Load profit is what’s left after fuel, driver pay, tolls, and per-mile costs come out of the load revenue. It’s the number that decides whether to book a load.
The example
$2,400 revenue, $1,560 costs.
| A | B | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Item | Value |
| 2 | 2400 − 1560 | — |
| 3 | Profit | → $840 |
The formula
The formula:
How it works
How it works:
- Total the load costs: fuel (miles ÷ MPG × price), driver pay, tolls, and per-mile maintenance.
- Subtract from revenue for the load profit.
- Divide by total miles for profit per mile — the comparable number across loads.
- A load is worth booking when profit per mile beats your alternatives.
Profit per mile, not total profit, ranks loads. An $840 profit on a 1,200-mile load ($0.70/mi) beats a $900 profit that takes 2,000 miles ($0.45/mi) — the first frees the truck sooner for the next load. Always reduce a load to profit per total mile (including deadhead to pick it up) before saying yes; the biggest check is not always the best load.
Try it: interactive demo
Revenue, costs, total miles.
Variations
Profit per mile
Compare loads:
Fuel cost
One cost line:
Margin %
Profit ÷ revenue:
Pitfalls & errors
All costs. Fuel, driver, tolls, and per-mile maintenance — not just fuel.
Profit per mile. Compare loads on per-mile profit, not total.
Deadhead. Include empty miles to the pickup in costs.
Practice workbook
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate load profit in Excel?
How do I compare two loads?
What costs should I include?
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