Empty truck cost calculator
A truck without a driver still costs you insurance, plates and the truck payment, and it earns nothing. Enter your numbers to see what that adds up to per day and for the whole vacancy. Your estimate shows instantly, no email needed.
Empty truck cost calculator
Enter your own numbers to estimate what trucks without drivers cost you.
Fuel, driver pay, tires, maintenance
Insurance, truck payment, plates
Cost per day
$446.67
Cost for 30 days
$13,400
| - | per day | for the period |
|---|---|---|
| Lost contribution | $360 | $10,800 |
| Fixed costs | $86.67 | $2,600 |
This is an estimate based on the numbers you entered, not a guaranteed loss.
How the calculation works
- Lost contribution per day = miles per day × (revenue per mile − variable cost per mile)
- Fixed cost per day = fixed monthly cost ÷ 30
- Total per day = number of trucks × (lost contribution + fixed cost per day)
- Total for the period = total per day × number of days
The starting values are an example for a regional dry van carrier. Replace them with your own figures. The $2,600 fixed monthly cost comes from the TCA Profitability Program's estimate of the net loss on an unseated tractor (FreightWaves, 2020). Insurance and equipment costs have risen since, so treat it as a floor.
If variable cost is higher than revenue, driving at those numbers does not make money, so the calculator counts fixed costs only.
What this number leaves out
The estimate covers the truck itself. It does not include loads you turned down, customers who moved to another carrier, or the cost of recruiting a replacement driver. For most carriers the real cost is higher.
What to do with your number
Compare it with what it costs to fill the seat. Our breakdown of CDL recruiting agency vs in-house recruiter costs walks through the options, and you can see how Trucky fills seats.