CALCULATOR / FREE
Rate per mile calculator
Enter the line haul, fuel surcharge and accessorials from a rate con plus loaded and empty miles to get the all-in rate per mile, the loaded rate, how much of the trip runs empty, and how it compares with DAT's national averages.
How it is calculated
- Total pay = line haul + fuel surcharge + accessorials
- Loaded rate per mile = total pay ÷ loaded miles. This is the number brokers and load boards quote.
- All-in rate per mile = total pay ÷ (loaded miles + empty miles). This is what the truck earns for every mile it moves.
- Empty share = empty miles ÷ all miles
- Left after your costs = total pay − your cost per mile × all miles, if you enter a cost per mile or have one saved in My Truck.
The national averages come from DAT's spot rates for August 2026: line haul plus the average fuel surcharge per loaded mile. Compare them with your loaded rate.
SOURCE: DAT NATIONAL AVERAGES, AUGUST 2026, SEPT 15, 2026
A worked example
An EXAMPLE dry van load pays $1,800 line haul and $400 fuel surcharge for 800 loaded miles, and the pickup is 150 miles away.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Line haul | $1,800.00 |
| Fuel surcharge | $400.00 |
| Cost at $1.90/mi x 950 miEXAMPLE cost per mile | ($1,805.00) |
| NET | $395.00 |
The loaded rate is $2.75 a mile, close to the August 2026 dry van average of $2.89. The all-in rate over 950 miles is $2.32. With a cost of $1.90 a mile, the load leaves $395. Cut the empty leg to 50 miles and the same load leaves $585.
Rate con details that change the math
Check three things before you trust the number. Is the fuel surcharge a fixed amount or tied to a fuel index? Are extra stops, detention and tarp pay written on the rate con, or only promised on the phone? And are the miles the broker lists practical truck miles, or the shortest route a car would take? Short broker miles make a rate look better than it is.
What a good or bad result means
A good load clears your cost per mile on every mile driven, with enough left over for your take-home goal. A loaded rate above the national average can still be a bad load if it starts 300 miles away or delivers into a market with nothing coming back. A rate below average can be a good one if it reloads you toward home.
That is why rates should be judged per mile driven, not per mile paid. Find your own cost with the trucking cost per mile calculator, and see what drives rates in owner-operator rates per mile. For fuel on a single trip, use the trip fuel cost calculator.
Our desk judges every load this way before it reaches you. See dispatch for owner-operators, or apply.
Calculator questions
Q01How do I calculate rate per mile in trucking?
Add everything the rate con pays, line haul plus fuel surcharge plus accessorials, and divide by miles. Divide by loaded miles for the loaded rate brokers quote; divide by loaded plus empty miles for the all-in rate your truck actually earns. Compare the all-in rate with your cost per mile.
Q02What is the average rate per mile for truck drivers?
For carriers, DAT's national spot averages for August 2026 were $2.89 a loaded mile for dry van, $3.38 for reefer and $3.54 for flatbed, line haul plus average fuel surcharge. Contract rates, lanes and seasons differ widely, so use averages as a reference point, not a target.
Q03Should I count empty miles in my rate per mile?
Yes, when you decide whether a load is worth it. The truck burns fuel and wears tires on the drive to the pickup too. A load that pays $3.00 a loaded mile with 300 empty miles can earn less per mile driven than a $2.60 load that starts across the street.
Q04How is a truck load rate calculator different from a cost per mile calculator?
This tool measures what a load pays. A cost per mile calculator measures what your truck costs to run. You need both: the gap between them is your profit per mile, and it is the number that should decide which loads you accept.
By Daniel
UPDATED OCTOBER 2026
Stop driving empty to cheap loads
Our dispatchers plan each load with the next one in mind, for every equipment type. The rate con comes to you, and you sign it or say no.