Free tool, open route data
Lane true cost calculator
A rate per mile means little until you know how many miles and hours the lane really takes a truck. This tool uses truck-route distance and drive time for 20 popular freight lanes, from 181 miles (Seattle, WA to Portland, OR) up to 1,430 miles (Los Angeles, CA to Dallas, TX), and adds the costs you enter.
Result
Runs in your browser. Nothing you type is sent anywhere. Example numbers are invented (EXAMPLE VALUES). This is a calculator, not financial, tax or legal advice.
The formulas
all miles = route miles / (1 - empty share) drive hours = hours for the lane x all miles / route miles days = drive hours / driving hours per day, rounded up fuel = all miles / mpg x diesel price driver = pay per mile x all miles other = other cost per mile x all miles fixed = fixed cost per day x days break-even rate = fuel + driver + other + fixed cost per loaded mile = break-even rate / route miles
Each cost line is rounded to the cent and the total adds the rounded lines.
What comes from where
- From the route services: route miles, drive hours, traffic delay.
- From EIA: the starting diesel price. You can change it.
- From you: miles per gallon, driver pay, other cost, fixed cost per day, driving hours per day, empty share.
Why the two drive times differ
For Los Angeles, CA to Dallas, TX OpenRouteService gives 33.15 hours and TomTom 20.84 hours with traffic (20.09 without), over 1,430.1 and 1,437.8 miles. The two services assume different truck speeds. Neither knows your driver, your rest stops or the 11-hour limit, so the calculator rounds up to whole driving days and uses the time source you pick.
Worked example (invented costs)
Los Angeles, CA to Dallas, TX, 1,430.1 route miles, 20.84 hours with traffic, so 2 driving days at 11 hours. Costs: 6.8 mpg, diesel $6.199, driver pay $0.62 a mile, $0.22 other a mile, $150 fixed a day, no empty miles. Fuel $1,303.70, driver $886.66, other $314.62, fixed $300.00. Break-even rate $2,804.98, or $1.961 per loaded mile.
Questions
Are these the miles a broker will pay?
Not necessarily. Brokers often pay on a different mileage source. Compare the miles on your rate confirmation with the route miles here before you judge a per-mile rate.
Why hub-centre points?
Each lane runs between the centres of two well-known freight metros. Your actual pickup and delivery addresses will change the miles, sometimes by tens of miles.
Does the break-even rate include a profit?
No. It covers only the costs you enter. Add your target margin on top, or use the minimum rate tool.
Are tolls and weigh stations included?
No. Put tolls in the other cost per mile if they matter on your lane.
Related
Related: freight corridors.