Rate per mile calculator
Enter the linehaul, fuel surcharge, accessorials and miles. The calculator returns your loaded rate per mile, your all-in rate across every mile including deadhead, the linehaul-only rate, and what's left per mile after a dispatch fee, next to the latest national spot average for your trailer.
By RonaldUpdated October 2026
How the calculator works
Rate per mile is simple division, but which pay and which miles you use changes the answer a lot. The calculator shows four versions side by side.
Loaded rate per mile is linehaul plus fuel surcharge plus accessorials, divided by loaded miles. It's the number most rate cons and load boards talk about.
All-in rate per mile divides the same pay by loaded plus empty miles. Every empty mile to the pickup costs fuel and time, so this is the figure that tells you whether the load really pays.
Linehaul only leaves out the fuel surcharge and accessorials, which helps when you compare a rate against your non-fuel costs.
All-in after the dispatch fee takes the fee off the pay first. Reimbursements such as lumper fees or permit costs the broker pays back are left out of the fee and out of every rate, because they're your money coming back, not revenue.
The comparison line uses DAT's national weekly spot average for your trailer type, including fuel, from the most recent week we've verified.
Source:DAT truckload spot market data, Aug 30-Sept 5, 2026 (week 36) · checked 2026-10
Worked example
- Pay (linehaul + fuel)
- $2,750
- Miles (loaded + empty)
- 850 + 120
- All-in RPM
- $2.84
- Loaded RPM
- $3.24
- Deadhead share
- 12.4%
- All-in after 5% fee
- $2.69
The rate con says $3.24 a mile, but the 120 empty miles bring the real figure to $2.84 for every mile driven. That's the gap between a load that looks good and a week that pays. Halve the deadhead and the all-in rate climbs by about 20 cents a mile without changing the rate at all.
Reading your result
If your loaded rate sits above the national average, you're doing well on that load, but check the deadhead before celebrating. If it sits below, look at the lane: some lanes pay less because trucks want to go there anyway, and they can still be worth taking if the reload out is strong.
The number that matters most is all-in against your cost per mile. If your all-in rate after fees is below your cost per mile, the load loses money no matter how it looks on the board. Work out your cost with the trucking cost per mile calculator.
Running open deck? The flatbed rate calculator adds tarp pay and securement time, and our guides to flatbed rate per mile and flatbed shipping rates explain where those numbers come from.
National averages this year
DAT's weekly national spot averages, including fuel, for the weeks we've verified this year show how much rates move from month to month and between trailer types:
| Week (2026) | Dry van | Reefer | Flatbed | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | May 24-30 | $2.68 | $3.00 | $3.26 | | Jun 21-27 | $3.02 | $3.39 | $3.68 | | Aug 9-15 | $2.93 | $3.38 | $3.54 | | Aug 30-Sep 5 | $2.95 | $3.54 | $3.54 |
Source:DAT spot truckload data, May 24-30, 2026 (week 22) · checked 2026-10DAT spot truckload data, June 21-27, 2026 · checked 2026-10DAT spot market data, Aug 9-15, 2026 (week 33) · checked 2026-10DAT truckload spot market data, Aug 30-Sept 5, 2026 (week 36) · checked 2026-10
Late June ran well above late May for all three trailer types, and reefer kept climbing into September while dry van eased. A national average hides big differences between lanes, so use it as context for a rate, never as the rate itself.
Common mistakes
- Comparing your linehaul-only rate to an average that includes fuel. Compare like with like.
- Ignoring deadhead. A great loaded rate with 200 empty miles can pay less than an average rate with 20.
- Counting reimbursements as income. A lumper you paid and got back isn't revenue.
- Forgetting the fee. Run the after-fee number before you decide.
Where a dispatcher moves the number
A dispatcher can lift your rate per mile in two places. On the rate con, by negotiating linehaul, fuel surcharge and accessorials line by line. And on the map, by planning reloads so fewer miles are empty. The second is often worth more than the first. Our fee is a percentage of the load's revenue, excluding reimbursements, and you approve every load before it's booked; see dispatch pricing.
Calculator questions
Note 01How do you calculate rate per mile?
Divide the pay by the miles. Loaded rate per mile divides the load's pay, linehaul plus fuel surcharge plus accessorials, by loaded miles. All-in rate per mile divides the same pay by loaded plus empty miles, which is the number that actually pays your bills. Leave pass-through reimbursements out of both.
Note 02Should I include fuel surcharge in rate per mile?
For comparing loads, yes: the fuel surcharge is part of what the broker pays you, and national spot averages are usually quoted including fuel. For comparing against your costs, also look at the linehaul-only number, since the surcharge is meant to offset fuel, not to be profit.
Note 03What is a good rate per mile?
One that covers your cost per mile with a margin, across all your miles, not just loaded ones. National averages give you context but not a target, because lanes, seasons and equipment move rates a lot. Work out your own cost per mile first, then set your minimum all-in rate above it.
Note 04Why is my all-in rate lower than the rate con?
Because the rate con pays for loaded miles while you also drive empty to the pickup. A 10% deadhead share cuts the all-in rate by about a tenth. The fix is better load planning: reloads close to your delivery and lanes that bring you back toward freight.
Higher all-in rates come from planning, not just negotiating
We negotiate every line and plan the next load before you deliver this one.