Trip fuel cost calculator

Enter the trip miles, your loaded mpg and the diesel price, plus reefer hours if you run one. You get gallons, the trip's fuel cost and fuel cost per mile.

By Gustavo · Updated October 2026

TRIP FUEL COST

$385

FUELNO. CALC

Gallons: 100.0
Truck fuel: $385
Reefer fuel: $0
Per mile: $0.59

Total$385

Fuel takes $385 out of this trip before anything else. Fewer empty miles is the cheapest fuel there is.

Plan my reloads

How it is calculated

Truck gallons = trip miles / loaded mpg.
Reefer gallons = reefer run hours x gallons per hour.
Fuel cost = total gallons x diesel price.
Fuel cost per mile = fuel cost / trip miles.

Count every mile you'll drive, the deadhead to pickup included.

Worked example

FUELNO. 0060

EXAMPLE

650 mi / 6.5 mpg: 100 gal
x $3.85 (example price): $385
Reefer 20 h x 0.8 gal/h: 16 gal, $62
Per mile with reefer: $0.69

Total$447

The same 650 miles in a pickup hotshot at 12 mpg would burn about 54 gallons, around $209. In a 26 ft box truck at 9 mpg, about 72 gallons, around $278.

SOURCE: Fuel benchmark: ATRI, An Analysis of the Operational Costs of Trucking, 2025 data (published 2026): $0.482 per mile. Diesel prices change weekly; use the price on your route.

Semi truck fuel calculator: mpg by rig

Fuel economy depends on the truck, the load, speed, wind and terrain. Rough ranges: tractor-trailers often 6 to 8 mpg, 26 ft box trucks 8 to 10, pickup hotshots 10 to 14 loaded. Flatbeds with tall loads and reefers in summer run worse. Your own fuel card history beats any range. See hotshot fuel economy by truck for pickup figures.

Good and bad results

Fuel is usually the biggest cost that moves with miles. Compare fuel per mile with the load's all-in rate per mile. If fuel takes more than about a third of the rate, check the deadhead and the price: there's not much left for everything else.

Cutting the fuel bill

Drive fewer empty miles. Deadhead burns fuel and pays nothing.
Slow down. A few mph less at highway speed saves fuel on every run.
Idle less. Use an APU or bunk heater where you can.
Plan fuel stops. Prices differ a lot between states and stations on the same route.
Keep tires inflated. Low pressure costs mpg.

Fuel and the rate

Some brokers pay a fuel surcharge on top of the linehaul, others quote one all-in number. Either way, the fuel for the whole trip, deadhead and reefer included, comes out of what the load pays. When diesel prices rise fast, rates usually lag behind for a while. That's when knowing your fuel cost per trip matters most, because a rate that worked last month may not this month. Run the trip here before you agree, and put the number next to the rate.

Fuel planned into the load

We look at deadhead and the reload before we bring you a load, so you don't drive 200 miles empty for a short haul. You approve every load, and the rate confirmation comes straight to you. See rates and fees, or turn the fuel bill into a cost per mile with the trucking cost per mile calculator.

Questions about this calculator

Q01How much does it cost to fill up a semi truck?

Many tractors carry two tanks of about 100 to 150 gallons each, so 200 to 300 gallons. At an example $3.85 a gallon, a full fill from near empty is roughly $770 to $1,155. Check your own tank size and the pump price.

Q02What is the fuel cost per mile for a semi truck?

Diesel price divided by mpg. At $3.85 and 6.5 mpg, it's about $0.59 a mile. ATRI's 2025 data put fuel at about $0.48 a mile on average across fleets.

Q03How much fuel does a reefer use?

Reefer units often burn somewhere around half a gallon to a gallon an hour, depending on the unit, the set point, the outside temperature and how often the doors open. Check your unit's records.

Q04Should I use loaded or empty mpg?

Use loaded mpg for loaded miles. If the trip includes a lot of deadhead, you can run the tool twice, once for each, or use an average.

Q05Does this include fuel tax?

The pump price already includes fuel tax. IFTA settles which state gets it. See the IFTA calculator for that part.