Trucking Cost per Mile Calculator: Free Excel Spreadsheet

To run a successful trucking business or delivery business, you need to master the art of bidding low enough to win the job, but high enough to make a profit. To achieve that, you need to do two things:

1. Know your total costs per mile.
2. Manage your operating costs, so you can bid low but earn high.

Our Excel spreadsheet makes it easy! You’re going to have to do a little homework and have your operating expenses handy. Get that ready and follow our instructions, and you’ll be one step closer to being in charge of your total expenses and profitability.

The benefit is twofold. You’ll know what to charge to keep you in business, or, if your number isn’t competitive or where you want it, you have a tool to help you target where you can cut fleet expenses, short- or long-term. This article applies to shippers, owner-operators, delivery fleets, or trucking businesses.

How to calculate trucking cost per mile

In our Excel spreadsheet, you'll need to enter two different expenses: fixed costs and variable costs.

1. Fixed costs

These are expenses that don’t change much in a given time period. They’re the kind you’re going to have to pay whether you’re on the road or not. These are things like bank payments for your equipment, insurance premiums, permits, accounting fees, and property leases.

2. Variable expenses

These are the total variable costs you rack up by driving – the more you drive, the more they add up. These include average costs for driver pay, fuel costs (related to your mpg), truck maintenance, preventive maintenance, tolls, road taxes and the like. Not only do these add up the more your company is on the road, they can also change by season, by the month, or even by the week, so it pays to stay on top of them to keep your competitiveness and profitability in line with market conditions. 

🚚 Ready to do your own calculations? Check out our free Trucking Cost Per Mile and Profit Calculator now.

Calculating cost per mile with a free Excel template

1. Before you can edit the spreadsheet, you will need to copy or download it.
2. The white cells are for you to add your information. The green and yellow cells are for our calculations.
3. Start by adding your total number of miles in a year in annual mileage — actual or estimated — for all the vehicles in your fleet (even if it’s only one).
4. Then enter your total fixed costs and variable expenses. Some of these will be monthly, others will be annual.
5. In the profit and loss section, enter your average rate per mile.

Our  calculator will take care of the rest, showing both your annual and monthly cost per mile and what your profit or loss is.  

Now you can change any number you entered to find out what it would take to improve your profitability.

Reducing your cost per mile

Now that you’ve calculated your total cost per mile, you can start to manage it. There are a number of ways to reduce your cost per mile. Here are some related articles to help you with this:

• Last Mile Delivery Costs — Challenges and Solutions
• The Road To Savings: How To Lower Delivery Transport Costs
• How To Cut Gas Costs In Your Delivery Business
• Fleet Maintenance Is Critical For Your Delivery Business