Owner-operator cost per mile calculator
Enter your annual fixed costs, your per-mile variable costs and the miles you expect to run. The calculator returns your all-in cost per mile, the loaded rate you need to break even at a given deadhead percentage, and how much a 10% drop in miles moves your number. Everything runs in your browser; nothing is sent to us. Inputs stay in this browser so you can come back and adjust.
How the number is built
Fixed costs are paid whether the truck moves or not, so they are divided by total miles: more miles spread them thinner. Variable costs scale with every mile. The break-even loaded rate is higher than the all-in cost per mile because deadhead miles earn nothing: cost per total mile ÷ (1 − deadhead %).
Formulas
- Fixed $/mile = (truck + trailer + insurance + permits + software + other) ÷ total miles
- Fuel $/mile = fuel price ÷ mpg
- Variable $/mile = fuel + maintenance + pay + misc
- All-in cost per mile = fixed + variable
- Break-even loaded rate = all-in ÷ (1 − deadhead)
- Target loaded rate = break-even ÷ (1 − margin)
Typical ranges (2026)
Owner-operators running a late-model tractor and dry van commonly land between $1.85 and $2.40 per mile all-in before profit. At today’s diesel price of $5.60 a gallon the defaults above come to $2.25 per mile, of which fuel is about 38% and driver pay about 29%; the fuel share moves with the pump price. Reefer and flatbed run higher on maintenance and insurance. Use your own numbers; the defaults are a starting point, not a benchmark.
Last updated 2026-09-08 · first published 2026-09-07. Data sources are listed on each page; see About for methodology.