How TruckingDesk calculates
Maintained by Haris Ajmal · Last reviewed November 8, 2026
All results are estimates from the numbers you enter. The math runs in your browser; nothing you type into a calculator is sent to TruckingDesk. This page lists every formula so you can check any result by hand.
Before Booking Calculator
Fuel = total miles ÷ MPG × diesel price
Total costs = fuel + tolls + food + other costs
Profit = offered rate − total costs
Margin = profit ÷ offered rate × 100
Gross RPM = rate ÷ miles · Net RPM = profit ÷ miles (shown for loaded and total miles)
Truck payment, insurance and other monthly costs are not included here. Open the Before Booking Calculator.
Fuel Cost Calculator
Gallons = total miles ÷ MPG
Fuel cost = gallons × diesel price · Fuel cost per mile = diesel price ÷ MPG
Extra cost of a price rise = gallons × rise per gallon
Fuel share of the rate = fuel cost ÷ load rate × 100
Fuel surcharge per loaded mile = (diesel − contract base price) ÷ MPG, never below $0
No diesel price is assumed; you enter what you pay. Fuel surcharge contracts differ in base price, MPG and price index, so the result follows the numbers you enter. Open the Fuel Cost Calculator.
IFTA Calculator
Taxable gallons = state miles ÷ fleet MPG
Tax due = taxable gallons × state rate · Tax paid = gallons bought in the state × state rate
Net per state = tax due − tax paid (positive = owed, negative = credit) · Net IFTA = sum of states
State tax rates are never filled in by TruckingDesk; you enter this quarter's rates from the official IFTA tax rate matrix. Covers the 48 U.S. IFTA states; Canadian provinces, interest and penalties are not included. Open the IFTA Calculator.
Load Profit Calculator
Fuel = amount you enter, or total miles ÷ MPG × diesel price
Percentage fee (dispatch, factoring, MC lease) = load gross × fee % ÷ 100
Maintenance reserve = cost per mile × total miles
Monthly costs share = (insurance + truck payment + overhead per month) ÷ 30 × trip days
Driver pay = % of gross, flat amount, or rate × total miles
Profit = gross − fuel − fees − trip costs − maintenance − monthly share − driver pay
Break-even rate = costs that don't depend on the rate ÷ (1 − total percentage fees)
Cost per mile = total expenses ÷ total miles
Combined and weekly views add each load's results; percentage fees always use that load's own gross. A week is the 7 days starting on the date you pick, and loads without a date are left out of weekly totals. Open the Load Profit Calculator.
Driver Pay Calculator
Percentage pay = load gross × driver % ÷ 100
Deadhead pay = deadhead miles × deadhead rate (only if deadhead is paid)
Net driver pay = earned pay − deductions
Remaining carrier revenue = total gross − earned driver pay
Driver deductions (advances, escrow and similar) are not subtracted from carrier revenue a second time. Open the Driver Pay Calculator.
Dispatch Invoice Generator
Flat per load: fee = flat amount × number of billable loads
Weekly: amount due = weekly fee, charged once for the period
A load card with every field empty is not billed. The load gross is shown only as a reference; the amount due is the dispatch fee. Open the Dispatch Invoice Generator.
Input checks
- Money can be typed with or without a dollar sign or commas:
$1,000.00,1,000and1000are the same. - Negative numbers, letters and percentages above 100% are rejected. Copy, PDF and Print stay disabled until they are fixed.
- Fuel is never estimated from an assumed MPG. If you choose MPG-based fuel, you must enter MPG (above zero) and a diesel price.
- Percentage driver pay and percentage dispatch billing need a gross amount on every load.
Rounding
Calculations keep full precision. Money is rounded to cents only for display, so a total can differ from the sum of rounded lines by a cent.
Route miles, driving time and tolls
- City and ZIP locations come from bundled GeoNames data and use the city or ZIP center point.
- Road miles and driving time come from the public OSRM router using OpenStreetMap data. They are standard driving estimates, not truck routing: no height, weight or hazmat limits, live traffic or hours-of-service breaks.
- Toll indications come from OpenStreetMap toll tags (via Overpass) and road names. They are not toll prices, and no result never proves a route is toll-free.
Document scanner
Edge detection, straightening, cleanup and PDF creation run on your device. Photos are not uploaded or stored, and the scanner never redraws or invents text: it can't recover information the photo doesn't show. Open the Document Scanner.
What is never included
Income tax, self-employment tax, IFTA, permits and any cost you don't enter. TruckingDesk is not accounting, tax, legal or payroll advice. See the Terms of Use.
Testing and corrections
The formulas are checked with automated tests, including the worked examples shown on each tool page. If a result looks wrong, send the numbers you entered and I will check and correct it.