Pick your tool
Each calculator is standalone. Run one or run all three. Your inputs stay in your browser.
1. Factoring cost calculator Drives the CTA
The one most carriers should run first. You know the broker wants 30 to 45 days to pay. Factoring gets you most of that money within a day, for a fee. This calculator shows you the exact fee, the exact cash upfront, and the cash-flow benefit you are buying with that fee. No guesswork, no sales rep math.
2. Cost-per-mile (CPM) calculator Most-used
Your true cost to run a mile is the single most important number in trucking and the one most owner-operators never compute. It is the floor. Earn above it and you profit. Earn below it and you are losing money, not just making less. Put in your fixed and variable costs, your miles, and get your break-even rate. Use it every time you negotiate a rate or book a load.
3. Lane rate estimator Rough estimate
A free, honest approximation of what a lane might pay. It uses straight-line distance between major freight markets with a 1.15 circuity factor, then multiplies by a static national-average rate for your equipment type. This is a planning aid, not a rate quote. Real lane rates swing by season, direction, and broker. Use it to sanity-check a load offer, then verify with live data before you commit.
How the math works (and where it cuts corners)
No black boxes. Here is exactly what each calculator does and what it does not account for.
Factoring cost calculator
- Cash upfront = monthly invoice volume × advance rate (as a decimal).
- Factoring fee cost = monthly invoice volume × factoring fee (as a decimal).
- Reserve held back = (volume − fee) − cash upfront. This is the slice the factor holds until the broker pays, then returns to you.
- Net to you = volume − fee. The total you receive once the factor collects from the broker.
- What it does not model: per-invoice fees ($25 to $35 is common), ACH fees, monthly account fees, tiered pricing that escalates if a broker pays late, or recourse buy-backs. Those stack on top of the percentage fee and live in the contract, not the calculator. Get them listed in writing on any quote.
Cost-per-mile calculator
- Fixed cost per mile = total fixed monthly costs ÷ monthly miles.
- Fuel cost per mile = fuel price per gallon ÷ your mpg.
- Variable cost per mile = fuel per mile + maintenance per mile + driver pay per mile. Maintenance and driver pay are entered in cents per mile and converted to dollars.
- Total CPM = fixed per mile + variable per mile. This is your break-even rate per mile.
- What it does not model: tolls, deadhead miles (you should account for unpaid miles separately), factoring fees on the revenue side, load board subscription costs, tractor-trailer depreciation beyond what is in your truck payment, and one-off repairs. Add those if they are material to your operation.
Lane rate estimator
- Distance = Haversine straight-line distance between two city centers, multiplied by a 1.15 circuity factor to approximate highway routing miles. No paid routing API is used, so this is an approximation, not a turn-by-turn mile count.
- Rate per mile = a static, national-average spot rate for your equipment type (dry van, reefer, flatbed). Reviewed July 2026. Source basis: DAT One national average spot rates as reported in trucking trade media. These are conservative mid-range numbers, not a quote.
- Estimated lane pay = estimated miles × rate per mile, one-way.
- What it does not model: lane direction (a headhaul lane pays differently than the backhaul), day of week, season, broker credit, spot vs. contract pricing, fuel surcharges, or deadhead to and from the lane ends. A lane that averages $1.85/mi nationally can pay $3.00 one week and $1.20 the next. For live rates, use DAT One or Truckstop.
- City coverage: the city-pair mode includes about 30 major US freight markets. If your origin or destination is not in that list, switch to "Enter my own miles" and type in the miles from your routing app. The rate estimate works for any lane that way.
Rate table last reviewed July 2026. Freight rates drift with the market. Re-check the table periodically if you rely on it for planning.
Why we built these instead of linking to someone else's
Most trucking calculators on the internet are lead-capture forms in a costume. You type your numbers, hit calculate, and the "result" is behind an email wall or a sales call. Ours are not. The calculator calculates. The result shows up immediately. The next-step CTAs (a factoring quote, a fuel card, a load board) are there if you want them, but the math never waits on them. That is the Get Paid Per Load rule: deliver the value first, capture never gates it.
Calculator FAQ
How do I calculate freight factoring cost?
Multiply your monthly invoice volume by your factoring fee percentage. On $30,000 of invoices at 2.5%, the monthly fee cost is $750. Your cash upfront is the volume times your advance rate: a 90% advance on $30,000 puts $27,000 in your account within about a day. The rest, minus the fee, comes back when the broker pays. Run your own numbers in the factoring calculator above.
How do I calculate cost per mile for my truck?
Fixed cost per mile is your total fixed monthly costs divided by your monthly miles. Variable cost per mile is fuel price divided by mpg, plus maintenance per mile, plus driver pay per mile. Add fixed and variable together and you have your total CPM, which equals your break-even rate. The CPM calculator above does all of this from your inputs.
What is a good cost per mile for trucking?
Commonly cited industry ranges put most owner-operators somewhere around $1.50 to $2.00 per mile all-in, but there is no universal good number. The right number is yours, because your break-even rate is the floor you have to earn above to profit. Two carriers running the same truck can have different CPMs because of different fuel economy, fixed costs, and monthly mileage. Run your own inputs.
How accurate is the lane rate estimator?
It is a rough planning estimate, not a rate quote. The miles are straight-line distance times 1.15, which gets close to actual highway miles on most lanes but is not exact. The rate per mile is a static national average that does not reflect your specific lane, direction, day, or broker. Use it to flag a load offer that looks far below market. For actual rates to negotiate with, use DAT One or Truckstop.
Are these calculators actually free?
Yes. All three run in your browser and do not send your inputs anywhere. No signup, no login, no email wall. The only thing that sends data anywhere is the optional Summar introduction form, and that is clearly labeled on the form itself.
Why does the lane estimator not include my city?
The city-pair mode covers about 30 major US freight markets so the distance math stays accurate and free. If your origin or destination is not in the dropdown, switch to "Enter my own miles" and type the miles from your routing app or GPS. The rate estimate works for any lane that way.
Should I factor my invoices?
It depends on how long your brokers take to pay and how thin your cash reserves are. If your brokers pay in 15 days or less and you have reserves, you may not need factoring. The longer they take, the more factoring earns its fee. Run the factoring calculator with your volume and a typical fee, then read our factoring comparison for the full picture.
Now put the numbers to work
If the factoring calculator showed you a cash-flow gap you want to close, the next step is a written quote. If the CPM calculator showed your fuel costs climbing, a fuel card knocks cents off every gallon. Pick the next step that matches what you found.
See factoring options → Find freight on a load board →