Truck profitability calculator
Thinking about buying a truck? Plug in your numbers and see the full picture in seconds: the real monthly payment, your cost per mile, the rate per loaded mile you must beat, and what the truck actually earns — both in monthly cash flow and in true economic profit after depreciation. Free, no sign-up.
Cash profit uses the loan payment (“can I pay my bills this month?”). Economic profit replaces it with straight-line depreciation of $2,000/mo plus average interest of $462/mo (“am I actually making money?”) — salvage recovery is built into depreciation, so never count both views at once. Estimates only, not financial advice.
CargIQ tracks your real cost per mile automatically
This calculator runs on estimates. CargIQ computes your actual cost per mile, deadhead, and per-truck profit from your real loads, fuel transactions, and settlements — updated with every dispatch.
How this calculator works
The model behind the numbers, piece by piece — so you can trust what it tells you and adjust it to your operation.
The loan payment (amortization)
You finance the truck price minus your down payment. The monthly payment follows the standard amortization formula, where P is the financed amount, r is the monthly rate (APR ÷ 12), and n is the number of months. Commercial truck loans in the US typically run 8–12% APR for carriers with decent credit, on 48–72 month terms. On a $160,000 truck with 20% down at 8% over 60 months, that works out to roughly $2,595 a month — and about $27,700 of total interest.
Depreciation and salvage value
The truck loses value over your holding period. Straight-line economic depreciation is (purchase price − salvage value) ÷ months held. This matters twice: it is your true cost of “using up” the asset, and the salvage value is real cash you recover when you sell. A $160,000 truck sold for $40,000 after five years costs you $2,000 a month in depreciation — whether or not you notice it.
Cash flow vs. economic profit
This is where most people get confused. Never count both the loan payment and depreciation as costs — that double-counts the truck. Use the loan payment when you want monthly cash flow (“can I pay my bills?”). Use depreciation + interest when you want true profitability (“am I actually making money?”). Cash profit can look fine while economic profit is negative — you are slowly eating your equity — or the reverse once the loan is paid off but the truck keeps earning. The calculator shows both so you can see the gap.
Cost per mile
Everything converts to dollars per mile, because that is how freight is priced. Fixed costs — truck payment, insurance, permits — get divided by your monthly miles, so the more you run, the cheaper each mile gets. Variable costs — fuel, maintenance, driver pay — scale with miles directly. This is why utilization is the most powerful lever in the whole model: drop from 9,000 to 6,500 miles a month in a soft market and your breakeven jumps from about $2.19 to $2.45 per loaded mile, often above what the spot market pays. That is exactly how carriers go under in down cycles.
Deadhead and your breakeven rate
You pay costs on all miles but earn revenue only on loaded miles, so your breakeven rate per loaded mile is total cost per mile ÷ (1 − deadhead %). Every point of deadhead you cut drops the rate floor you need to stay profitable — which is why empty-mile reduction is worth more than it looks.
What to layer on next
Two real-world additions change the picture: taxes — Section 179 and bonus depreciation let US carriers write off most of the truck price in year one — and the maintenance curve: the flat $/mile here is an average, but it runs closer to $0.10 in years 1–2 under warranty and $0.30+ in years 4–5. That curve is the real argument behind choosing your trade-in cycle and your salvage assumption.
Frequently asked questions
Most owner-operators land between $1.60 and $2.20 per mile all-in, depending on fuel prices, insurance, and whether they hire a driver. The number matters less than knowing it precisely: your breakeven rate per loaded mile is your cost per mile divided by your loaded-mile share, and hauling below that number loses money no matter how busy you are.
Cash profit counts the loan payment as the truck cost and answers "can I pay my bills this month?". Economic profit replaces the payment with depreciation plus interest and answers "am I actually making money?". They differ month to month but converge over the full ownership cycle. Never count both the payment and depreciation at once — that double-counts the truck.
You pay costs on every mile but earn revenue only on loaded miles, so breakeven rate = total cost per mile ÷ (1 − deadhead %). At $1.93 per mile cost and 12% deadhead, you must average $2.19 per loaded mile just to break even — and every extra point of deadhead pushes that floor higher.
New Class 8 sleeper trucks typically run $150,000–$220,000, while 3–5 year old used trucks go for $50,000–$100,000. Financing for carriers with decent credit usually lands at 8–12% APR over 48–72 months, with 10–25% down. Used trucks cost less upfront but carry higher maintenance per mile — often $0.30+ versus $0.10 under warranty.
No — results are pre-tax. In the US, Section 179 and bonus depreciation can let you write off most of the truck price in year one, which substantially improves the early after-tax picture. Fuel taxes (IFTA), heavy vehicle use tax, and state fees sit inside the "other fixed" bucket. Talk to a tax professional for your specific situation.
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