Cost Per Mile Calculator
Know your number. Every successful owner-operator knows their cost per mile down to the penny. If you don't, you're guessing at whether each load makes or loses money.
Your Revenue
How much you bring in annually (gross).
Fixed Costs (monthly)
These bills come whether you drive or not.
Variable Costs (per mile)
These scale with how much you drive.
Your Numbers
Cost Breakdown
Annual Summary
Your Insurance Cost
Insurance is typically 8-15% of gross revenue for owner-operators. If yours is above 12%, you may be overpaying — or you may be a new authority (where higher rates are normal for the first 2 years).
Get a Free QuoteUnderstanding Your Cost Per Mile
What's a Good CPM?
Excellent — you're running lean. Likely an experienced operator with a paid-off or low-payment truck, good fuel economy, and established lanes.
Typical range for owner-operators with a truck payment. Sustainable if your revenue per mile stays above $1.80-$2.00.
Getting tight. Common for new authorities with high insurance and truck payments. You need consistent $2.00+ loads to profit. Thin margin for surprises.
Danger zone. At this level, most loads lose money. Unless you're running specialized freight at $3+/mile, something needs to change — fast.
Where Owner-Operators Lose Money
Every mile without a load costs you $0.70-$1.00+ in fuel and wear. If 20% of your miles are deadhead, add $0.15-$0.20 to your effective CPM.
Sitting at a dock earning nothing while your 14-hour clock runs. At $100/hour in lost productivity, 3 hours of detention on a $1,500 load wipes out your margin.
Selling invoices at 2-5% discount. On $180K gross revenue, that's $3,600-$9,000/year — or $0.04-$0.09/mile you're giving away.
Reactive maintenance costs 3-5x more than preventive. A $500 preventive service avoids a $3,000 roadside breakdown. Budget $0.15-$0.20/mile minimum.
5 Ways to Lower Your CPM
Plan round trips. Build relationships with shippers on your backhaul lanes. Target 10% or less deadhead.
Reducing speed from 68 to 62 mph saves 0.5-1.0 MPG. That's $3,000-$6,000/year on 100K miles.
After 2 years of clean operation, your rates should drop 20-40%. If they don't, get quotes from other agencies.
Replace parts on schedule, not when they fail. Track oil analysis, tire tread, brake pad thickness. Budget saves more than it costs.
Know your CPM so you can walk away from loads that don't cover costs. The confidence to say "no" is worth more than any negotiation trick.
Want to lower the insurance line in your CPM? We'll give you real numbers.
Get a Free Quote or Call 208-800-0640