A load board price is not a profit figure. An $2,300 linehaul offer can be attractive on one lane and unsustainable on another. The difference comes from what the truck must do to earn the rate, not just what the broker is willing to pay.
This guide explains a full-cost dispatch estimate for a US owner-operator or small carrier. It treats driver compensation and a reasonable share of equipment and overhead as costs. That makes it more conservative than looking only at diesel and tolls, but it gives you a more repeatable way to compare loads.
Open the free Load Profitability Calculator to replace the example with your own figures and export a CSV record.
The load-profit formula
Use one consistent accounting period and cost definition. For a single load, define:
- Expected revenue: linehaul payment plus accessorial charges you have a reasonable basis to collect.
- Total trip miles: loaded miles plus deadhead or empty repositioning miles attributable to this dispatch.
- Fully allocated cost per total mile: the actual or carefully estimated cost of operating each business mile, including a reasonable allocation of fixed costs.
- Additional trip expenses: only amounts that are not already in the per-mile figure.
Then calculate:
Estimated trip profit = expected revenue − [(loaded miles + deadhead miles) × all-in cost per total mile] − additional trip expenses.
Profit margin = estimated trip profit ÷ expected revenue × 100.
For a load-specific break-even linehaul, subtract expected accessorial revenue from total trip cost. For a desired revenue profit margin, divide total trip cost by (1 − target margin), then subtract expected accessorial revenue. These are planning thresholds, not guaranteed collectible charges.
If a broker quotes a rate per loaded mile, do not apply that rate to empty miles. But every empty mile still belongs in your cost calculation.
Worked example: a load with deadhead
Consider this purely illustrative dispatch. The values are editable in the calculator and do not represent current national market averages.
| Input | Illustrative amount | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Agreed linehaul | $2,300 | Base payment offered for the load |
| Expected accessorial revenue | $100 | Count only when terms make collection realistic |
| Loaded miles | 800 | Distance associated with the paying move |
| Deadhead miles | 120 | Empty miles connected to the load |
| All-in cost per total mile | $1.72 | Full-cost figure supplied by the carrier |
| Additional trip-only expenses | $90 | Costs excluded from the $1.72 estimate |
| Target profit margin | 15% | Desired margin on revenue, not cost |
First calculate 920 total miles. The allocated operating cost is 920 × $1.72 = $1,582.40. Add the separate $90 and total estimated trip cost becomes $1,672.40.
Expected revenue equals $2,400. Subtracting total cost gives $727.60 of estimated trip profit, equivalent to a margin of approximately 30.3%.
The break-even linehaul, assuming the $100 accessorial is collected, is $1,572.40. For a 15% target margin, the linehaul requirement is approximately $1,867.53, again assuming the $100 is collected. The actual $2,300 offer clears both of those thresholds on these assumptions.
The answer changes if the carrier has higher insurance costs, more deadhead, a different owner-pay target, or an uncertain detention charge. These figures are decision estimates, not a quote recommendation.
Why deadhead can change a good-looking rate
Suppose the same load needs 220 empty miles instead of 120. You drive 1,020 total miles rather than 920. At an unchanged $1.72 all-in cost per mile, the additional 100 miles consume another $172. Expected trip profit falls from $727.60 to $555.60 before considering any additional delay.
The headline $2,300 linehaul offer did not change. That is why booked rate per loaded mile and real revenue per total mile are different measurements.
A carrier can estimate deadhead before accepting a load, then reconcile against the odometer or ELD record afterward. Actual fuel use and tolls can differ from the route prediction.
Choosing a cost-per-mile number
The cost-per-mile guide explains the difference between fully allocated, variable and loaded-mile cost. For the calculator on this page, use fully allocated cost per total business mile, not cost per loaded mile.
Before you choose a figure, check whether it includes these costs:
| Cost category | Usually in the fully allocated CPM | Add separately to this trip only if excluded |
|---|---|---|
| Fuel, DEF, routine maintenance and tires | Yes | Unexpected one-off charges not in reserve |
| Truck and trailer capital, insurance and ordinary overhead | Yes | Exceptional trip-specific costs not budgeted |
| Owner or driver compensation | Yes | A special driver expense not already counted |
| Tolls, scales and permits | Depends on your model | Exact trip charges outside the CPM |
| Factoring or quick-pay fees | Depends on your model | Fee actually incurred on this load, if not included |
| Lumpers and reimbursable charges | Depends on contract | Net non-reimbursed amount, if excluded |
If the full truck loan payment is included in a cash-based CPM, do not add depreciation again without adjusting the method. If the CPM already includes driver wages and fuel, do not add them a second time in “extra trip costs.”
Industry research helps identify cost categories, but cannot replace your own books. The American Transportation Research Institute publishes operating-cost research, and the EIA diesel price series provides a reference for fuel-price trends. Neither makes another carrier’s CPM automatically correct for your equipment or lane.
Three load decisions using the same calculator
1. The good rate with expensive positioning
A carrier receives an attractive per-loaded-mile rate but must drive a long empty distance to pickup. Enter the deadhead, not just the loaded route, and recalculate. Ask whether the ending location supports another profitable movement.
2. The attractive payment with uncertain accessorials
A broker mentions detention payment verbally, but the contract has no clear trigger or documents required. Start the calculator with zero expected accessorial revenue until the amount is supported by terms you can reasonably satisfy. Use the detention and layover guide to review the commercial process.
3. A positive trip profit but negative weekly cash flow
The load appears profitable on a fully allocated basis. Yet diesel, payroll and insurance payments come due before the broker remits freight charges. This is a cash timing problem, not a mathematical contradiction. Review factoring terms, receivables and the next week’s obligations before deciding whether the trip is feasible.
Full-cost profit versus incremental contribution
A truck that would otherwise sit unused sometimes evaluates a backhaul differently. Incremental contribution asks whether extra revenue exceeds the avoidable costs of doing that trip. Full-cost profit allocates regular ownership and overhead costs to the load as well.
Both measures have uses, but they answer different questions:
- Dispatch contribution: Is this load better than an available alternative, taking into account the costs actually caused by accepting it?
- Full-cost sustainability: Does the business earn enough from its freight program to support driver pay, insurance, repairs and replacement capacity over time?
Our calculator displays a fully allocated estimate. Do not treat its target margin as a legal minimum freight rate or a promise of profit.
Before accepting the rate confirmation
The calculation is only as reliable as the offer and operating assumptions. Confirm in writing:
- The correct broker, carrier, shipment and payment terms.
- Pickup and delivery appointment times, equipment and commodity restrictions.
- Loaded miles, pickup deadhead and likely onward positioning.
- Accessorial triggers, deductions, tracking conditions and documentation requirements.
- Whether the driver can perform the route safely and within the applicable hours-of-service limitations.
- The expected date of payment and any related cash shortage.
The rate-confirmation checklist covers the contractual and operational details. The load-profit calculator deliberately does not decide whether a route is legally compliant, a broker is creditworthy or a truck is available.
Save a decision trail
Before dispatch, save the offered linehaul, expected accessorials, mileage assumptions, all-in CPM, extra charges, calculated margin and the decision to accept or decline.
Calculate load profitability and export the CSV. Revisit the CSV after delivery and enter actual miles and expenses to learn whether your estimates have been consistently optimistic or conservative.
The IRS’s Publication 583 discusses maintaining business records that can support receipts, expenses and financial statements. A planning CSV is useful for dispatch decisions, but it is not a substitute for underlying invoices, mileage records or accounting records.
If a rate confirmation includes a separate diesel price adjustment, use the fuel surcharge calculator to estimate that charge before adding it to expected trip revenue. Confirm the surcharge is payable under the agreement.
Profit on a freight movement does not guarantee enough liquidity to pay for the next one. Use the carrier cash runway calculator to schedule cash receipts and expenses before the next dispatch.
For more detailed repositioning examples, learn how deadhead miles affect profit and the minimum acceptable load rate.
When delays create separate charges, use the Detention & Layover Revenue Calculator to evaluate contractual accessorial amounts; avoid double counting those amounts in your full-trip profit analysis.