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Punch in your numbers. Get your net profit, cost per mile, and a clear verdict. No login, no nonsense.
Calculate Your Load Profit →🆓 Always free • No signup required • No credit card, ever
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Your cost per mile is the single most important number in trucking. Enter your expenses below to see exactly what it costs to move your truck one mile — so you know which loads make money and which ones don't.
↑ Load Profit Calculator — enter a load pay to see if it beats your cost per mile. • 📍 Calculate your deadhead cost → • 📐 Effective RPM Calculator → • ⛽ IFTA Fuel Tax Calculator → • 📖 What is cost per mile? • ❓ CPM FAQs
Empty miles cost you money even when you're not earning. Enter your trip details to see your true effective rate, deadhead percentage, and annual cost impact — so you know exactly what those empty miles are costing you.
↑ Load Profit Calculator • 📊 See your full cost per mile • 📐 Effective RPM Calculator →
Your rate per loaded mile looks good — but what does the load actually pay per total mile? Enter your gross rate, loaded miles, deadhead miles, and optional operating cost to see your true effective rate and whether this load is actually profitable.
Q2 2026 deadline is May 31. Enter your miles and gallons purchased by state — see exactly what you owe IFTA or what refund you’re owed. Full IFTA filing guide →
↑ Load Profit Calculator • 📊 Cost Per Mile • 📍 Deadhead Calc • 📐 Effective RPM
| Load Type | Avg $/Mile | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Dry Van | $2.20–$2.80 | National average. Below this range, the load is likely underpriced. |
| Reefer | $2.50–$3.20 | Higher due to refrigeration overhead and equipment premium. Hold your rate. |
| Flatbed | $2.60–$3.40 | Specialized equipment and tarping adds value. Don’t race to the bottom. |
| Dry Van Short Haul (<300mi) | $3.00–$4.50 | Short runs carry higher overhead per mile — deadhead and setup time eat into profit fast. |
| Long Haul (>500mi) | $1.80–$2.40 | Lower $/mi but volume compensates. Watch fuel costs and run tight on deadhead. |
Rates are national averages (DAT/ATRI) and vary by region and season. Last updated: Q1 2026.
See where rates are running hot. Reposition smarter.
Based on industry averages and regional benchmarks (DAT/ATRI). Updated periodically.
Walk through every deduction in order. See exactly where your money goes — step by step.
Your saved weekly settlements — automatically tracked every time you tap Save Settlement. Watch your take-home trend over time.
Auto-synced from your Weekly Earnings History. No double entry — save a week above and your taxes update automatically.
Snap and store fuel receipts, maintenance records, and business expenses — synced to your earnings history for tax time.
Most owner-operators should target an all-in cost per mile between $1.50 and $2.50. Below that and you're running lean with good fuel economy and a paid-off truck. Above $2.50 and every load becomes a negotiation with your margins.
The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) puts the industry average cost per mile at $1.82 for a standard semi truck. That number factors in fuel, driver pay, insurance, maintenance, and equipment — a useful benchmark for whether you're above or below typical operating costs.
What counts as "good" depends heavily on your equipment. A newer truck with a 7 MPG engine running fuel-efficiently might land at $1.60–$1.90 CPM. An older truck at 5.5 MPG, paying $2,400/month on a truck payment, and operating in a high-toll corridor can easily hit $2.50–$3.00 CPM before you make a dollar.
The key is knowing your number before you take a load. A $2.50/mile rate sounds decent — but if your CPM is $2.80, you're paying $0.30/mile to run that load out of your own pocket.
| Truck Type | Avg Fuel CPM | All-In CPM Range | Why It Varies |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dry Van | $0.55–$0.65 | $1.60–$2.20 | Best fuel economy, no reefer fuel costs |
| Reefer | $0.65–$0.80 | $1.90–$2.60 | Reefer fuel adds $0.10–$0.15/mile; higher rates offset it |
| Flatbed | $0.60–$0.75 | $1.80–$2.50 | Heavier loads affect MPG; permits add to overhead |
Run the numbers against your actual costs → Load Profit Calculator • ❓ CPM FAQs
Quick answers to the questions owner-operators ask most about calculating and reducing their cost per mile.
For owner-operators, a good cost per mile is typically $1.50–$2.50 all-in. This includes fuel, insurance, permits, maintenance, and truck payments. Your CPM will vary by region, equipment type, and annual miles. If your CPM is over $2.50, look for ways to reduce fuel costs or renegotiate your truck payment. The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) puts the industry average at $1.82 per mile for a standard semi.
Add up every expense — fuel, tolls, insurance, permits, maintenance, truck payment, ELD, tires, and any other cost — then divide by your total miles in that period. NetMile OTR's Cost Per Mile Calculator does this automatically: enter your miles, fuel price, MPG, tolls, and other expenses, and it calculates your CPM in real time as you type.
ATRI's most recent data puts the industry average at $1.82/mile for a standard semi truck. Individual owner-operators run higher or lower depending on fuel economy (5.5–7.0 MPG), equipment age, load volume, and operating region. High-toll corridors, old equipment, and heavy deadhead can push costs well above that average.
Include every expense tied to operating the truck:
Fixed costs like your truck payment and insurance stay the same whether you run 0 or 5,000 miles — but factoring them in tells you the true cost of each load.
Company drivers don't pay for the truck — their employer does. An owner-operator's CPM includes the truck payment, insurance, and maintenance that a company covers for drivers. That's why owner-operators need higher per-mile rates. A company driver might clear $1.10–$1.30/mile in take-home pay; an owner-operator needs $1.50–$2.50/mile just to cover costs and make a profit on top.
The fastest wins are usually fuel-related since it drives 30–40% of total CPM:
Use the CPM Calculator to see your exact numbers, then target the biggest line items first.
Built by people who get tired of watching truckers guess.
Empty miles to the pickup eat your profit. NetMile OTR factors deadhead fuel cost into every calculation so you see the real number.
Designed for your truck cab, not a desk. Big inputs, clear numbers, one thumb. Works at a truck stop on 2 bars of signal.
Two loads on the board? Run them side-by-side and see which one actually pays better. No guessing, no spreadsheets.
Open the app, run your numbers, make your decision. No account, no subscription, no email harvesting.
Every load you run without knowing your numbers is a gamble. NetMile OTR makes it math.
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