Guide
Rate per mile vs rate per day: the best mile is not the best day
A high rate per mile feels like a good load. A truck lives by the day. The two numbers can rank loads in opposite orders.
In short
- Rate per mile = revenue / all miles, empty miles included. It ignores time.
- Revenue per truck day = revenue / days the truck was tied up, waiting days included.
- Use both. Miles show how well the road paid. Days show how well the truck was used.
- A load that wins on one and loses on the other is the one to question.
Hook. In the example, the load with the best rate, $3.20 a mile, earns $480 a day, the least of three. The load with the lowest rate, $2.40 a mile, earns $840 a day.
Same truck, two scales
Rate per mile divides by distance. Revenue per day divides by time. If a load needs 2 days of waiting, miles do not notice. The truck does.
The figure shows three loads as strips of days. Blue strips are days spent moving and amber strips are days spent waiting. The label on the right is revenue per day. Load B has the most amber.
Both numbers belong in the weekly review. Start from true RPM for the mile side. Price one load with the load profit tool.
Compare loads in five steps
Write all miles
Loaded and empty miles for the load.
Compute rate per mile
Revenue divided by all miles.
Count truck days
From leaving for the pickup to being free for the next load, waiting days included.
Compute revenue per day
Revenue divided by days.
Rank on both
If the order differs, look at what the days were spent on.
When each number leads
| Number | Answers | Blind spot |
|---|---|---|
| Rate per mile | How well the road paid | Time at docks, slow loads |
| Revenue per day | How well the truck was used | Unpaid empty miles hidden in a long day |
| Both together | Is the load good and quick | Costs still need the cost per mile |
Worked example EXAMPLE VALUES
Example data. Three invented loads for one truck. Days include waiting days.
| Load | All miles | Revenue | Rate per mile | Days | Waiting days | Revenue per day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Load A | 800 | $2,000 | $2.50 | 2 | 0 | $1,000 |
| Load B | 600 | $1,920 | $3.20 | 4 | 2 | $480 |
| Load C | 1,050 | $2,520 | $2.40 | 3 | 0 | $840 |
Ranked by rate per mile: B, then A, then C. Ranked by revenue per day: A, then C, then B. Load B paid well per mile but took 4 days, 2 of them waiting. Those 2 days at the average of the other two loads ($920) are worth about $1,840. The fix is not to avoid B. It is to ask for detention terms, a better appointment or a higher rate before accepting a load that tends to wait. Also note that Load C has the lowest rate per mile and still beats B by $360 a day, because its days were all moving days. The mile number and the day number answer different questions, and the weekly review is the place to ask both.
Where it goes wrong
- Chasing the highest rate per mile. It rewards short, slow loads.
- Ignoring days at the dock. Waiting days belong in the day count.
- Skipping costs. Revenue per day is not profit. Subtract cost per day. See downtime cost per day.
- Using one load. Look at the pattern over a month, by lane.
The formulas
Use the same start and end points for the day count on every load.
A rule of thumb
All loads and figures here are invented. Hours of service limits, appointments and your own costs shape real days. Use your own records.
We do not give legal, tax or financial advice. Your contracts come first.
Questions
Which number should I quote with?
Quote the rate per mile your costs need, then check revenue per day against the days you expect. See minimum rate per lane.
Do waiting days include weekends?
If the truck is tied up and not free to run, yes. Be consistent.
Is revenue per day the same as profit per day?
No. Subtract cost per day, fixed and variable.
Where do I see this for my fleet?
The lane scorecard puts it by lane.
Related: true RPM, deadhead miles, minimum rate tool, weekly load review, all guides.
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