Startup cost estimator
What it costs to start hauling
Updated
Government fees, the tools brokers expect and your running costs, from published prices. Pick your truck, add your insurance quote and your miles, and you get a first-year budget and a cost per mile.
Frequently asked questions
What does the startup cost estimator include?
It adds the USDOT number, MC authority, BOC-3 and UCR fees, plus a DOT physical, drug testing, an ELD and a load board where your truck and choices call for them. Your own insurance quote, truck payment, miles and miles per gallon fill in the monthly costs and the cost per mile.
Why do I have to add my own insurance quote?
No published price covers insurance, so the totals stay incomplete until you add your quote and down payment. Premiums owners reported on trucking forums show next to the insurance box for context, and they're never added to a total.
What does the cost per mile leave out?
It covers only the lines in the estimate: insurance, truck payment, load board, ELD service, diesel and the yearly fees. Add maintenance, tires, tolls and your own pay before you price a load.
Where do the prices come from?
Fees and prices come from the agencies' and companies' own pages, and diesel comes from the U.S. Energy Information Administration's weekly price. Vendor names are examples of published prices. State registration, TxDMV fees and IRP plates depend on your state, truck and miles, so they aren't included.