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Should I Take This Load? Calculator for Owner Operators

Enter the numbers and get an instant ACCEPT, NEGOTIATE, or REJECT. It is based on true profit after fuel, deadhead, tolls, detention, and your real operating cost, not just the rate on the board.

Load Details

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mi
mi
$/gal
mpg
mpg
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$
hrs
$/hr
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days

Your Targets

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Fuel is worked out above, so leave it out here. The Cost Per Mile Calculator lists fuel on its own line, so take its total and subtract the fuel line.

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Enter load details and click Analyze Load

Numbers tight? Let a dispatcher find better loads.

This tool is free. If it shows you are leaving money on the road, Grow Trucking finds loads, negotiates rates and does the paperwork for owner-operators and small fleets.

Talk to a dispatcher Call (845) 400-9179

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How do I know if a load is worth taking?

A load is worth taking when the rate covers every cost of the trip and still leaves the profit per mile you set. Add up fuel, tolls, fees and your operating cost for all the miles, loaded and empty. Subtract that from the rate. If the rate is below the break-even, you lose money.

  1. Add the loaded miles and the empty miles to the pickup. You pay for both.
  2. Work out fuel: loaded miles divided by loaded miles per gallon, plus empty miles divided by empty miles per gallon, times the diesel price.
  3. Add tolls, lumper and scale fees. Add your operating cost per mile, without fuel, times every mile.
  4. Subtract all of it from the rate. That is your true profit. Divide by total miles for profit per mile.
  5. Add the same costs together for the break-even rate. Add your target profit to find the rate you want.
Worked example: $2,500 for 800 loaded miles, plus 100 empty miles to pickup
ItemAmount
Fuel: 136.41 gallons at $6.00$818.46
Tolls $45 and one scale stop $12$57.00
Operating cost, 900 miles at $1.65 (no fuel)$1,485.00
All costs (this is the break-even rate)$2,360.46
True profit at $2,500$139.54, or $0.16 a mile
Rate for a $0.50 a mile profit$2,810.46
AnswerReject at $2,500. Negotiate toward $2,810

These are example numbers, not market rates. Use your own cost per mile, miles per gallon and the diesel price you pay. The tool fills in the current U.S. average diesel price from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, and you can change it.

Last reviewed October 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions - Should I Take This Load? Calculator

Should I take this load?
Take it if the true profit per mile meets or beats the profit per mile you need. Figure it as revenue minus fuel, tolls, lumper and scale fees, minus your non-fuel cost per mile, all divided by total miles including deadhead. If it's within about 10 percent of your target, it's usually worth negotiating rather than walking away. Below that, it's a reject. That's the exact ACCEPT/NEGOTIATE/REJECT logic this calculator runs. Enter the load's numbers above to get a direct answer instead of a gut call.
How do I calculate profit per mile for a trucking load?
Add the load's rate and any detention pay. Subtract fuel, tolls, lumper and scale fees. Subtract your non-fuel operating cost per mile times total miles (loaded plus empty). Then divide what is left by total miles. Example: a $2,400 load with 700 loaded and 100 empty miles leaves about $414, or about 52 cents per total mile. That assumes diesel at $5.50, 6.5 mpg loaded, 7.5 mpg empty and $1.65 of non-fuel cost per mile. Enter your own figures in the analyzer to see the same breakdown.
How do I know if a trucking load is worth taking?
Compare its profit per total mile, including the empty miles to reach the pickup, with the profit per mile you need. The analyzer marks a load Accept when it meets your target. It marks it Negotiate when it falls up to 10 percent short, and Reject when it is further below. It also shows the minimum rate you need to hit your target. So you can counter with a number instead of a guess.
What is a good rate per mile in trucking?
There is no single number: a good rate is one that covers your cost per mile and leaves your target profit on that lane. As a market reference, DAT's September 2026 national spot averages were $2.17 per mile for dry van, $2.70 for reefer and $2.60 for flatbed in linehaul, before a fuel surcharge of about 84 cents, 92 cents and 101 cents. Check a specific load against these in the Rate Benchmarker.
How do I calculate truck load rates per mile?
Divide the total pay by the miles. A $2,400 load over 700 loaded miles is $3.43 per loaded mile. But over 800 total miles, once you count 100 empty miles, it is $3.00 per mile. The second number is the one to compare with your cost per mile. You pay to drive the empty miles too.
What is the minimum rate I should accept for a load?
The minimum is the load's own costs, plus your non-fuel operating cost for every mile driven, plus the profit you want. Using the same example, fuel is $666. Operating cost is $1,320 (800 miles at $1.65). A $0.50 per mile target is $400. That gives a minimum of about $2,386. So a $2,400 offer clears it by a small margin. Enter your figures and the analyzer calculates the minimum for you.
Should I accept a low-paying load to get to a better market?
Calculate the two loads together. It can make sense if the positioning load and the load out of the better market average at or above your target profit per mile. Include the empty miles between them. If the low load only moves you to a place with weak outbound freight, it just costs you the difference.
What is the break-even rate for a trucking load?
The break-even rate is the lowest rate that pays every cost of the trip, including fuel, tolls and your operating cost for every mile, and leaves nothing extra. In the worked example above it is $2,360.46. Any rate below that loses money on the trip. The calculator works it out for your own numbers.
How much does a fuel price increase change a load's profit?
Multiply the gallons the trip uses by the price rise. In the worked example the trip uses about 136 gallons, so diesel $0.50 higher costs about $68. Use the fuel slider under What if to see it for your own trip. Longer trips and fewer miles per gallon make the same rise cost more.
What if a load takes longer than planned?
Lost time does not change the total profit on the load, but it lowers your profit per day. Add the unpaid hours in the What if section and watch profit per day fall. If the delay is waiting at a dock and your rate confirmation has detention pay, the Detention Pay Calculator shows what you are owed.
Which cost hurts a load's profit the most?
It depends on the load. The calculator tests five round changes: diesel $0.50 higher, half a mile per gallon less, 100 more empty miles, a $100 rate cut and $50 more in tolls. In the worked example, 100 more empty miles costs $245, more than any of the others.
Should my cost per mile include fuel in this calculator?
No. Fuel is worked out from the miles, your MPG and the diesel price, so leave it out of your cost per mile. Use the cost of everything else: truck and trailer payments, insurance, maintenance, tires and permits. The Cost Per Mile Calculator shows fuel on its own line. Take its total and subtract the fuel line.

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Go Further With Should I Take This Load? Calculator

Guides, services and reference pages that go with this tool.

Terms explained in the Should I Take This Load? Calculator