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Estimate Only — Not a Quote
This calculator shows the maximum carrier pay your margin target allows. It is an estimate for planning only and is not financial, legal, or tax advice. What a carrier will actually accept depends on capacity, lane balance, and timing — treat the result as a ceiling, not a guaranteed booking rate.
📋 Rate & Margin
Maximum Carrier Pay
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Target Gross Profit
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Resulting Margin %
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Carrier Pay % of Rate
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Related Broker Tools
- Freight Quote Calculator — start from carrier pay and build the customer quote.
- Freight Broker Profit Calculator — see net profit per load after overhead.
- Carrier vs. Broker Rate — review the spread between pay and rate.
- Accessorial Charges Estimator — account for detention, lumper, and liftgate before setting pay.
How Maximum Carrier Pay Is Calculated
When you already know the customer rate, the question flips: how much can you pay the carrier and still keep your margin? This tool reserves your margin first, removes the costs you are covering, and shows what is left for the carrier:
- Target gross profit = customer rate × target margin ÷ 100
- Max carrier pay = customer rate − target gross profit − accessorials paid by broker − additional costs
- Resulting margin % = (customer rate − carrier pay − accessorials − additional costs) ÷ customer rate × 100
Use the maximum as your walk-away number on the phone. If the carrier wants more than this figure, you either accept a thinner margin, pass the load, or go back to the shipper for a higher rate. Pair it with the freight quote calculator when you are pricing from scratch, and the profit calculator to confirm the load still clears your overhead.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much should I pay a carrier as a freight broker?
Work backward from the customer rate. Subtract the gross profit your target margin requires, then subtract any accessorials and additional costs you are paying out of pocket. What remains is the maximum you can offer the carrier while still hitting your margin. This calculator returns that number along with your resulting margin and the carrier pay as a percentage of the rate.
Is the Carrier Pay Calculator free to use?
Yes — completely free with no account required. All QuicklyFig calculators are funded by display advertising so you never pay to use them.
How accurate are these results?
Results are based on the figures you enter and are estimates for planning purposes only. They are not financial, legal, or tax advice. Market capacity and lane conditions determine what carriers will actually accept — use the result as a ceiling, not a guaranteed booking rate.
Can I save or share my calculation results?
Use the 'Email My Results' button to send your calculation directly to your inbox. You can also print any page from your browser with Ctrl+P (Windows) or Cmd+P (Mac).
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