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Fuel & Freight

Understand the issue.
Make a better-informed decision.

Read practical guidance on trucking costs, dispatch, load paperwork and business administration. Start with a question, review the explanation and sources, then identify what to check in your own operation.

THS editorial • September 19, 2026 • General operating guidance

A load rate per loaded mile leaves out the miles needed to reach pickup or reposition afterward. Estimate the full trip before deciding what the payment leaves.

Calculate the whole trip

  1. Add loaded and empty miles.
  2. Divide total miles by your expected MPG.
  3. Multiply estimated gallons by your effective fuel price.
  4. Divide fuel expense and revenue by total miles to compare both on the same basis.

A practical example

Assume 1,000 loaded miles, 150 empty miles, 7 MPG, fuel at $5 per gallon and a $2,500 payment. Estimated fuel is $821.43, or 32.9% of the payment. Revenue is $2.17 per total mile; fuel is about $0.71 per total mile.

The $1,678.57 remaining is not profit. Driver pay, maintenance, insurance, equipment and other expenses still need to be covered. These are illustrative inputs, not a fuel quote or earnings forecast.

Which fuel price should you use?

Use your actual price when known. Regional averages provide context; they are not station quotes. Use the truck’s own MPG and count an included fuel surcharge only once.

Check dated EIA diesel benchmarks. Our calculator below uses weekly regional data and your own trip assumptions.

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Related answers

THS Fuel & Freight Watch

Is your freight
keeping up with fuel?

Choose a regional diesel benchmark, then test your own load. Include empty miles to see how much of the payment fuel could consume.

Dated snapshot—not a live feed. EIA observation: September 14, 2026. Released September 15. Prices include taxes. Check the latest EIA release →

$6.285 / gallon
Up 31.8¢ from the preceding week

Use your own net price below when known. Regional averages are not station quotes. Freight revenue is your input, not a market-rate feed.

Read the fuel-versus-freight guide →

Include a fuel surcharge once, only if it is not already in the payment. Prefilled numbers are an example.

Illustrative example: 1,150 total miles at 7 MPG and $6.285/gallon uses an estimated $1,032.54 in fuel—41.3% of a $2,500 load payment. Calculate with your own numbers.

Remaining revenue after fuel is not profit. Other operating expenses and taxes are excluded. This estimate does not calculate IFTA liability. Inputs stay in this calculator and are not submitted to THS.

Need help evaluating lanes, empty miles and dispatch support? Start a conversation about your truck and operating needs. Freight availability, rates and earnings are not guaranteed.

Company perspective · September 25, 2026

A clearer path from a question to reviewed work.

Read how the THS AI Operations Brief informs our service model, which capabilities still require confirmation and who remains accountable for decisions.

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