Trucking Profit Margin Calculator
Net margin after dispatch, fuel, fixed costs, and maintenance reserve.
Trucking profit margin = (gross revenue − total expenses) ÷ gross revenue. Healthy U.S. owner-operator margin in 2026 is 20–28% after taxes.
How it works
- 1Total monthly gross
Sum linehaul + FSC + accessorials for the month.
- 2Total monthly expenses
Include fuel, payments, insurance, maintenance reserve, dispatch, factoring, salary draw, and taxes.
- 3Compare to industry healthy range
20–28% is healthy for solo owner-operators in 2026; <10% means a pricing or cost problem.
Example: $22k gross with $15.5k expenses
| Monthly profit | $6,500 |
| Net margin | 29.5% |
| Annualized profit | $78,000 |
Takeaway: A 29.5% margin is above benchmark — protect it by avoiding loads under your CPM.
Key takeaways
- 20–28% net margin after taxes is healthy for solo owner-operators.
- Year-one new authorities often run 10–15% from higher insurance and lower booking efficiency.
- Three biggest margin levers: deadhead, cheap freight, and bundling factoring + dispatch.
Expert tips from Bonafide dispatchers
- 1
Calculate margin monthly, not annually — diesel and broker payment cycles distort year-to-date numbers.
- 2
Re-quote insurance every 12 months; rates dropped 6–11% in 2026 for clean MVRs.
- 3
Replace any factoring above 3.5% with a recourse line — it adds 1–2 points of margin instantly.
Who uses this calculator
Frequently asked questions
What is a good profit margin for an owner-operator?+
20–28% net margin after taxes is the healthy range. New authorities often run 10–15% in year one because of higher insurance and lower booking efficiency.
How do I increase trucking profit margin?+
Three levers move it the most: cut deadhead, drop dead-rate loads under your CPM, and consolidate insurance / factoring / dispatch with one vetted provider.
Last reviewed June 15, 2026 by the Bonafide Trucking Solutions dispatch team.