Load profitability calculator: is this load worth it?

A good rate isn't the same as a good load

Two loads can pay the same rate and leave you very different money. One picks up 20 miles away, runs on open highway and unloads in an hour. The other needs 150 empty miles to reach, crosses toll roads, has an extra stop and sits at the receiver for half a day. The rate on the posting doesn't show any of that.

This load profitability calculator does. It takes what the load pays, subtracts the fuel for every mile including the empty ones, your maintenance and tire costs, tolls, and a share of your fixed costs for the days the load takes. What's left is the load's real profit. It also shows the true rate per mile and the profit for each hour, so you can compare a short load with a long one fairly.

How load profit is calculated

Revenue is the rate plus any accessorials that are already confirmed, like extra stop pay. Fuel is all miles, loaded and empty, divided by your mpg, times the fuel price. Running costs are all miles times your maintenance and tire cost per mile. Tolls are what the route charges. Fixed costs are your monthly bills spread per day, times the days the load ties up the truck.

Net profit is revenue minus all of that. The true rate per mile is revenue divided by all miles. Net per hour is the profit divided by every hour the load takes: driving, loading, waiting and extra stops.

• EXAMPLE

  EXAMPLE LOAD

  $2,000 for 800 loaded, 100 empty

  At 6 mpg and an EXAMPLE $4.00 a gallon, fuel for 900 miles is $600. Maintenance and tires at 25 cents a mile add $225, tolls $30, and two days of fixed costs at $150 a day add $300. The load nets $845. The true rate is $2.22 a mile, against $2.50 per loaded mile on the posting. Over 20 hours, that's about $42 an hour.

Reading your result

• +Net is negative. The load loses money once everything is counted. Counter at a rate that covers it, or pass.
• +Net is positive, but the true rate is under your floor. The load pays something, but less than your business needs over time. Counter, or take it only for a clear reason, like repositioning to a stronger market.
• +Net per hour is low. A load that eats a whole day for a small profit can cost you a better load. Compare the hours, not just the dollars.
• +Net is healthy and the true rate clears your floor. Check the broker and the details, then take it.

If you've saved a floor in My Numbers, the calculator shows it next to the true rate. If not, the trucking cost per mile calculator works one out.

Comparing loads, not just checking one

The most useful way to use a truck load profit calculator is side by side. When two or three loads are offered for the same day, run each one and compare net profit and net per hour. The highest rate is often not the best load, because of the empty miles to reach it, the time it takes or where it leaves you for the next one.

Partial loads and multi-stop loads need extra care. A partial can pay well per hour when it fits around another load, and a multi-stop load can look strong until you count the time at each stop. The multi-stop load pay calculator handles the stops, and our guides on partial loads and truck load optimization cover how to plan around them.

Let the desk run the numbers

On our desk, every posting gets this check before anyone calls the broker. Loads that don't leave enough after costs get countered or passed, and the ones that do are brought to you to approve. You can say no to any of them, and the rate confirmation always goes to you. See how we work with owner-operators. For box truck owners, the box truck business profit calculator looks at the whole month.