Owner-Operator
Is this load worth it? Judging a rate in 60 seconds
Take total pay, subtract fuel and the deadhead to get there, then compare what is left against your cost per mile for the whole trip.
The answer
The quick pass
- Total miles = deadhead plus loaded miles.
- Fuel cost = total miles divided by your real MPG, times today's pump price.
- Net = rate plus accessorials, minus fuel, tolls and lumpers.
- Divide net by total miles and compare against your cost per mile.
- Ask where it puts you. A good rate into a dead market can cost you more than it paid.
The verdict
- Well above cost per mile with a good next market — take it.
- Barely above — only if it repositions you somewhere better.
- Below cost per mile — it is not a load, it is a donation.