Load profitability calculator

Enter the rate, miles, fuel, other costs and the dispatch fee. You get net profit on the load, the true rate per mile and what the trip pays per hour.

By Gustavo · Updated October 2026

NET PROFIT

$1,065

LOAD PROFITNO. CALC

Rate: $2,000
Fuel: -$415
Other costs: -$420
Dispatch fee: -$100
True RPM: $2.86
Profit per hour: $76

Net$1,065

This load clears $1,065, about $76 an hour. We run this math before every offer reaches you.

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How it is calculated

Miles driven = loaded + deadhead.
Fuel = miles driven / mpg x diesel price.
Other costs = miles driven x other cost per mile.
Dispatch fee = rate x fee %.
Net = rate - fuel - tolls and stop costs - other costs - dispatch fee.
True RPM = rate / miles driven. Per hour = net / hours on the trip.

Worked example

LOAD PROFITNO. 0062

EXAMPLE

Rate: $2,000
Fuel, 700 mi at 6.5 mpg, $3.85: -$415
Other costs, $0.60 x 700: -$420
Dispatch fee 5%: -$100
True RPM: $2.86
Per hour, 14 h: $76

Net$1,065

Change the deadhead from 100 to 250 miles and the net drops by about $179. Add a full day of detention without pay and the per-hour figure falls by more than a third.

Truck load profit: the numbers people miss

Deadhead fuel. The empty miles to the pickup cost the same per mile as loaded ones.
Time. A load that ties you up for two days earns less than its check suggests.
Where it leaves you. A good load into a dead market can cost you on the next one.
Detention and layovers. Ask about terms before you agree.
Weight. Heavy loads burn more fuel; adjust mpg.
Your own pay. Net here is before you pay yourself and before taxes. Set money aside for both from every settlement.
Factoring. If you factor invoices, the factoring fee comes off the rate too; add it to tolls and stop costs.

Good and bad results

Positive net with a strong per-hour figure: a good load, if the reload works. Positive but thin: fine as a repositioning move into a better market. Negative: counter or pass. Compare loads on per hour, not just the total check. For car haulers, the car hauler load profit calculator handles per-car pricing.

Running it on every offer

The habit that matters is doing this math before you say yes, every time. It takes a minute per load. Run two offers side by side and the better one is often not the one with the bigger check. A $1,400 load that frees you by noon near a strong reload market can beat a $2,000 load that ends Friday night in a place with nothing going out until Monday. Write down the per-hour figure for every load you take for a month, and you'll see which lanes and brokers actually pay.

Loads that clear your numbers

We run this math before an offer reaches you: rate, deadhead, fuel and the reload. You get the full picture with every load and approve each one yourself. The rate confirmation comes straight to you. Our fee is a percentage of gross on loads you haul, with no setup fee. See rates and fees.

Questions about this calculator

Q01How do you calculate load profit in trucking?

Start with the rate. Subtract fuel for every mile driven, empty miles included, tolls and stop costs, your other running costs per mile and the dispatch fee. What's left is the load's profit before your own pay and taxes.

Q02What is a good profit per load?

There's no single number. Compare profit per hour and per day across loads, since a long load with a big check can earn less per hour than two short ones.

Q03What other costs per mile should I include?

Repairs and maintenance, tires, insurance and your truck payment spread per mile. The trucking cost per mile calculator can give you that number.

Q04Why does the dispatch fee default to 5%?

That's our standard rate for a single truck with authority older than 6 months. New authorities, hotshots and 26 ft box trucks are 7%, and fleets of two or more trucks are 4%. Change it to your rate.

Q05Is this a truck load profit calculator for every equipment type?

Yes. Use your own mpg and cost per mile. Reefer fuel and permits for oversize can go in the tolls and stop costs line.