Cost Per Mile in Trucking: How to Calculate and Reduce It

Updated September 2026.

Cost per mile is the total cost of running your trucks for every mile they drive. The formula: (Fixed Costs + Variable Costs) / Miles Driven = Cost Per Mile, calculated over the same period. Know that number and you know which loads make money and which do not.

This guide breaks down what goes into your cost per mile, how to calculate it by hand with a worked example, and six practical ways to bring it down. If you would rather not do the math yourself, a TMS like TransPlus tracks cost per mile for you on every trip.

How to Find Your Total Cost Per Mile

What Does Cost Per Mile Mean?

Cost per mile refers to the total cost to operate your fleet on a per-mile basis. This number will help you determine the total cost to own your fleet, thus helping you make better, more data-driven decisions that can improve your profits and optimize your fleet operations. Plus, having an understanding of your total cost per mile will make it easier to bid on potential loads and determine the return on investment for your jobs.

How to Find Your Cost Per Mile

Calculating your cost per mile is a simple equation, and a TMS such as Fleet Manager is the easiest way to keep it current. It calculates cost per mile for every trip, and trucking dispatch software that prices every load off one trip record keeps that number current on every trip. Here is how to calculate your truck costs on your own.

To find your trucking cost per mile, you will follow this formula: (Fixed Costs + Variable Costs) / Miles Driven = Your Cost Per Mile. There may be additional expenses and indirect costs that do not fit neatly into either category that may need to be included in the equation and added to your costs.

Example, one truck, one year: fixed costs $95,000 (truck payment, insurance, plates, permits, overhead) plus variable costs $145,000 (fuel, driver pay, maintenance, tires, tolls) equals $240,000. Divided by 100,000 miles driven, cost per mile is $2.40. That is close to the 2025 industry average of $2.336 per mile (ATRI, July 15, 2026), which tells you a $2.10 load on that truck loses money before the driver leaves the yard.

Let’s break this down a bit more. Your fixed costs are the costs that do not change for each transport job. Some examples of fixed costs for the transportation industry include taxes, insurance premiums, and permits or licenses.

Examples of Fixed Costs for Cost Per Mile

• Truck and Equipment Payments
• Driver and Company Insurance Payments
• Licensing and Permits
• Taxes and Fees
• Depreciation of Equipment
• Additional Overhead Cost

Your variable costs will change on a job-by-job basis. They will also vary and fluctuate depending on how large your fleet is and how efficiently you are running your business. In general, the biggest variable expenses for fleets are fuel costs and maintenance fees. However, wages for your drivers, toll costs, and truck part replacement costs are also common variable costs to consider.

Examples of Variable Costs for Cost Per Mile

• Fuel Costs
• Maintenance and Repair Costs
• Tire Costs
• Driver Wages and Salaries
• Tolls and Weigh Station Fees
• Food and Per-Diem Costs for Drivers
• Detention and Loading Dock Fees
• Layover Fees

Other costs that may be considered either fixed or variable include tire maintenance, lease and purchase payments for the trucks themselves, truck driver benefits costs, etc.

Lastly, your miles driven will refer to the number of miles driven for a particular job.

It’s vital to have all this data and these metrics on hand to calculate your total cost per mile. A TMS that builds every load on one trip record gathers the inputs as the trips run and calculates the number without a second spreadsheet.

How To Reduce Your Cost Per Mile

There are a few ways companies can reduce their cost per mile for their fleets. To start, opting for fuel-efficient vehicles can help reduce the cost to regularly fuel your fleet, though the initial investment can be quite hefty and can take a while to be worth it. Managing and staying up to date with all of your fleet’s fuel receipts and connecting those inputs to your TMS through a fuel card integration can make a big difference.

Staying up to date with your vehicle preventative maintenance can cut down on costs related to regular maintenance and repairs. Dispatch software that shows planned against actual miles on every trip also helps you keep an eye on the routes your drivers are taking.

Strategies to Reduce Your Cost Per Mile

• Run every load on a TMS - A Transportation Management System (TMS) that prices, dispatches and bills each load off one trip record shows margin per load before you commit a truck.
• Reduce Fuel Costs - Promote fuel-efficient operations for your fleet by investing in fuel-efficient equipment and employing practices to reduce fuel costs.
• Regular Maintenance - Perform regular maintenance checks on all fleet vehicles to ensure smooth operations and avoid downtime.
• Optimize Routes - Optimize your routes for fuel efficiency and travel time to reduce costs.
• Reduce Empty Miles - Empty miles are additional costs that can be mitigated by ensuring your trucks are always full and moving cargo.
• Retain Qualified Drivers - Qualified drivers can help your fleet remain efficient and reduce potential costs.

Trucking Cost Per Mile Calculators

There are a few different free trucking cost-per-mile calculators out there that are worth trying out. These include:

• Motor Carrier HQ Calculator
• Truckers Report Calculator
• Rig Books Calculator

A TMS that prices every load off one trip record does the same calculation for every trip created, with the result available as soon as the trip is built, and most offer reporting by lane, truck and customer on top of it.

Trucking Cost Statistics

Trucking costs keep changing and vary by region, which makes it even more important to stay on top of your own number. ATRI puts the 2025 industry average at a record $2.336 per mile (ATRI, 2026 Operational Costs of Trucking, July 15, 2026); that is a US national average, so your own number will sit above or below it depending on your lanes, equipment and region. For the full line-item breakdown and what moved it, see the average cost per mile in trucking.

Related: What Is the ROI on Transportation Management Software?

Let the TMS Keep the Number Current

Cost per mile is only useful if it is current, and it is only current if the inputs are captured as the trips run. Many fleets still run the whole operation on paper and spreadsheets, which is why the number gets calculated once a year and trusted for twelve months. Trucking dispatch software that prices every load off one trip record keeps cost per mile current on every trip; see how TransPlus does it or compare plans and pricing.

Frequently asked questions

What is the cost per mile formula?

Cost per mile equals total operating costs divided by total miles driven for the same period. Include fixed costs (truck payments, insurance, plates and permits, overhead) and variable costs (fuel, driver pay, maintenance, tires, tolls, detention). Run it for the same month or quarter on both sides of the division, or the number will flatter you.

What is the average cost per mile in trucking?

ATRI's industry average for 2025 is $2.336 per mile, up 3.4 percent on 2024; excluding fuel it is $1.854 (ATRI, July 15, 2026). It is a US national average across fleet sizes and regions, so treat it as a reference point, not a target. The line-item breakdown is in the average cost per mile in trucking.

What is a good cost per mile for a trucking company?

One that sits below your average revenue per mile with room for a bad month. There is no universal target because a reefer fleet in the mountains and a dry van fleet on flat interstate carry different costs. Fleets that know the number per lane price above it and let the rest go, which is the whole point of calculating it.

How often should I recalculate cost per mile?

Monthly at minimum, and weekly when fuel, insurance or tariffs are moving, because a number from last quarter is a guess by the time you quote against it. A TMS that builds every load on one trip record keeps it current on every trip, so the recalculation stops being a project and becomes a report.