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RescueLoad

    Multi-stop load pay calculator: what every extra stop should pay you

    Enter the miles, your target rate, what your time is worth and each stop's hours and extra miles. The calculator prices every extra stop, compares the total with the offer, and shows the hourly equivalent.

    The route, stop by stop (block height = hours at the stop)
    EXAMPLE values, use yours
    1. in the rate2hP1First pickup
    2. $1432hD1Extra stop 1, +25 mi
    3. $781hD2Extra stop 2, +15 mi
    4. in the rate1.5hD3Final delivery
    mi
    $/mi
    $/hr
    mph
    $
    $
    StopTypeHours thereOut-of-route miRemove
    First pickup
    Final delivery
    Extra stop 1
    Extra stop 2

    Offered vs what your numbers say it should pay

    Offered total
    $1,800.00
    Fair total
    $1,820.00
    Difference
    -$20.00
    Hourly equivalent
    $89.55/hr
    Rate per mile, all miles
    $2.65/mi

    2 extra stops add 3 hours and 40 miles. Fair pay per extra stop on your numbers: about $110. Ask for about $20 more, or more per stop.

    About 20.1 hours door to door at your average speed, before breaks.

    What the offer is made of
    Example

    Total $1,800

    This offer is $20 short of your numbers. Our dispatchers price every stop before a load reaches you, and you approve every load.

    Get multi-stop loads priced right

    A multi-stop load can look like a good rate per mile and still pay badly per hour. Every extra stop costs time at the dock and often miles off the direct route, and a flat stop pay doesn't always cover it. This multi-stop load pay calculator puts a number on each stop using your own target rate and the value of your time, then compares the total with the offer.

    How it is calculated

    1. Plain load. Direct loaded miles × your target rate per mile. The first pickup and the final delivery are part of that.
    2. Extra stops. Each stop beyond those two = hours at the stop × your hourly value + out-of-route miles × your target rate.
    3. Fair total. Plain load + every extra stop + any out-of-route miles at the first or last stop.
    4. Offered total. Offered linehaul + offered stop pay × number of extra stops.
    5. Hourly equivalent. Offered total ÷ (driving hours + hours at all stops). Driving hours = all miles ÷ your average speed.

    The route strip draws each stop as a block whose height is its hours, with the fair price of every extra stop above it.

    A worked example

    One pickup, three dropsExample

    1. PLAIN LOAD640 mi × $2.50 = $1,600
    2. DROP 22 hr × $40 + 25 mi × $2.50 = $142.50
    3. DROP 31 hr × $40 + 15 mi × $2.50 = $77.50
    4. FAIR TOTAL$1,820 vs offered $1,650 + 2 × $75 = $1,800
    5. READ$20 short; about 20 hours door to door, $89.55 per hour

    These are the calculator's EXAMPLE defaults. Your target rate and hourly value are yours to set.

    How to read the result

    A small gap like the example's is a counter-offer, not a reason to say no. A big gap usually means the stop pay is far below what the stops cost, or the out-of-route miles aren't paid. Look at the hourly equivalent too: a load that pays well per mile but keeps you at docks all day may earn less than a plain load that pays a little less per mile. Compare it with what your truck has to earn per hour to cover its costs, using the load profitability calculator.

    Before you accept a multi-stop load

    • Get the stop list in writing. Addresses, appointment times and what is dropped where.
    • Check the order. Freight for the last drop shouldn't block freight for the first. Ask how the trailer will be loaded.
    • Count the hours. Several appointments in one day can push the last stop into tomorrow. That's when layover pay matters.
    • Secure partial loads. Every drop leaves a gap. Freight that rode tight can shift. The load securement calculator works out the minimum tiedowns for open-deck freight.
    • Get a signature at every stop. Each drop needs its own signed receipt to support the stop pay on your invoice; our freight invoice guide covers what goes with it.

    Setting your hourly value

    The hourly value is what an hour of your truck and your time has to earn. One way to set it: take what your truck needs to gross in a normal week and divide by the hours you work in that week, driving and waiting. If the result seems low, it usually means a lot of unpaid waiting is already built into your week. Use the same number on every load so the comparisons stay honest.

    What to ask for

    Brokers usually have a little room on stop pay before they have room on linehaul. Ask for stop pay that matches your per-stop number, or for the out-of-route miles to be paid, or for detention terms that start sooner at each stop. Put whatever you agree on the rate con before you roll.

    Multi-stop freight is common in dry van retail and grocery lanes. Our dry van dispatch team prices every stop before a load reaches you, and you approve every load. Send an application.

    Questions about this calculator

    How much should stop pay be in trucking?
    There's no standard number. Stop pay is whatever the rate con says, so work out what a stop costs you before you agree. Add the hours you'll spend there times what your time is worth, plus any out-of-route miles times your rate. If the offered stop pay is lower, ask for more or price it into the linehaul.
    Does the first pickup or final delivery get stop pay?
    Usually not. Stop pay normally covers each stop beyond the first pickup and the final delivery, because those two are part of any load's linehaul. Some rate cons count stops differently, for example paying per drop including the last one. Read the wording and make sure your invoice counts stops the same way the rate con does.
    What are out-of-route miles?
    Out-of-route miles are the extra miles you drive to reach a stop that isn't on the direct line between the first pickup and the final delivery. A drop 20 miles off the highway can add 40 miles round trip. Some loads pay all miles; many pay only the direct miles, so count the extras yourself.
    How do I calculate pay on a load with multiple drops?
    Start with the direct miles times your target rate per mile. For each stop beyond the first pickup and final delivery, add its hours times your hourly value and its out-of-route miles times your rate. That's the fair total. Compare it with the linehaul plus offered stop pay, then check the hourly equivalent across the whole trip.
    Can a multi-stop load also pay detention or layover?
    Yes, if the rate con says so. Detention usually applies at each stop after its free time, and a layover can apply if a stop's appointment pushes you to the next day. Write the in and out times at every stop, because each one is its own claim. Stop pay doesn't replace detention unless the rate con says it does.