Guide
Lane scorecard: rank the lanes you run by profit per day
Most fleets know their favorite lane. Few know the order of the rest. A scorecard builds that order from your own loads.
In short
- A lane is a pickup area and a delivery area you run more than once.
- For each lane compute revenue per all mile, profit per truck day and average days to pay.
- Rank by profit per day. Use days to pay to break ties.
- Review it each quarter. Lanes change when rates, fuel or the broker mix change.
Hook. In the example, the lane with the most loads, Lane 2, ranks third on profit per day. The lane with the fewest loads ranks first at $397 a day.
A ranking, not a feeling
A lane scorecard collects what you already track by load and sums it by lane. You need revenue, all miles, truck days and invoice-to-deposit days. Profit uses your cost per mile, so update that first. See the month end close.
The figure ranks four lanes by profit per day against a dashed target. Green bars clear the target and red bars do not. The bar order is the ranking.
For one lane in detail, use the lane true cost tool, which gives a break-even rate from route miles and hours.
Build the scorecard in five steps
Define the lanes
Group by pickup area to delivery area. Keep the list short.
Sum by lane
Loads, revenue, all miles, truck days for the last quarter.
Apply your cost per mile
Profit = revenue minus all miles x cost per mile.
Add days to pay
Weighted by amount, per lane.
Rank and act
Fix, reprice or drop the bottom. Protect the top.
Columns to keep
| Column | Formula | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue per all mile | Revenue / all miles | Road pay with empties counted |
| Profit | Revenue - all miles x cost per mile | What is left after cost |
| Profit per day | Profit / truck days | Ranks lanes by truck use |
| Days to pay | Weighted invoice to deposit | Cash drag on the lane |
| Loads | Count | How much you rely on it |
Worked example EXAMPLE VALUES
Example data. Four invented lanes over a quarter, with an invented cost per all mile of $1.95 and an invented target of $200 profit per day.
| Lane | Loads | Revenue | All miles | Revenue per mile | Profit | Days | Profit per day | Days to pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lane 1 | 6 | $14,400 | 6,000 | $2.40 | $2,700 | 12 | $225 | 38 |
| Lane 2 | 8 | $15,200 | 6,400 | $2.38 | $2,720 | 16 | $170 | 41 |
| Lane 3 | 5 | $11,500 | 5,200 | $2.21 | $1,360 | 11 | $124 | 52 |
| Lane 4 | 4 | $9,800 | 3,600 | $2.72 | $2,780 | 7 | $397 | 34 |
Ranked by profit per day: Lane 4, Lane 1, Lane 2, Lane 3. Lane 3 is last at $124 a day and also pays slowest at 52 days. That pairing, thin and slow, is the strongest signal to reprice or drop it. Lane 2 carries the most loads at $170 a day. Repricing it by even a few cents a mile changes the whole fleet. Check the numbers against the lane in the lane true cost tool before acting.
Where it goes wrong
- Too many lanes. Ten lanes with 2 loads each is noise. Group them.
- Ranking by revenue. Revenue ignores cost and days.
- Forgetting empty miles. Use all miles. See deadhead miles.
- Dropping a lane on one bad month. Use a quarter, and check what changed.
The formulas
Use the same cost per mile for every lane unless you know a lane costs more.
Your numbers decide
Everything above is invented. Contracts, customer commitments and driver home time matter too. A scorecard informs the decision. It does not make it.
We do not give legal, tax or financial advice. Your contracts come first.
Questions
How many loads make a lane?
There is no fixed number. 4 or more in a quarter gives a rough read. Fewer is a note, not a ranking.
Should I use state or city lanes?
Pick the grouping that matches how you quote. Keep it the same each quarter.
What target per day should I use?
Pick one from your own costs and goals. The example target is invented.
How is this different from the minimum rate?
The minimum rate prices one load. The scorecard ranks lanes after the fact. See minimum rate per lane.
Related: minimum rate per lane, rate per mile vs per day, true RPM, state lane cost, all guides.
See what your last 20 loads show.
One short form. We reply by email with the next step, and a one-page report follows. Free, no obligation.
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