Most rate-per-mile advice gives you a range and moves on. This tool uses your own numbers instead, so the answer is yours, not an average pulled from somewhere else.
What this number actually means
Your cost per mile is what it costs you to run your truck, split two ways: fixed costs that show up whether you drive or not (your payment, insurance, permits), and variable costs that only show up when you drive (fuel, maintenance). Add them together and you get the true floor under your rate. Charge less than that number and you lose money on every mile, no matter how busy you are.
The calculator also gives you a suggested minimum rate: your cost per mile plus the margin you tell it you want. That’s the lowest number worth accepting for a load, not a target to aim for.
Why cost per mile varies by segment
Leased-on and own-authority carriers don’t carry the same fixed costs, and insurance is usually where the gap is largest. Own-authority insurance commonly runs several times higher than what a leased-on driver pays, because the carrier is taking on liability the lease company would otherwise cover.
That’s why this tool asks you to pick your setup and enter your own insurance number, rather than assuming one figure fits both. A generic average across both segments would be wrong for almost everyone who uses it.
What this calculator does not account for
It does not predict what a broker will actually pay you, and it does not include costs that vary too much to estimate honestly, like unplanned repairs or downtime. Treat the output as your cost floor, not a forecast of your income.
See how we calculate this for the full breakdown of the formula and where the assumptions come from.
Related Supporting Pages
For more on two of the fixed-cost inputs above:
- How Much Is Commercial Truck Insurance Per Month — why the range is so wide, and what moves you within it.
- Best ELD for Owner-Operators on a Budget — a one-time device or a monthly subscription, and what actually affects your permits/IFTA line.
Related Tools
Once you know your real cost per mile, these tools help with the questions that usually come next:
- Factoring Fee & Rate Comparator — see what factoring would actually cost you, in dollars.
- New-Authority Startup Cost Estimator — if you’re weighing whether to get your own authority.