Local freight trucking unit economics: a paid route-day and its constraints
Illustrative case · Two used 33,000-lb GVWR 26-foot liftgate dry boxes; employed driver and paid owner-driver; commercial general freight · United States; Texas intrastate case; city and yard unselected
Explore this business · Unit economics and KPIs
A base paid vehicle day bills $902.50 and leaves $770.69 before the paid roster and fixed company costs. With $17,326 fixed monthly costs, the initial EBITDA threshold is 22.5 paid vehicle days across the fleet. Including the monthly debt commitment raises the simple collected-cash threshold to 25.8 days, before changes in receivables.
Define the route-day before dividing revenue
One unit is one truck and qualified driver committed to a paid route in an eight-hour shift, with three commercial deliveries in the assumed mix. Fractional monthly days represent average utilization across booked work, not fractional trucks. The base charge covers the first delivery; two additional deliveries are charged separately. Waiting revenue is billed only when the contract and evidence support it. The denominator is paid vehicle days, not calendar fleet days, loaded miles or invoice count.
All miles include empty returns and positioning. The 80.0 loaded miles with 30.0% empty share imply 114.3 total road miles per paid day. Empty share is empty miles divided by all miles, so multiply loaded miles by one divided by one minus the share. Adding the share directly to loaded mileage understates both cost and driving time.
Trace contribution to its components
| Line | Calculation / definition | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Base route-day service | One truck / driver, including first delivery | $800 |
| Additional deliveries | 2 × $30 | 2 × $30 |
| Collectible waiting | 0.5 hour × $85 | 0.5 × $85 |
| Revenue per vehicle day | All three revenue streams | $902.50 |
| Fuel | All miles / 8.0 mpg × $5.96 | $85.07 |
| Maintenance / tires | All miles × $0.24 | $27.43 |
| Diesel exhaust fluid | All miles × $0.02 | $2.29 |
| Operating supplies | Per paid vehicle day | $8.00 |
| Credit-loss allowance | 1.0% of billed revenue | $9.03 |
| Contribution before paid roster / fixed costs | Revenue less the variable lines above | $770.69 |
The $770.69 contribution excludes the entire paid roster, insurance, yard, office, software, marketing and compliance. Those are fixed monthly costs in this case. Charging a per-minute driver cost inside this table and charging the same salary again in profitability would double count labor. An incremental overtime or extra-shift decision needs its own additional labor calculation.
Use the smaller truck and driver limit
Two trucks at 22 workdays provide 44 calendar vehicle days. Downtime reduces base fleet availability to 41.4 before demand. Each route uses 6.3 hours: all road miles at 30.0 mph, 2.0 total dock/handling hours and 0.5 inspection hours. This is a planning time budget; verify actual congestion, breaks, unloading and customer windows through trial runs.
The engine separately caps sold days by available truck days, qualified driver days and hours. The lower route takes almost the whole eight-hour shift even before unusual congestion. A day with an extra queue cannot be rescued by assuming another delivery fits. Schedule appointments, reduce stops, alter the price or decline the work. The owner is one of the two drivers; illness, office duties or unavailable cover can leave a paid-for truck idle.
Measure the constraint and the customer together
Record booked versus completed days, deliveries per day, loaded and empty miles, arrival/departure timestamps, productive hours, vehicle-out-of-service days and first-time proof-of-delivery acceptance. Pair each operational measure with invoice age and cash receipt. Average revenue per mile can look better while unpaid loading consumes the remaining working day.
The 25.8 monthly threshold assumes the initial contribution and fixed commitments and already-collected revenue. It is not a statutory minimum or a lender underwriting rule. Seasonal prices, expenses, lost days and receivable growth move the actual monthly outcome. Use it to challenge a route schedule, then return to the 60-month cash ledger before choosing reserve or debt.
Make detention measurable and collectible
Specify included loading time, additional stops, gate service, failed delivery, redelivery, cancellation and waiting in the customer agreement. Capture who authorized the extra work and when the timer began. Treat contested accessorial charges as a collection risk instead of relying on them to make an underpriced route viable. Rate quotes should carry weight/commodity, service window and securement scope so insurance and capacity match the actual freight.
Sources and scope
- Illustrative planning-case methodology · Checked 2026-10-05 · Prices, booked route-days, yard, insurance, maintenance, wages and financing remain explicit case hypotheses, not customer quotes.
- Penske used unit 362085 specifications · Checked 2026-10-05 · Sold 2020 International MV607, Burlington NJ; 33,000-lb GVW, 26-foot Morgan body, 3,000-lb liftgate, diesel. Specification comparison only; no currently available price.
- Penske used unit 92601803 listing · Checked 2026-10-05 · 2021 MV607, Fort Worth TX; listed 44,750 USD, 203,425 miles on detail page; 25,999-lb GVW and no liftgate. Inventory view differs by one mile. Excludes taxes/fees. A deliberately nonmatching comparison, not the selected fleet quote.
- Penske full-service leasing scope · Checked 2026-10-05 · Provider describes maintenance, roadside support and rental access. Contract-specific price, mileage charges, replacements, exclusions, tax and credit terms unknown.
- EIA on-highway diesel price update · Checked 2026-10-05 · Observed Gulf Coast PADD3 5.955 USD/gallon for 28 September 2026; release 29 September. Includes taxes; regional weekly average, not the operator fuel-card contract.
- Texas motor vehicle sales tax FAQ · Checked 2026-10-05 · Standard motor-vehicle rate 6.25%; private-party presumptive-value rules can change taxable base. Model assumes dealer purchase, no trade-in.
- Texas TERP surcharge guide, March 2026 · Checked 2026-10-05 · Diesel on-highway vehicles with registered weight above 14,000 lb; model years 1997+ rate 1%. Separate registration surcharge exists; included in unquoted compliance budget.
- TxDMV intrastate motor-carrier registration · Checked 2026-10-05 · Nonhazardous non-household commercial trucks exceeding 26,000 lb trigger this registration category; USDOT identifier and insurer filings precede active authority.
- Texas DPS commercial driver license classes · Checked 2026-10-05 · Class B covers single vehicles GVWR 26,001+; case assumes two qualified CDL drivers, appropriate air-brake qualifications and medical/driver files. Verify each selected VIN.
- FMCSA USDOT and interstate-commerce definition · Checked 2026-10-05 · A movement entirely inside one state can form part of interstate trade. Case excludes such loads unless authority/safety scope is revised.
- FMCSA owner-operator drug/alcohol program · Checked 2026-10-05 · Owner work does not remove applicable CDL testing obligations. Small-company program and Clearinghouse implementation need review before launch.
- Progressive motor truck cargo coverage scope · Checked 2026-10-05 · Cargo cover is separate from auto liability; insurer limits, deductibles, excluded commodities and operations require a quote. No quoted premium in this case.
- Progressive commercial trucking coverage types · Checked 2026-10-05 · Distinct liability/cargo/general liability/downtime products; not a complete two-truck premium quotation.
- BLS heavy truck driver occupation · Checked 2026-10-05 · May 2025 national median 58,640 USD/year and 28.19 USD/hour; broader occupational mix, not a Texas straight-truck hiring offer. Model wage 28 and owner salary 6000/month are assumptions.
- IRS Publication 15, 2026 · Checked 2026-10-05 · Employment taxes are part of employer cost. Case burden 16% also budgets unemployment, coverage and benefits; it is not an IRS rate or a quoted complete benefit plan.
- SBA 7(a) loan uses and application · Checked 2026-10-05 · Equipment and working capital can be eligible uses; lender determines actual eligibility, documents, term, fees and repayment assessment. Case rate is not a lender offer.
- SBA 504 asset scope · Checked 2026-10-05 · 504 excludes working capital/inventory; equipment remaining useful life at least 10 years. This used-truck case is not assumed eligible.
- Census NAICS 484110 profile · Checked 2026-10-05 · Local general freight includes same-day return trips and multiple truck types; broader than this two-truck commercial-pallet route.
- SBA FOIA 7(a)/504 official dataset · Checked 2026-10-05 · Aggregate-only snapshot 30 June 2026, approval FY2023–2025 and disbursed statuses PIF/CHGOFF/EXEMPT, positive approved amounts. Counts are records, not unique firms or exact-format loans.