Rex says
Money math without the spreadsheet headache. Plug in your numbers and I'll show you exactly where the dollars land.
Try a scenario
Click to load — tweak from there.Inputs
Result
Effective rate per total mile
$2.043
Deadhead percentage
14.9%
Total trip profit
$1,040
Profit per loaded mile
$0.520
Total revenue
$4,800
Total cost
$3,760
Psst — share this and help Rex grow
One click, a permanent link with your numbers baked in.
How to use this
- 1Enter loaded miles (mi).
- 2Enter deadhead (empty) miles (mi).
- 3Enter rate per loaded mile ($/mi).
- 4Enter all-in cost per mile ($/mi).
- 5Read your effective rate per total mile on the right — it updates as you type.
- 6Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone.
About this calculator
Deadhead miles — the empty runs between drop and next pickup — cost fuel and time but earn zero revenue. A truck running 15% deadhead needs to earn 15% more on every loaded mile just to match the effective rate of a truck running 5% deadhead. This calculator spreads your all-in cost per mile and your loaded revenue rate across total miles including deadhead, giving you the real effective rate per loaded mile and per total mile. It's the single biggest lever dispatchers and owner-operators can pull that has nothing to do with negotiating a better rate — cutting deadhead from 20% to 10% often beats a $0.10/mile rate increase.
Worked example
Using the values the calculator loads with:
Inputs
- Loaded miles: 2000 mi
- Deadhead (empty) miles: 350 mi
- Rate per loaded mile: 2.4 $/mi
- All-in cost per mile: 1.6 $/mi
Results
- Effective rate per total mile: $2.043
- Deadhead percentage: 14.9%
- Total trip profit: $1,040
- Profit per loaded mile: $0.52
- Total revenue: $4,800
- Total cost: $3,760
What each field means
Inputs
- Loaded miles (mi)
- The loaded miles used in the calculation, measured in mi. Starts at 2000 mi so you have a working example on load.
- Deadhead (empty) miles (mi)
- The deadhead (empty) miles used in the calculation, measured in mi. Starts at 350 mi so you have a working example on load.
- Rate per loaded mile ($/mi)
- The rate per loaded mile used in the calculation, measured in $/mi. Starts at 2.4 $/mi so you have a working example on load.
- All-in cost per mile ($/mi)
- The all-in cost per mile used in the calculation, measured in $/mi. Starts at 1.6 $/mi so you have a working example on load.
Results
- Effective rate per total mile
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars and shown as the headline result. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Deadhead percentage
- Returned as a percentage. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Total trip profit
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Profit per loaded mile
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Total revenue
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Total cost
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
FAQ
What's a good deadhead percentage?
Industry averages run 10-20%. Under 10% is excellent and usually means good dispatch or a dedicated lane. Over 20% consistently signals either a weak freight lane, poor load planning, or a broker relationship that isn't backhauling you efficiently.
How do I lower deadhead without cutting pay?
Book backhauls before you deliver, work regional lanes with round-trip freight, or use load boards that show pickup density near your delivery zip. Even accepting a slightly lower-rate backhaul beats running 300 empty miles to find a better one.
Does deadhead affect my cost per mile too?
Yes — your truck burns fuel and accrues wear on deadhead miles just like loaded ones, so your all-in CPM should be calculated over total miles, not just loaded miles. This calculator already does that by applying cost to total miles.
Is some deadhead unavoidable?
Always. Even the best-run fleets carry 8-12% deadhead from repositioning, appointment timing, or one-way lanes. The goal isn't zero, it's minimizing it relative to your lane's realistic backhaul availability.
Accuracy and limitations
- Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.
- Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.
- This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant.
Related tools
Cite this calculator
Writing about this topic? Grab a citation — every link helps keep these tools free.
RevenueLab. (2026). Deadhead Percentage Impact Calculator. Retrieved from https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/deadhead-percentage-impact
<p>Source: <a href="https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/deadhead-percentage-impact" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Deadhead Percentage Impact Calculator — RevenueLab</a> (2026).</p>
Source: [Deadhead Percentage Impact Calculator — RevenueLab](https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/deadhead-percentage-impact) (2026).