How to use this guide
Read the sections in order the first time, then use the headings as a working checklist. Keep one time period, vehicle or fleet definition, and set of units throughout the calculation. Replace examples with actual documents and note the source date when a rate or rule can change.
Save or download a calculator scenario only after reviewing every field. The site performs planning arithmetic; it does not validate the records, determine legal treatment, submit a form, or bind a carrier, customer, government agency, lender, or tax authority.
Reconcile revenue and cash
Match delivered loads with settlement revenue, accessorials, fuel surcharge, deductions, and bank deposits. Separate timing differences from permanent deductions. Use the settlement calculator to organize cash items.
Record all miles and working time so weekly revenue is not judged only by gross settlement.
Allocate operating cost
Use actual fuel and tolls, plus consistent maintenance, tire, and fixed-cost allocations. Compare actual fuel MPG and all-mile revenue with the dispatch estimate. Keep owner draw, tax reserve, and business profit as separate decisions.
The cost-per-mile tool provides the monthly floor; the load-profit tool provides trip-level contribution.
Use variance to improve decisions
For each material difference, identify whether the cause was rate, deadhead, gallons, pump price, detention, missed accessorial, repair, chargeback, or incorrect estimate. Update defaults only after reviewing enough trips to avoid overreacting to one event.
A weekly planning review does not replace bookkeeping, financial statements, or tax records. Reconcile with qualified professionals and the business accounting system.
Verification and decision checklist
- Define the business question and time period before collecting inputs.
- Use primary records and current official sources where they apply.
- Keep paid miles, all miles, revenue, cash, deduction, tax effect, cost, and profit labels distinct.
- Run a conservative scenario when price, miles, utilization, delay, or tax treatment is uncertain.
- Compare the planning result with the controlling contract, settlement, filing instructions, or professional review.
Update the calculation when a route, quarter, rate, carrier policy, equipment decision, or source document changes. A saved estimate is a snapshot of assumptions, not a live guarantee.
Important limits
This guide is general education, not legal, tax, accounting, payroll, lending, investment, insurance, dispatch, safety, or compliance advice. Do not use it to change duty status, exceed equipment ratings, disregard a warning, or make an emergency decision. Current rules, documents, and qualified advice control.