Convert a load offer into a true rate per mile, including deadhead, and see whether it clears your cost per mile.
How this calculator works
Load boards quote pay for the loaded portion of a trip, but your truck burns fuel and accumulates costs on every mile, including the deadhead run to the pickup. This calculator divides the total pay by loaded miles and by all miles, works out the cost of the trip from your fuel economy and non-fuel cost per mile, and shows the profit or loss on the load along with the break-even rate you need per loaded mile.
Choosing your cost inputs
If you do not know your own non-fuel cost per mile, ATRI's 2026 report is a reasonable starting point: the 2025 industry average was $1.854 per mile excluding fuel, with total costs of $2.336 per mile. Owner operators without employee drivers can run lower, but remember to pay yourself. For the fuel side, the default uses the current EIA national weekly diesel price, which you should adjust to the lanes you actually run since regional prices vary by more than a dollar per gallon.
Using the break-even rate
The break-even figure is the most useful output when negotiating. It spreads the full cost of the trip, deadhead included, over only the miles that pay. If a broker's offer is below it, you need either a higher rate, a shorter deadhead, or a better positioned next load. Checking multiple boards for the same lane helps: see our load board comparisons for where to look.
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