Dry Van Rate Per Mile Calculator

What the result means

• All-in per mile is the number to judge a load by. It spreads the total pay across every mile the truck drives for this load, loaded and empty.
• Per loaded mile is how loads are usually posted and talked about. It looks better than all-in whenever there's deadhead.
• Linehaul per loaded mile strips out fuel surcharge and accessorials so you can compare with linehaul-only market averages.
• Empty share tells you how much of the trip earns nothing. A big empty share is often the hidden reason a high-paying load disappoints.

The note under the result compares your linehaul per loaded mile with DAT's latest national dry van spot average, dated. Treat it as context: your lane can sit well above or below the national number. Our dry van rates guide explains where that figure comes from.

How it's calculated

total pay                 = linehaul + fuel surcharge + accessorials
linehaul per loaded mile  = linehaul / loaded miles
rate per loaded mile      = total pay / loaded miles
all-in rate per mile      = total pay / (loaded miles + empty miles)
empty share               = empty miles / (loaded miles + empty miles)

If you enter the fuel surcharge per mile, it's multiplied by loaded miles. Everything runs in your browser; nothing you type is sent anywhere. The result link puts your inputs in the URL so you can share or save a comparison.

Assumptions

• Miles are what you enter. Use the same mileage source for every load you compare.
• Empty miles are the deadhead to this load's pickup. If you know the deadhead to the next reload, add it to see the real cost of a load into a dead market.
• The national comparison uses DAT's national average dry van spot rate, linehaul only (fuel excluded), from its October 13, 2026 report. We update it monthly.

How to use it before you accept a load

1. Enter the rate con numbers, not the posted ones. Linehaul, fuel surcharge and any written accessorials.
2. Add every empty mile. The drive to the pickup, and if the delivery city is dead, the drive to the next likely reload.
3. Compare the all-in rate with your minimum. Your floor comes from your costs, not the market. Insurance is one of the biggest fixed costs in it; see dry van insurance for what drives that number.
4. Compare two loads side by side. Copy the result link for each and look at them together. The higher posted rate isn't always the better load.
5. Counter if it's short. If the all-in rate is under your floor, ask for more or pass.

That last step is the one most owner-operators don't have time for between drives. Our dry van dispatch service counters every load against your minimum and lines up the reload before you deliver.