Car hauler load profit calculator: per load, per car, per mile
Enter the cars on the load, the rate per car, the loaded and empty miles and your costs. You get the load's profit, and what it leaves per car, per mile and per hour, so you can compare offers on equal terms.
Built and checked by Mike Shelton · Updated · Free, no sign-up
Profit on this load
$1,505
$215.00 per car · $1.43 per mile · $50.17 per hour
- Revenue (7 × $450)
- $3,150
- True rate, all miles
- $3.00/mi
- Fuel
- −$700
- Other per-mile costs
- −$788
- Fee (5%)
- −$158
This load leaves $215.00 a car. We price every car hauler offer per car and per mile before we call. Our dispatchers book freight your rig is built for at 5% of gross, and you approve every load.
Get car loads that payHow the car hauler profit calculator works
- Revenue = cars × rate per car + extras such as dry-run or stop pay.
- Fuel = (loaded + empty miles) ÷ mpg × diesel price.
- Other costs = all miles × your non-fuel cost per mile.
- Profit = revenue − fuel − other costs − fee.
- Per car, per mile, per hour = profit divided by each.
The dispatch fee field starts at our car hauler rate of 5% for one truck; set it to zero if you book your own loads, or add your factoring fee.
Worked example: two offers EXAMPLE
Offer A: seven cars at $450, 900 loaded miles, 150 miles empty to the first pickup, about 30 hours. Offer B: nine cars at $380, 950 loaded miles with three pickups instead of one, 200 miles empty and 36 hours. A grosses $3,150, B $3,420. With fuel at $4.00, 6 mpg and other costs of $0.75 a mile, B makes more in total, but A makes more per hour because the extra pickups and miles in B take six more hours. Whether B is better depends on what you could do with those six hours.
What moves car hauler profit
- Cars on the trailer. A full trailer spreads the truck's costs over more cars.
- Deadhead. Car haulers' costs per mile are high, so empty miles hurt.
- Number of stops. Each pickup and drop takes time to load, inspect and secure.
- Backhaul. A good load home is often worth more than a few dollars per car outbound.
- Damage claims. One claim can cost more than the load paid; condition reports protect you.
Setting your floor per car
Work backward from your costs. Multiply your cost per mile, fuel included, by all the miles the load takes, loaded and empty, and divide by the number of cars. That is the least each car must pay for the load to break even. Add the profit you want per car, and you have a number to quote or to hold against a broker's offer. On a 1,050-mile trip at $1.42 a mile all-in, seven cars need about $212 each just to cover costs; that is the floor before any profit, and any offer below it loses money however good the lane looks.
Dry runs and cancellations
Car hauling has more failed pickups than most freight: a car isn't ready, the keys are missing, the title isn't released, or the dealer sold it that morning. A dry run costs fuel and hours and pays nothing unless the rate confirmation says so. Agree dry-run pay before you dispatch to the pickup, call ahead to confirm the vehicle is ready, and add any dry-run pay you receive in the extras field so the profit reflects it.
Securing cars, and why it costs time
Every vehicle needs at least two tiedowns, restraining it at the front and rear, using the mounting points made for the purpose or wheel straps that hold it in all directions. 49 CFR 393.128Checked October 2026 With seven to ten cars and condition reports at each end, loading and unloading take real time. Count those hours in the calculator, or profit per hour looks better than it is.
Open and enclosed rates
Enclosed carriers usually move fewer, higher-value vehicles at higher rates per car, often for private customers and dealers. Open carriers move more cars at lower rates. The calculator works for both; the inputs change. Enclosed costs per mile are often higher because of the trailer and insurance. See enclosed car hauling.
What the result means
Positive profit per car and per hour means the load covers your costs and pays you. A low profit per hour may still be worth taking if it puts the trailer near a strong backhaul. A negative result means the load costs you money at your numbers. Compare every offer on the same costs, and update your cost per mile when fuel or insurance changes.
When you dispatch with us, we price each car load per car and on all miles before you hear about it, and we tell you where it leaves the trailer. See car hauler dispatch or send an application.
Questions about this calculator
01How do car haulers calculate profit per load?
Multiply the number of cars by the rate per car and add any extras. Subtract fuel for all the miles, loaded and empty, your other costs per mile such as truck and trailer payments, insurance and maintenance, and any dispatch or factoring fee. What is left is the load's profit. Divide by the cars, miles and hours to compare loads.
02Is it better to haul more cars at a lower rate?
Often, but not always. A full trailer spreads the truck's costs over more cars, so the profit per car can be higher at a lower rate. Extra pickups and drops add miles and hours, though. Run both offers through the calculator; profit per hour usually shows which one uses your day better.
03Why does deadhead hurt car haulers so much?
Because a car hauler's costs per mile are high: a heavy, specialized trailer, high cargo insurance and lower fuel economy than a van. Every empty mile to a pickup costs that much and pays nothing. A load that looks good per car can lose money if the first pickup is far away.
04What costs should I include per mile?
Everything that isn't fuel: truck and trailer payments, insurance including cargo coverage, maintenance and tires, permits and plates, your phone and ELD, and your own pay if you want it counted. Divide the monthly total by your monthly miles. The trucking cost per mile calculator works it out.