Start with cost per total kilometre
Use the full internal truck cost per kilometre, not only fuel. Every actual kilometre creates cost whether the vehicle is loaded or empty.
Logistics planning tool
Truck Break-Even Rate Calculator
Truck Break-Even Rate Calculator brings operating cost per kilometre, annual mileage, empty mileage percentage and optional target margin into the same LogicCalc workspace as route, timing and transport economics. Review minimum break-even rate per loaded kilometre and a target loaded rate that covers empty running before quoting or dispatching.
Built for road freight
Route-aware workflow
No separate spreadsheet
14 language versions
How it works
How it works
Translate internal cost per total kilometre into the minimum revenue required from loaded kilometres. Empty running matters because the paid kilometres must recover the cost of kilometres that generate no freight revenue.
Account for the loaded share
Convert the empty-mileage percentage into the share of kilometres that can earn freight revenue. Divide the cost per total kilometre by that loaded share to find the break-even rate per loaded kilometre.
Add target margin afterwards
Break-even only covers the modeled cost base. If a commercial target is required, apply the desired margin or uplift after the cost-covering loaded rate is known.
Typical use cases
What you can use Truck Break-Even Rate Calculator for
Use the break-even rate when deciding whether a loaded-kilometre offer actually recovers the truck’s total running, including deadhead.
Load acceptance
Screen a load offer before acceptance by comparing the offered loaded-kilometre rate with the calculated cost-covering threshold.
Rate negotiation
Use the threshold in rate negotiations to understand how far a proposed price sits above or below the modeled break-even level.
Deadhead planning
See how a higher empty-mileage share increases the revenue required from each loaded kilometre even when the truck’s underlying €/km cost stays unchanged.
Practical example
Practical example
If a truck costs €1.10 per total kilometre and 15% of annual kilometres are empty, the break-even rate rises to about €1.29 per loaded kilometre. A target margin can then be applied on top.
Frequently asked questions
Truck Break-Even Rate Calculator FAQ
Why is break-even per loaded kilometre higher than truck cost per kilometre?
Because loaded kilometres must pay for both loaded and empty running. When some kilometres earn no freight revenue, the cost of those kilometres has to be recovered from the smaller loaded share.
How is the break-even loaded rate calculated?
A simple planning model divides internal cost per total kilometre by the loaded-kilometre share. At €1.10/km total cost and 15% empty mileage, the loaded share is 85%, giving about €1.29 per loaded kilometre before target profit.
Is break-even the same as my target selling rate?
No. Break-even is the modeled cost-covering threshold. A target selling rate may be higher to provide profit and cover risk, route-specific charges or commercial conditions.
What happens when empty mileage increases?
The loaded share becomes smaller, so each revenue kilometre must recover more total truck cost. The break-even loaded rate therefore rises even if the underlying cost per total kilometre does not change.
What to verify before pricing
Break-even is a planning threshold, not a promise that a particular load will be profitable after every real-world cost is known.
- Use the actual or realistically expected empty-mileage share for the operation; an understated deadhead percentage makes the threshold too low.
- Start from a complete internal cost per total kilometre rather than fuel-only cost.
- Add tolls, ferries, waiting, special handling and other trip-specific charges separately when they are not already included in the base cost model.
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This is a real LogicCalc workspace view. Use your own route, cargo, fleet and commercial settings for the actual calculation.
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Use Truck Break-Even Rate Calculator on your next route
Open LogicCalc, enter the route and cargo data, and keep this calculation together with the rest of the dispatch plan.
LogicCalc is a planning tool. Always verify operational, legal and contractual requirements for the actual transport.