Freight Calculators

Trucking math that keeps you profitable: your true cost per mile, temperature-controlled premiums, mode comparison with transit times, per-load profitability, and minimum viable hotshot rates — with editable 2026 example inputs and honest sourcing.

Freight

Fleet Cost per Mile Calculator

Your true trucking cost per mile from monthly fixed and variable costs, with deadhead adjustment and a 1....

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Reefer Shipping Cost Calculator

Estimate temperature-controlled truckload cost: dry van base plus the reefer premium by temperature band ...

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Freight Mode Comparison Calculator

Compare LTL, full truckload, and intermodal for one shipment: cost, transit time, and when each mode wins...

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Load Profitability Calculator

Will this load make money? Net revenue and margin from rate, miles, deadhead, your cost per mile, and fue...

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Hotshot Rate Calculator

Minimum viable hotshot rate: your cost per mile, deadhead miles, and target margin rolled into a defensib...

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How to choose

How to choose a freight calculator

Match the calculator to the pricing model you are actually charged by. Shipping by the pallet? Start with the pallet cost tool. Comparing dimensional weight against actual weight? The dimensional weight calculator shows which one the carrier will bill. Negotiating a lane rate? Cost per mile gives you the floor you can defend.

The math

How these calculators work

Each freight calculator states its formula — dimensional weight uses the carrier divisor you select, fuel surcharges apply as an editable percentage, and cost-per-mile separates fixed and variable operating costs. All inputs are editable and all calculations run locally in your browser.

Honest limits

What these tools do not do

These are planning tools, not rate engines. They do not connect to carrier APIs or reflect negotiated discounts. Enter the rates from your agreement and the math reproduces them exactly.

Quick answers

Common questions

What is dimensional weight and when does it apply?

Carriers bill on whichever is greater: actual weight or dimensional weight (length × width × height divided by a divisor). The dimensional weight calculator computes both and flags which one applies to your box.

How is cost per mile calculated?

Total operating costs over the period divided by total miles. The calculator splits fixed costs (insurance, payments, permits) from variable ones (fuel, maintenance) so you can see your break-even per loaded mile.

Should fuel surcharge be a percentage or per-mile adder?

Carriers use both. The tools let you enter it either way so you can mirror the exact structure on your carrier agreement instead of averaging it away.

Do these include accessorials like liftgate or inside delivery?

No — accessorial schedules vary by carrier and change often. Price them separately from your carrier's current accessorial sheet and add them to the estimate.

Can I use these for LTL freight class pricing?

The calculators handle weight, dimensions, and rate structure you enter. Freight class assignment itself is a carrier-side classification — verify yours before quoting.

Worked example: dimensional weight against a 40x48 pallet

Take a 40 x 48 x 30 inch shipment that weighs 180 lb on the scale. Dimensional weight is 40 x 48 x 30 / 166 = 346.99 lb, which carriers round up to 347 lb. Since 347 lb exceeds the 180 lb actual weight, the carrier bills 347 lb, nearly double what the scale showed. On the same box, a denser divisor of 139 gives 40 x 48 x 30 / 139 = 414.39 lb, so the divisor choice alone moves billed weight by 67 lb per shipment.

The same arithmetic shows when actual weight takes over: at divisor 166, a 40 x 48 x 30 shipment must weigh 347 lb or more before the scale wins. Below that line, shrinking height from 30 to 24 inches drops dimensional weight from 347 lb to 277.59 lb, about 70 billable pounds saved on the same cargo.

Where the cost per mile floor moves

Break-even is sensitive to fixed costs. At 100,000 miles a year, $42,000 of fixed costs (insurance, payments, permits) is $0.42 per mile, and $0.62 per mile of variable costs (fuel, maintenance) sets the floor at $1.04. If the truck runs only 60,000 miles in a slow year, the same $42,000 spreads to $0.70 per mile and the floor rises to $1.32, a 27 percent jump with no change in operating discipline.

Edge cases behave deliberately. A fuel surcharge entered as 0 percent reproduces the base linehaul, which is a useful check that the other inputs are right. Per-mile adders stay flat while percentage surcharges scale with linehaul: at a $2.10 per mile base rate, an 18 percent surcharge adds $0.38 per mile either way, but the two structures diverge as the base rate moves. Negative values are rejected rather than clamped, since a negative surcharge or mile count usually means a spreadsheet paste error, not a real discount.