By Norman Ford · Updated October 2026
Rate per mile calculator for trucking loads
RESULT · RATE PER MILE
| Total pay | $2,550 |
|---|---|
| Loaded rate per mile | $2.55/mi |
| All-in rate per mile (loaded + empty) | $2.28/mi |
| Linehaul only, per loaded mile | $2.20/mi |
| Empty share of miles | 11% |
Show the math
- Total = $2,200 + $350 + $0 = $2,550
- Loaded RPM = total / 1000 loaded mi
- All-in RPM = total / 1120 total mi
This load pays $2.28/mi all-in. Our desk negotiates loads above your floor rate at 5% of gross, and you approve each one.
Start dispatchThis rate per mile calculator returns a load's total pay, its loaded rate per mile and its all-in rate per mile once empty miles are counted.
A broker quotes a load at $2.40 a mile. That number is usually linehaul divided by loaded miles, and it leaves out two things that decide whether the load makes money: the fuel surcharge and accessorials that add to the pay, and the empty miles you drive to get to the pickup. This trucking rates calculator puts all of it in one place.
How the calculation works
The math is short:
- Total pay = linehaul + fuel surcharge + accessorials
- Loaded rate per mile = total pay / loaded miles
- All-in rate per mile = total pay / (loaded miles + empty miles)
The calculator also shows the linehaul-only rate, so you can compare it with how a broker quoted the load, and the share of your miles that were empty. Switch the Units toggle to see the rate per kilometer.
A worked example
A dry van load pays $2,200 linehaul plus a $350 fuel surcharge, with no accessorials. It runs 1,000 loaded miles, and the truck drives 120 empty miles from its last delivery to the pickup.
- Total pay: $2,200 + $350 = $2,550
- Loaded rate: $2,550 / 1,000 = $2.55 per mile
- All-in rate: $2,550 / 1,120 = about $2.28 per mile
The load looks like $2.55. Measured against every mile the truck drives, it pays about $2.28. If your cost to run the truck is $2.10 a mile, the load still clears it. If your cost is $2.35, it does not, even though the quoted rate looked fine.
What the results mean
The all-in rate is the number to compare with your cost per mile. Every mile costs money to drive, loaded or not, so only the all-in number tells you whether the load covers its own costs. If you do not know your cost per mile yet, our trucking cost per mile calculator builds it from your fixed and variable costs.
The loaded rate is useful for comparing loads with each other and with what the market is paying on a lane. Brokers and load boards usually talk in loaded rates.
The empty share shows how much of the trip earns nothing. A high share is a sign to look harder at the reload side before accepting, or to counter for a higher rate that covers the run in.
Freight shipping rates calculator vs carrier rate per mile
Shippers use freight shipping rates calculators to estimate what a load will cost them. This tool works from the other side: it shows a carrier what a load pays per mile. The inputs are the same kind of numbers, but the question is different. A shipper asks what they will pay. A carrier asks whether the rate covers the truck.
What to put in each box
- Linehaul: the base pay for moving the load, from the rate confirmation.
- Fuel surcharge: any separate fuel payment. If the broker quoted an all-in rate with fuel included, put the whole amount in linehaul and leave this at zero.
- Accessorials: detention, extra stops, lumper reimbursement, tarping or other agreed extras. Only count money you are sure to receive.
- Loaded miles: pickup to final delivery.
- Empty miles: from where the truck is now to the pickup. If you want a stricter number, add the likely empty miles to the next load as well.
Costs that change the picture
Fuel is the biggest cost per mile for most trucks, and diesel exhaust fluid adds a little on top for trucks with SCR systems; our guide to DEF cost and usage per gallon of diesel shows how much. Tires and maintenance add more. The tire cost per mile calculator works out the tire line from what a set costs and how long it lasts, and service items such as oil changes add up too; see the semi truck oil capacity chart for what a change takes.
Using the result to counter
If the all-in rate falls below your floor, you have three choices: pass, counter, or take it because the reload on the other end makes the pair of loads work. A counter is easier to make with a reason, such as a long run to the pickup, tight timing or a weak reload market. Use the calculator to find the rate that would bring the all-in number up to your floor, then ask for it.
Where a dispatcher fits
A dispatcher runs this math on every load before it reaches you, with the empty miles in, and passes on loads that do not clear your floor. If that would save you time, our page for owner-operators explains how we work with single trucks: we find and negotiate the load, you say yes, counter or no, and the broker sends the rate confirmation to you to sign.