Big Rig Daily · Free Driver Tools

Load Rate Checker

Before you book a load, enter the rate, the loaded and empty miles and your cost per mile. You get the profit or loss, the true rate per mile with deadhead, the break-even rate and a plain readout based only on your own numbers. Everything runs in your browser and nothing you type is sent anywhere.

Planning estimate only. This checker is a planning estimate only, not tax or financial advice. The readout is based only on the costs and margin you enter, not on market rates, and profit is before income tax and self-employment tax.

How the load rate checker works

The checker compares what a load pays with what it costs you to run it, counting every mile the truck rolls. Here are the steps, so you can also check them by hand.

• Total miles are loaded miles plus deadhead miles.
• Posted rate per loaded mile is the load rate divided by loaded miles. This is the number most load boards and brokers quote.
• True rate per mile is the load rate divided by total miles, so the empty miles are counted.
• Cost of the trip is your all-in cost per mile times total miles, plus any tolls or other costs you enter for the load.
• Profit or loss is the load rate minus the cost of the trip.
• Break-even rate is the cost of the trip. A rate below it loses money.
• Rate needed for your minimum margin is the cost of the trip plus your margin per total mile times total miles, or, for a percent margin, the cost divided by (1 minus your percent).

The readout uses only your numbers. Below cost means the profit is under zero. Breaks even means the rate exactly covers the cost of the trip, with no profit and no loss. Thin means the load makes a profit but falls short of the minimum margin you set. Worth it means it clears your minimum margin, or makes any profit if you leave the margin blank. It does not compare your rate with market rates.

Every money figure is rounded to the cent.

Do not know your cost per mile?

Pick Work it out from my costs and fill in diesel price, MPG, maintenance per mile, your monthly insurance, truck and trailer payments, other fixed costs and loads per week. The checker uses the same math as the owner-operator profit calculator: fuel and maintenance on every mile, and monthly costs multiplied by 12 and divided by 52 to get a weekly cost, then split across your loads. For the same numbers, the cost of the trip matches the cost per load in the profit calculator. Use the profit calculator when you want take-home per week and per year as well.

A worked example

These are round example numbers to show the math, not typical rates or costs. A load pays $2,000 for 800 loaded miles, with 100 deadhead miles and $40 in tolls, and your all-in cost is $1.50 per mile.

• Total miles: 800 + 100 = 900, so 11.1 percent of the trip is deadhead.
• Posted rate per loaded mile: $2,000 / 800 = $2.50.
• True rate per mile: $2,000 / 900 = $2.22.
• Cost of the trip: 900 x $1.50 = $1,350.00, plus $40.00 in tolls = $1,390.00. That is also the break-even rate, or $1.74 per loaded mile.
• Profit: $2,000 - $1,390 = $610.00.
• With a minimum margin of 50 cents per total mile, the rate needed is $1,390 + 900 x $0.50 = $1,840.00, so the load reads worth it. With 75 cents per mile, the rate needed is $2,065.00, so it reads thin.
• With a minimum margin of 15 percent of the rate, the rate needed is $1,390 / 0.85 = $1,635.29.

Tips for checking loads

• Count the deadhead to the shipper and, if the load strands you, the empty miles to the next freight or back home.
• Ask about detention, lumper and other fees before you book, and add any you will pay yourself to the extra costs.
• Rework your cost per mile every few months from real bills, because fuel and repair costs change.
• A good-looking rate per loaded mile can turn thin once deadhead is counted. The true rate per mile shows it.

For more on running your own truck, read the owner-operator vs company driver guide and the trucker per diem guide. The truck driver pay by state guide shows what company drivers earn. To track real loads week by week, print the free weekly trip log.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I know if a load is worth it?

Work out the cost of the trip: your all-in cost per mile times loaded plus deadhead miles, plus tolls and other costs for the load. If the rate is below that, the load loses money. If it is above, compare the profit with the minimum margin you want per mile or as a percent of the rate.

What is the difference between posted rate per mile and true rate per mile?

Posted rate per loaded mile divides the rate by loaded miles only. True rate per mile divides the rate by all the miles the truck drives for the load, including deadhead. Your costs run on every mile, so the true rate is the one to compare with your cost per mile.

How do I find my break-even rate?

Your break-even rate is the cost of the trip. Divide it by loaded miles to get the break-even rate per loaded mile, which you can compare with what a broker offers.

What is an average cost per mile to run a truck?

Your own bills are the best guide, because costs depend on your truck, freight and lanes. As a benchmark, the American Transportation Research Institute said in its 2026 Analysis of the Operational Costs of Trucking release that the industry average cost to operate a truck in 2025 was $2.336 per mile, or $1.854 per mile without fuel. Those averages come from fleet data and include driver pay, so a one-truck owner-operator's numbers can look different.

Does the checker know current market rates?

No. It does not look up or compare market rates. The readout is based only on the rate, miles, costs and margin you enter.