Box Truck Cost Per Mile Calculator
Amazon Relay blocks, regional LTL, and local final-mile freight all pay by the load or the block, not a clean per-mile rate card. Use this calculator to total the fuel, maintenance, tires and fixed costs you enter per mile, then account for any remaining expenses before comparing a load's pay with its costs. The diesel price below is the latest verified EIA U.S. average, for the survey period 2026-10-19.
Defaults below are starting points for a typical Box truck (26 ft) operation — plug in your real numbers.
What this number includes
The result covers the costs you enter in the nine fields above. There are no separate fields for owner pay, tolls or DEF, so those expenses are not added automatically. Include each expense only once and account for any remaining costs before setting a quote.
How this is calculated
fixed per mile = monthly fixed costs ÷ miles per month
variable per mile = (diesel ÷ MPG) + maintenance + tires
total = fixed + variable
Price source: EIA Gasoline and Diesel Fuel Update. EIA normally releases prices around 10 a.m. Eastern on Tuesdays, or Wednesdays after a Monday federal holiday.
FAQ
Is box truck delivery profitable?
Margins are thin at load-board and Amazon Relay block rates — plenty of box truck operators are running at breakeven or worse without realizing it. The ones who stay profitable keep fixed costs (truck payment, insurance, permits) as low as their situation allows and know their exact cost per mile before they accept a block or a load. This calculator covers the expenses you enter; account for any remaining costs before deciding whether a load is profitable.
Do I need a CDL for a 26 ft box truck?
Most 26 ft box trucks are built right at or under 26,001 lbs GVWR specifically so they fall outside CDL requirements. Check your specific truck's rated GVWR — not just its length — to confirm, since the exact spec varies by manufacturer and configuration.
What does a box truck cost to run per mile?
There's no single honest answer — it depends on your truck payment, your insurance, your maintenance history, and how many miles you run each month. The defaults pre-filled above are a reasonable starting point for a 26 ft box truck, not a promise. Replace every one of them with your real numbers and the result is yours, not an industry average.
Related tools
Box truck rate calculator · Owner-operator cost per mile · Load profit
Survey week of: 2026-10-19 · Source: EIA weekly diesel