Cost per mile (CPM) is the most important number in trucking. If you don't know yours to the cent, your margin is a guess.
Most fleets calculate CPM annually as 'total expense / total miles.' That's the average. The real number is per-lane, per-tractor, and per-driver — and that's where the leaks hide.
CPM = (Fixed + Variable + Driver) / Loaded Miles. Always loaded miles, not total — deadhead is a separate efficiency metric. The 9 expense buckets: fuel, R&M, tires, driver wages, driver benefits, insurance, permits/licenses, tractor payment/lease, trailer.
ATRI's 2024 ops cost report puts industry average at ~$2.27/mi. Reefer adds $0.15–$0.25 (fuel for the unit, higher insurance). Flatbed runs $2.40+ due to permitting and tarping labor. LTL is far higher per mile but per-shipment economics are different.
Fleets that beat industry average pull these eight: route density, deadhead %, MPG, idle time, tire life, PM-driven downtime, driver retention, insurance shopping every renewal. Software helps; behavior closes the gap.
Roll CPM up by tractor, by driver, and by lane monthly. The worst-performing tractor in a 50-unit fleet usually costs 1.5–2x the average. Same for drivers — outliers reveal coaching opportunities or unit problems.
Below $2.20/mi for OTR dry van in 2026 is competitive. Reefer benchmark is ~$2.45, flatbed ~$2.40. Owner-operators target <$1.80.
No — calculate CPM on loaded (revenue) miles. Track deadhead percentage as a separate efficiency metric.
Monthly at the fleet level, quarterly per-unit and per-driver. Fuel and insurance swings make annual numbers useless for pricing.