Rate Per Mile Calculator
Calculate your true rate per mile after deadhead and fees. See gross vs net RPM and project your weekly and monthly earnings.
Your Real Rate Per Mile Is Lower Than You Think
Brokers quote rate per loaded mile. But your truck doesn't run on loaded miles alone — you burn fuel, time, and tire tread on every deadhead mile to the pickup. The rate on your confirmation says $2.90/mi. After 150 miles of deadhead, your actual rate is $2.56/mi. After 6% dispatch, it drops to $2.40/mi. This calculator shows you the real number.
Enter your load pay, loaded miles, empty miles, and any percentage-based fees. You'll see your gross rate per total mile, your net rate after fees, and a deadhead comparison showing how different empty-mile scenarios change your effective rate. The earnings projection extends your per-load numbers to weekly and monthly revenue based on how many loads you typically run.
Use this alongside our Cost Per Mile Calculator to see if your effective rate exceeds your operating cost — that gap is your profit per mile. For a per-load breakdown including fuel and tolls, try the Profit Per Load Calculator. Professional dispatchers target loads with minimal deadhead specifically to keep your effective rate high — see how in our dispatch vs self-dispatch comparison.
Load Info
Fees & Projection
Why this matters: Brokers quote rate per loaded mile. But your truck burns fuel on deadhead miles too. Your effective rate per total mile is what actually determines profitability.
Frequently Asked Questions
Good rates depend on equipment type and region. Dry van averages $2.50-$4.50/mi, reefer $3.00-$5.50/mi, flatbed $3.00-$5.50/mi, and heavy haul $4.00-$8.00/mi. These are gross loaded-mile rates. Your effective rate (including deadhead) will be lower. What matters most is whether your effective rate exceeds your cost per mile — that's your profit.
Rate per loaded mile divides the load pay by only the miles you're carrying freight (pickup to delivery). Rate per total mile divides the pay by ALL miles including deadhead to the pickup. Total-mile rate is always lower and is the more honest measure of what you're actually earning. A $3,200 load on 1,100 loaded miles is $2.91/loaded mile, but add 200 miles of deadhead and it's $2.46/total mile.
Fees reduce your net rate per mile. On a $3,200 load with 6% dispatch ($192) and 3% factoring ($96), you net $2,912. On 1,185 total miles, that drops your effective rate from $2.70/mi to $2.46/mi. This calculator shows both gross and net rates so you can see exactly what fees cost you per mile.
Three ways: negotiate higher load rates, reduce deadhead miles, and minimize percentage-based fees. A dispatcher who specializes in your equipment type and knows your preferred lanes can typically achieve all three — better rates through broker relationships, less deadhead through load planning, and volume leverage with brokers.
Most OTR owner-operators run 2-3 loads per week depending on distance. Regional carriers may run 3-5 shorter loads. The key metric is total miles and revenue per week, not load count. Two $3,200 loads generating $6,400/week may beat four $1,400 loads at $5,600/week with more deadhead. Use the earnings projection in this calculator to compare scenarios.
Higher Rates, Less Deadhead — That's Dispatch
Our dispatchers negotiate $2.50-$5.50+/mi loads and plan routes to minimize empty miles. The result: a higher effective rate per total mile.