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Trip Pre-Cost Calculator for Owner Operators

Full cost breakdown before you accept a load — know your numbers before you roll.

Trip Details

mi
mi
mi
$
mpg
mpg
$/gal
$
$
$
hrs
$

Enter trip details and click Calculate

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 estimate the total cost of a trucking trip before I run it?

A trip's pre-cost is every cost tied to that specific trip. That is fuel for all the miles, loaded and empty, plus tolls, scale and lumper fees and meals. Then add your cost per mile without fuel on all those miles, which covers the truck payment, insurance, maintenance and the rest. Subtract the total from the rate to see your true profit before you commit to the load. Trip time comes from the hours of service rules, so profit per day counts breaks and 10-hour rests.

  1. Add up total trip miles, including deadhead to the pickup and any out-of-route miles.
  2. Work out fuel: loaded miles divided by loaded MPG, plus empty miles divided by empty MPG, times the diesel price.
  3. Add tolls, scale fees, lumper fees and meals for the nights out.
  4. Enter your cost per mile without fuel. It covers truck and trailer payments, insurance, maintenance, tires and permits. Fuel is counted above, so leaving it out here avoids counting it twice.
  5. Add the hours you expect to spend loading, unloading and waiting. They use up your 14-hour window and can force a 10-hour rest.
  6. Subtract the trip expenses and the cost per mile on all miles from the rate. That is your true profit. Divide it by the days the trip takes for your profit per day.
What a trip pre-cost should include beyond fuel
Cost typeExample
Variable, trip-specificFuel, tolls, scale fees, lumper fees
Fixed, allocated by mileTruck payment, insurance, permits, ELD, phone
Often forgottenDeadhead miles to the pickup, out-of-route miles

There is no standard margin to aim for. Work out what you need per mile or per day from your own costs, and use the Cost Per Mile Calculator to find it. The meals line uses the IRS per diem rate of $80 a night as a stand-in for what you spend. It is not a tax figure here.

Last reviewed October 2026. Sources: eCFR: 49 CFR 395.3, driving limits behind the trip time; IRS Notice 2026-60: per diem rates.

Frequently Asked Questions - Trip Pre-Cost Calculator

What is trip precosting in trucking?
Trip precosting means working out every real cost of a trip, fuel for all miles including deadhead, tolls, scale fees and your share of fixed costs, before you accept the load, so you can see the actual profit margin instead of just the headline rate.
What expenses should I include when precosting a load?
Include fuel for loaded and deadhead miles, tolls, scale fees, lumper fees if expected, and meals for the nights out. Then add your cost per mile without fuel on all the miles, which covers the truck payment, insurance, maintenance and permits. Deadhead to the pickup is the expense most commonly left out, and leaving it out makes a load look more profitable than it is.
When should I reject a load based on precost?
Reject it if the total trip cost, including deadhead and your allocated fixed costs, comes out higher than the rate offered, or if the resulting profit per mile falls below what you need to meet your own income target. There's no single universal cutoff percentage that applies to every operation; use your own minimum acceptable rate per mile as the bar.
Should my cost per mile include fuel?
No. Fuel is worked out on its own from your miles, MPG and the diesel price, so a cost per mile that already includes fuel would count it twice. Use your cost per mile without fuel. The Cost Per Mile Calculator lists fuel on its own line. Take its total and subtract the fuel line.
Why does the trip take longer than the driving hours?
Because the rules add time. After 8 hours of driving you need a 30-minute break, and after 11 hours of driving, or 14 hours on duty, you need 10 hours off. Loading and waiting count toward the 14 hours. The calculator uses those rules to work out the calendar days, so your profit per day is a real figure.

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Go Further With Trip Pre-Cost Calculator

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

Terms explained in the Trip Pre-Cost Calculator