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    Box truck cost per mile calculator: your cost, and the loaded rate you need

    Enter a normal month for your 26 ft box truck: fixed bills, fuel, per-mile costs, miles, margin and how much you usually run empty. You get your cost per mile and the minimum loaded rate per mile, rung by rung.

    mi

    Fixed costs per month

    $
    $
    $
    $
    $
    $

    Variable costs

    $/gal
    mpg
    $/mi
    $/mi
    $/mi
    $/mi
    %
    %

    Cost per mile

    $0.88

    Minimum loaded rate

    $1.22

    Fixed $0.32 + fuel $0.42 + other $0.14 per mile. With a 15% margin and 15% deadhead, a load needs about $1.22 per loaded mile.

    Rate ladder: loaded rate needed by deadhead
    EXAMPLE costs, use yours
    1. 0% empty$1.04
    2. 10% empty$1.15
    3. 15% empty$1.22 you
    4. 20% empty$1.30
    5. 30% empty$1.48
    6. 40% empty$1.73
    One month of costs

    Total $7,046

    $1.22 per loaded mile is your floor at 15% deadhead, about $7,048 a month to run. Our dispatchers counter from it, and you approve every load.

    Get box truck loads above my number

    A 26 ft box truck can look busy and still lose money, because short runs, dock time and empty miles hide in a rate that sounds fine. This box truck cost per mile calculator starts from your own month: the fixed bills, the fuel and per-mile costs, and the miles you actually run. Then it does the step most calculators skip. The rate ladder shows the loaded rate per mile you need at each deadhead level, with yours highlighted.

    How it is calculated

    • Fixed cost per mile = fixed monthly costs ÷ miles per month, loaded and empty.
    • Fuel cost per mile = fuel price ÷ miles per gallon.
    • Cost per mile = fixed + fuel + maintenance + tires + tolls + any driver pay per mile.
    • Target all-in rate = cost per mile ÷ (1 - margin).
    • Minimum loaded rate = target all-in rate ÷ (1 - deadhead share). Loads pay only for loaded miles, so the empty share has to be carried by the paid ones.

    A worked example

    One 26 ft box, one monthExample

    1. FIXED$2,550 ÷ 8,000 mi = $0.319/mi
    2. FUEL$3.80 ÷ 9 mpg = $0.422/mi
    3. OTHERMaintenance $0.10 + tires $0.03 + tolls $0.01 = $0.14/mi
    4. COST$0.881/mi, about $7,048 for the month
    5. FLOOR$0.881 ÷ 0.85 margin ÷ 0.85 (15% empty) = $1.219 per loaded mile

    These are EXAMPLE numbers for one 26 ft box truck. Insurance alone varies widely by state, cargo and history, so use your own policy.

    How to read the rate ladder

    Each rung is the same truck with a different share of empty miles. The jump from one rung to the next grows as deadhead rises, which is why a cheap load far from your truck can be worth less than a lower-paying one close by. If your rung sits well above what your lanes pay, you have three levers: fewer empty miles, more miles in the month to spread fixed costs, or lower costs. The calculator shows which one moves your number most; change one input at a time.

    Box truck numbers worth getting right

    • Miles per month. Box trucks often run fewer miles than tractors, and fixed costs per mile climb fast when the month is short. Use your real ELD or odometer numbers.
    • Fuel economy. A loaded box in city traffic gets far less than its highway best. Use the fuel card total, not a sticker figure.
    • Dock time. Short local loads can take most of a day for few miles. A high rate per mile on a 40-mile run may still pay little per hour.
    • CDL status. A 26 ft box with a GVWR of 26,001 lb or more needs a CDL; at 26,000 lb or less it doesn't, which affects who can drive it and which compliance rules apply.

    Source: 49 CFR 383.91, checked October 2026

    Per mile or per hour?

    Box truck freight is often local, with several stops and long waits, so a rate per mile can mislead on short runs. Check those loads per hour too: take the pay, subtract the miles times your cost per mile, and divide what's left by the hours the load will take, door to door. A 60-mile load at a high posted rate that eats a full day can earn less than a 300-mile run at a lower rate. Keep both numbers in view when you compare offers.

    Using your floor on real offers

    Run each offer through the rate per mile calculator with the real deadhead to the pickup, and compare its all-in rate with your target. If you also run a tractor, the trucking cost per mile calculator handles the bigger payment, insurance and trailer costs. Shippers who want to see the other side of these numbers can read freight shipping cost (coming soon) and our freight cost analysis (coming soon).

    We dispatch 26 ft box trucks and nothing shorter, and we price from your floor. See box truck dispatch: our dispatchers counter from your number, and you approve every load. Send an application.

    Questions about this calculator

    What is a good 26ft box truck rate per mile?
    One that clears your own cost per mile plus your margin, across loaded and empty miles. Market rates for box trucks swing with the season, the lane and how much freight is local or regional, so no single number holds for long. Work out your floor here, then judge each offer against it, not against an average.
    What is the average box truck rate per mile?
    Averages are published by load boards and rate services, often behind a subscription, and they cover a wide mix of short local runs and longer regional loads. Short runs often post a higher rate per mile because the miles are few and the stops take time. Use an average to sense the market, and your cost per mile to decide.
    How do I use a box truck rate per mile calculator for a load?
    Find your minimum loaded rate here first. For each offer, divide the pay by the loaded miles and compare it with that minimum. Better still, add the deadhead to the pickup and divide by all miles, then compare with your cost per mile plus margin. The rate per mile calculator does that second step and gives a counter-offer.
    What costs are different for a box truck than a semi?
    Fuel economy is usually better and the payment and insurance often lower, but box trucks tend to run fewer miles a month, so fixed costs spread over less. Many loads are short, with more stops and more time at docks per mile driven. A 26 ft box with a GVWR of 26,000 lb or less needs no CDL to drive.
    Why does deadhead raise the rate I need?
    Your truck costs money on every mile, but loads pay only for loaded miles. If 20 percent of your miles are empty, each paid mile has to cover itself and a share of the empty one. The rate ladder shows how fast that adds up: at 20 percent deadhead you need a quarter more per loaded mile than at zero.