Rate per mile calculator

How it is calculated

1. Total pay = linehaul + fuel surcharge + accessorials (detention, stops, tarping, and so on).
2. Loaded RPM = total pay / loaded miles. This is the number most brokers and load boards show.
3. All-in RPM = total pay / (loaded miles + empty miles). This is what the truck earned for every mile it turned.

Round to cents. Use practical miles from your routing, not straight-line miles.

Worked example

RATE PER MILENO. 0050

EXAMPLE

Linehaul

$1,500

Loaded miles

600

Empty miles to pickup

150

Loaded RPM

$2.50

All-in RPM$2.00

The board says $2.50. The truck earns $2.00, because 150 empty miles came first. Cut the deadhead to 50 miles and the all-in rate climbs to about $2.31 on the same load.

Good and bad results

The rate per mile only means something next to your cost per mile. If your truck costs $1.90 a mile to run, the load above clears about 10 cents a mile all-in. Find your number with the trucking cost per mile calculator.

• All-in above cost by a healthy margin: a good load, if the reload works.
• Loaded rate good, all-in close to cost: the deadhead is eating the profit. Look for a closer pickup or a better reload.
• Both under cost: pass, unless it moves you to a much stronger market.

Trucking rates calculator vs rate per mile

Market rates change by lane, season and equipment. A dry van out of a busy market can pay very differently from the same miles going the other way. Flatbed, step deck and oversize carry tarping and permit costs. Hotshots and 26 ft box trucks are often priced by the load rather than by the mile. Whatever you run, the all-in rate is the way to compare loads fairly.

SOURCE: Market example: DAT national flatbed average, week ending Sep 25, 2026. Rates move weekly; check current data for your lane.

Compare two loads the same way

Two offers on the same morning: one pays $1,200 for 400 loaded miles with 30 empty, the other $1,600 for 600 loaded with 180 empty. The first is $3.00 loaded and $2.79 all-in. The second is $2.67 loaded and $2.05 all-in. The bigger check is the weaker load, unless its delivery city reloads much better.

Raising the all-in rate

Two levers move the all-in number: the rate you negotiate and the miles you drive empty. We work both. We counter the posted rate on every load and plan the reload before you deliver, so the next pickup is close. You approve every load, and the broker sends the rate confirmation straight to you. See rates and fees.