Compare up to three freight load offers side by side. Calculate estimated fuel costs, deadhead miles, tolls, factoring fees, driver pay, and operating expenses to see which load offers the best profit. Free to use, no signup required.
Compare up to 3 broker offers using your real operating costs, then see which load keeps the most money in your pocket.
These assumptions apply to all three loads. Change them to match your business. Leave a cost at $0 if it doesn't apply.
Avoid double-counting: fuel, driver pay, IFTA and factoring are calculated separately, so exclude them from your fixed/variable per-mile entries. IFTA here is a planning estimate, not an actual jurisdiction-by-jurisdiction tax calculation.
You have seen which load wins. But do you know exactly where the money goes? Get your personalized expense-by-expense comparison, including fuel, factoring, tolls, total operating costs and profit for each load, sent straight to your inbox. Your free results stay visible here, but the detailed report is emailed to NCS subscribers.
To receive your detailed report, you must agree to NCS marketing emails below. You can unsubscribe from marketing at any time.
After requesting your report, you’ll see how the NCS operating system connects quoting, dispatch, billing and settlements.
Estimates only. Road conditions, tolls, taxes, maintenance and other expenses may change final profitability. Total miles = deadhead + loaded miles. Gross profit here means estimated offer revenue less the listed trip costs, not tax-accounting gross profit.
1. How to Calculate Profit on a Truck Load
The broker's rate isn't your profit. Subtract your estimated fuel, driver pay, tolls, factoring fees, and other operating expenses from the load revenue to determine what's left.
Estimated Load Profit = Total Revenue − Total Operating Costs
2. Deadhead Miles Can Eat Your Profit
That $2,000 load might look good until you realize you're driving 150 unpaid miles just to reach pickup.
Every deadhead mile burns fuel, adds wear to your equipment, and increases your operating costs without adding freight revenue.
3. Know Your Cost Per Mile
Your cost per mile tells you approximately how much it costs to operate your truck for every mile driven.
Cost Per Mile = Total Operating Costs ÷ Total Miles Driven
Include both loaded and deadhead miles. Your long-term business CPM should also account for fixed expenses, maintenance, and other ownership costs.
4. Compare Profit, Not Just Broker Rates
The highest-paying load isn't always the best-paying opportunity.
Compare estimated profit dollars, profit margin, and profit per mile. Also consider the time each load requires and where it leaves your truck.
5. Watch the Hidden Expenses
Factoring fees, tolls, fuel costs, and applicable fuel taxes can reduce the money your business keeps.
IFTA is especially important to understand: actual tax liability depends on jurisdictional mileage, fuel purchases, and applicable tax rates. A general calculator provides an estimate, not a final IFTA filing calculation.
The Bottom Line
A busy truck doesn't automatically mean a profitable trucking business.
Know your numbers. Compare your options. Book with confidence.
Know Before You Book
Understand your costs, compare freight offers, and make informed load-booking decisions. Here are answers to the questions owner-operators and dispatchers ask most.
Estimated load profit = Total load revenue − Total estimated operating costs. Include diesel, deadhead mileage costs, tolls, factoring fees, driver pay, and other relevant expenses. Enter your operating assumptions into the NCS calculator to compare up to three loads.
No. A higher broker rate can come with more deadhead miles, higher fuel costs, tolls, or a longer trip. Compare estimated net profit, profit margin, and profit per total mile instead of choosing by gross revenue alone.
Deadhead miles are miles your truck travels without a paying freight load, such as driving to pickup. They still consume fuel, time, and vehicle life. Include both loaded and deadhead miles when evaluating a load's costs and profitability.
Cost per mile (CPM) = Total operating costs ÷ Total miles driven. A realistic business-wide CPM should reflect fuel, maintenance, tires, insurance, equipment payments or depreciation, permits, and other applicable costs. Count all miles, including deadhead.
Revenue per mile is load revenue divided by the miles used for the comparison. Profit per mile is estimated profit divided by those miles. For fair load comparisons, use the same mileage basis for both metrics, ideally all loaded and deadhead miles.
Factoring fees reduce the amount you retain from an invoice, and tolls add to trip costs. Even modest charges can change which offer wins when margins are tight. Enter each load's expected charges before booking.
No. Any IFTA-related amount here is a planning estimate, not a tax filing calculation. Actual IFTA liability depends on miles traveled and fuel purchased by jurisdiction, fuel economy, and applicable rates. Use your detailed records for IFTA reporting.
Yes. The free NCS Truck Load Profit Calculator compares up to three loads side by side so you can identify the leading offer based on your entered cost and revenue assumptions.
No. You can use the calculator and see the basic comparison without signing up. To receive the detailed, expense-by-expense report by email, enter your email address and agree to receive NCS marketing messages. You can unsubscribe from marketing emails at any time.
Booking is just the beginning. You still need to manage dispatch, pickup and delivery details, driver communication, paperwork, billing, and settlements. The NCS Trucking Operating System brings those workflows together in one Airtable-based system.
Compare the numbers first, then see how NCS helps manage the work after the load is booked.
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