Full truckload
Truckload Shipping Calculator: FTL Cost per Mile
Calculate full-truckload linehaul from loaded miles and an entered per-mile rate, then keep fuel, stops and other services separate.
For a rate expressed per loaded mile, linehaul is loaded miles × the entered rate. The total is only comparable when both offers use the same mileage basis, equipment, fuel treatment, stop, detention, appointment and loading assumptions.
What changes the result?
A useful calculation starts with the physical scope and the written commercial terms. These are the factors to make explicit:
- Practical loaded-mile basis
- Equipment and capacity
- Whether fuel is included
- Stops, detention and layover terms
- Pickup and delivery constraints
Use one scope for every quote
Give each business the same information and ask it to resolve the same boundaries. That makes the totals more comparable and exposes work left as an allowance or exclusion.
- Confirm the mileage source
- State whether the rate includes fuel
- Price stops and delay terms
- Keep the written rate confirmation
Build the truckload estimate from entered terms
Multiply loaded miles by the agreed linehaul rate per mile, then add fuel and documented accessorials once. The worksheet does not claim to retrieve a live market quote or infer a lane rate from private load-board data.
- Confirm whether the mileage basis is loaded, practical or another contracted measure
- Record whether fuel is included or separate
- List stops, detention, layover, lumper or special-equipment charges separately
- Compare the worksheet with the carrier or broker rate confirmation before tender
Start with the rate you actually received
Spot and contract rates change by lane, date, equipment and capacity. This worksheet deliberately does not invent a national rate; enter the current rate from the party offering the service.
Separate rate basis from added work
Confirm whether the quoted miles are loaded route miles and whether repositioning, tolls, fuel, extra stops or appointments are included. Enter only charges that sit outside the per-mile figure.
A calculated total is not a dispatch promise
A mathematical total does not confirm an assigned carrier, equipment, pickup window, transit time or available capacity. Verify the carrier and preserve the written service and cancellation terms.
Questions people ask
How do I calculate a truckload linehaul total?
Multiply the agreed loaded miles by the agreed rate per mile, then add fuel and services only when the agreement says they are separate.
What rate per mile should I use?
Use a current rate for the exact lane, date, equipment and service. The site does not supply a live market rate.
Should fuel be added to an all-in rate?
No. Select included when the rate is all-in so the worksheet does not add fuel twice.
Does FTL mean the trailer is always physically full?
No. It usually describes a shipment using a dedicated truckload service rather than sharing an LTL network. Confirm the equipment and space commitment.
Method and sources
The model is a planning tool, not a quotation. These are the published sources used for this page; read the full assumptions before relying on a range. Source review: 19 September 2026.
- US EIA diesel fuel surcharges
Official weekly diesel-price data boundary and confirmation that EIA does not set a universal surcharge formula; reviewed 14 September 2026.
- FMCSA carrier, broker and forwarder definitions
Official distinction between transport, arranging transport and assuming shipment responsibility; reviewed 14 September 2026.
- Old Dominion current tariff register
Current carrier rules, tariff and non-binding accessorial-reference boundary; reviewed 14 September 2026.