What is fixed costs in trucking?

Money

Fixed costs

Fixed costs are the expenses a trucking business incurs whether or not the truck moves, such as the truck payment, insurance, permits, authority fees and software subscriptions.

Last reviewed 31 July 2026 · by the fleetchart dispatch desk

Fixed costs are dangerous precisely because they are predictable: they are easy to forget in a per-load calculation and they accrue during downtime, breakdowns and home time.

Converting them to a per-mile figure requires an honest estimate of annual miles. Using an optimistic mileage figure understates cost per mile and makes marginal loads look acceptable.

A week off the road does not reduce them, which is why utilisation matters as much as rate.

Related terms

Variable costs
Variable costs scale with the miles you run — fuel, maintenance, tyres, tolls and DEF — and they are the costs a routing or equipment decision can actually change.
Cost per mile
Cost per mile is your total operating cost divided by total miles driven, and it is the break-even figure every rate decision should be measured against.
Operating ratio
Operating ratio is operating expenses divided by operating revenue, expressed as a percentage, where a lower number means more of each dollar earned is kept.
Utilisation
Utilisation is the share of available time a truck spends earning revenue, and it determines how much of your fixed cost is spread across paying miles.

See this on your own loads.

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Fixed costs

Related terms

Variable costs

Cost per mile

Operating ratio

Utilisation

See this on your own loads.

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