Judge every load on the all-in rate
A load board rate is a headline, not the story. The number that decides whether you make money is the all-in rate per mile — total dollars divided by every mile you run for the load, deadhead included — measured against your cost per mile.
Say a broker offers $1,850 for 850 loaded miles. That's a tidy $2.18 per loaded mile. But if you deadhead 120 miles to reach the pickup, you're really running 970 miles for that $1,850, which is $1.91 all-in. At a $1.68 cost per mile, you clear about $220 on top of your own pay. Still a yes, but a very different picture than $2.18 suggested.
How this calculator works
- Load pays — everything you'll actually receive, line haul plus fuel surcharge.
- Loaded + deadhead miles — the total distance the truck moves for this load.
- Your cost per mile — your all-in operating cost, with your pay already inside it. Pull it from the cost per mile calculator.
The profit shown is what's left after the truck is paid for and you're paid for. That's why a small positive number is still a win: your salary is already covered inside the cost per mile.
Set a rate floor and hold it
Decide your minimum all-in rate before you ever look at a board, so a slow afternoon can't talk you into hauling for free. A simple floor: your cost per mile plus 15 to 20 percent. During weak markets you'll bend it to keep the wheels turning, but knowing the floor keeps a bad load from looking good at 4 p.m. on a Friday.