Owner-Operator · Trucking Business
Trucking Business Hub
Everything on the business side of running a truck: getting the authority, paying for the equipment, knowing what a mile costs you, and pricing freight so the month ends ahead. Every guide points at the calculator that does the math.
Start a trucking company
How Much Does It Cost to Start a Trucking Company
The real startup costs for a one-truck authority: entity and authority filings, insurance down payments, truck and trailer, working capital, and the reserve that keeps you running.
Read the guideMC Number vs DOT Number: What You Actually Need
The difference between a USDOT number and FMCSA operating authority (MC number), who needs each, and the filings that have to be in place before your authority goes active.
Read the guideHow to Start a Trucking Company: Step-by-Step
The order of operations for starting a one-truck trucking company: entity, EIN, MC and DOT authority, BOC-3, insurance filings, IRP and IFTA, ELD, and your first load.
Read the guideSemi-Truck Financing for Owner-Operators
How semi-truck loans and leases actually work: down payments, rates for new authorities, lease-purchase traps, and how to price the payment against your cost per mile.
Read the guideRun the numbers
How to Calculate Cost Per Mile for a Truck
Work out your true owner-operator cost per mile: fixed costs, variable costs, and the deadhead and downtime most drivers forget. Includes the formula and a worked example.
Read the guideHow to Price Trucking Loads and Book Profitable Freight
How to evaluate a load offer: all-in rate per total mile, deadhead, detention risk, lane balance, and the floor rate you should never book under.
Read the guideIFTA Explained for Owner-Operators
What IFTA is, which trucks it applies to, the records you have to keep, how the quarterly calculation works, and the mistakes that trigger an audit.
Read the guideTruck Maintenance Budget: What to Set Aside Per Mile
How to build a maintenance and major-component reserve for a semi truck: preventive intervals, wear items, big-ticket components, and how to convert them into cents per mile.
Read the guideRun the business calculators
Real inputs, live math. Change a number and the results update as you type. Nothing to sign up for.
Cost-per-mile calculator
Your true all-in cost for every mile you turn, fixed plus variable.
Cost per mile
$0.995
Every mile costs you this before you make a dime.
Runs whether the truck moves or not.
How these fit into Truck Commander
Every calculator here is part of Truck Commander. The Truck Commander page lays out what each number decides — which one to run before you buy the truck, which one to run at the negotiating table, and which one to run every month.
See the tools inside Truck CommanderMore business calculators
- Owner-operator profit calculatorRevenue, fixed and variable costs, and what is actually left after a month.
- Load analyzerRate per total mile including deadhead, against your cost per mile.
- IFTA mileage and fuel calculatorMiles and gallons by state so the quarterly filing is not a guess.
- Fuel cost calculatorCost per mile for fuel and DEF at your real MPG and pump price.
- Repair cost estimatorParts and labor ranges before you approve the work order.
- Loan readiness checkWhat a lender looks at before you apply for a truck loan.
- Business plan builderThe plan a bank or factoring company expects to see.
- Job cost calculatorPrice work so the ticket covers the time, the truck, and the parts.
Common questions
- What does it cost to start a one-truck trucking company?
- Entity and authority filings, insurance down payment, plates and permits, ELD, the truck itself, and working capital for fuel and one repair. The startup cost guide breaks each line out so you can build your own number instead of using someone else's.
- How do I know if a load pays?
- Divide total pay by total miles including deadhead and compare it with your cost per mile. The load analyzer does that math for you, and the cost-per-mile guide shows how to build the number it compares against.
- Are the calculators free?
- The CDL practice tests are completely free. The owner-operator calculators and training are included in the membership at $14.99 a month or $99.99 a year, with no free trial.
Get the tools with the membership
Calculators, the owner-operator handbooks, diesel diagnostics, and the Truck Driver Command Center for $14.99 a month or $99.99 a year, with no free trial. CDL practice tests are free for everyone, no card and no account.