Guide
How to calculate revenue per all mile: count every mile you drove
The number on a rate confirmation is usually a rate per loaded mile. The truck, the fuel and the driver's day were spent on every mile, including the empty ones. Revenue per all mile is the number that matches what you paid for.
Looking for the full method with fixed and variable costs and a worked week? See the true revenue per mile guide.
Same load, three answers
Rate per mile is not one number. The figure a broker quotes ignores the miles you drove empty to reach the pickup. The figure that pays your bills also ignores fuel, driver pay and tolls until you take them out.
Always divide totals by totals. Averaging per-load rates lets a short load count as much as a long one.
Three versions of the same load
rate per loaded mile = revenue / loaded miles rate per all mile = revenue / (loaded miles + empty miles) profit per all mile = (revenue - costs of the load) / (loaded + empty miles)
Take a load that pays $1,850 for 612 loaded miles, with 83 empty miles to get to the pickup. The rate per loaded mile is $3.023. The rate per all mile is $2.662. The first number is what the broker quotes. The second is what the truck earned for the distance it drove.
Three invented loads EXAMPLE VALUES
| Load | Revenue | Loaded mi | Empty mi | Per all mile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | $900 | 300 | 20 | $2.81 |
| B | $2,400 | 800 | 160 | $2.50 |
| C | $500 | 150 | 90 | $2.08 |
| Total | $3,800 | 1,250 | 270 | $2.50 |
The simple average of the three rates is $2.47. Total revenue over total miles is $2.50 ($3,800 / 1,520). Always divide totals by totals. Averaging the ratios lets a short load count as much as a long one.
Where empty miles come from
- The distance from where the last load delivered to the next pickup.
- Repositioning after a delivery in a thin area.
- Trips to a shop, a scale or home that you may or may not count.
Decide what you count and keep it the same. The deadhead tool prices the empty miles of one load, and the lane cost model shows how lanes re-rank once empty miles are included.
Make it a net number
- Start with revenue including the accessorials you actually collected.
- Subtract fuel, tolls, driver pay and other costs that moved with the load.
- Divide by all miles.
- Compare with your cost per all mile. Above it, the load made money after overhead. Below it, it did not.
For one load, use load profit. For twenty, the audit reports both rates and the gap between them.
Questions
Is a good revenue per mile a fixed number?
No. It depends on your costs, your equipment and your lanes. We do not publish a benchmark because we have none we can source. Compare with your own cost per all mile.
Should detention count in revenue?
If you were paid for it, yes. It is revenue for time. If you were not paid, it is a cost that never appears in the rate per mile.
Do I use odometer miles or the rate con miles?
For costs, the miles you drove. For checking a per-mile rate, the miles the rate con says. Keep both and note which is which.
Related: true revenue per mile guide.
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