Cost per mile is everything the truck costs you in a period divided by the miles driven. ProfitDrawer's box truck guide works a month: 6,000 miles with $2,280 of fuel, a $1,100 payment, $900 of insurance, $720 set aside for maintenance and tires and $300 of other fixed costs, for $5,300. Divided by 6,000 miles, that is about $0.88 a mile. Example numbers only.
Use it to judge loads on total miles, empty miles included. In the box truck example, a broker offers $420 for a 180-mile run with 40 empty miles to pick up:
- Total miles: 220, so $420 / 220 = $1.91 per total mile.
- Cost: 220 x $0.88 = $194.
- Left: $226 before your own pay and taxes.
Our one-truck trucking guide runs the same math for a larger truck: 10,000 miles a month and $12,340 of costs, about $1.23 a mile. A $2,400 load of 900 loaded plus 100 empty miles pays $2.67 per loaded mile but $2.40 per total mile, leaving $1,166.
How to work out yours:
- Add a month of fuel, truck payment, insurance, permits, phone and load board costs.
- Add a set-aside per mile for maintenance and tires.
- Divide by all miles driven that month.
Recalculate when fuel prices change. These are example numbers, not market rates.
Source: How to Start a Box Truck Business (Non-CDL, Step by Step) · Updated
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General information, not tax, legal or financial advice. Check the rules for your state and your situation.