.5 mpg it is about $0.95 a mile; at 7.5 mpg, $0.83.