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What Makes a Load Profitable?
Industry benchmarks from ATBS show that owner-operators need a minimum net margin of 12-15% after all costs to sustain a profitable operation. A load paying $2.50/mile with a total cost of $2.20/mile leaves $0.30/mile net — that's a 12% margin, which is at the floor. Anything below that and you're working for break-even or worse.
The most common mistake is calculating profitability based on gross rate without accounting for deadhead miles. A $3.00/mile load with 150 miles of empty deadhead on a 400-mile loaded run has an effective rate of $2.18/mile — well below most operators' break-even cost.
Know your floor rate before you open a load board. If the net per mile falls below your break-even, walk away — no matter how good the gross rate looks. Calculate your floor with the break-even rate calculator.