True Rate Per Mile & Deadhead Calculator
The posted rate on the load board only accounts for loaded miles. Calculate your actual True RPM, uncover the hidden deadhead drag, and see your exact net trip margin before you dial the broker.
Load Parameters
Live RecalculationTo recover your 90 deadhead miles and reach your $3.43 posted target, pitch the broker at $2,700 (+$300).
Automate This on DAT & Truckstop
Never retype mileage or rates again. The free FreightHUD Chrome extension calculates True RPM and verifies FMCSA broker authority live on every load card.
Understanding True Rate Per Mile (RPM) in Spot Freight
What is True Rate Per Mile?
Standard load boards show the Posted RPM, which is simply gross pay divided by loaded transit miles. However, trucks do not materialize at the shipper dock—unpaid deadhead miles to pickup consume fuel, engine hours, and driver clock time.
True RPM factors the entire required trip: Total Pay / (Loaded Miles + Origin Deadhead + Relocation Miles).
The Phantom Deadhead Trap
Load boards show the rate per loaded mile. They do not count the empty miles you drive to reach the pickup.
Example: $2,400 for 700 loaded miles looks like $3.43/mi. Add 65 deadhead miles and the True RPM drops to $3.14/mi. Running live True RPM math allows carriers to reject unprofitable loads or counter-negotiate with certainty.