How to Evaluate a Load Before You Accept It

Last updated: June 2026 · All Guides

Rate per loaded mile is the number everyone talks about. It's also one of the most misleading ways to compare loads. A $2.20/mile offer sounds better than $1.85/mile — until you look at the deadhead, the fuel, and where the delivery drops you.

Step 1: Calculate All-Miles Rate

All-miles rate = Load pay ÷ (Loaded miles + Deadhead miles)

Here's a direct comparison:

Load A pays more per loaded mile. Load B puts more money in your pocket. That gap matters even more when you account for the fuel cost of 200 extra empty miles.

Step 2: Calculate the Fuel Cost

Deadhead miles burn fuel just like loaded miles. At 6.5 MPG and $3.85/gallon:

• Load A (700 total miles): 107.7 gal × $3.85 = $414.75 fuel cost
• Load B (610 total miles): 93.8 gal × $3.85 = $361.15 fuel cost

Net after fuel: Load A = $685. Load B = $749. A $64 difference on loads that looked almost identical from the rate per mile alone.

Step 3: Factor in Time

A load that takes 10 hours vs. one that takes 12 hours for similar pay is worth considering, especially when you're managing your 70-hour clock. Time also affects back haul positioning — a shorter load that delivers near a strong freight market can be worth more than a longer load that drops you in a dead zone.

Step 4: Check the Broker

A fast-paying broker at $1.95/mile beats a slow-paying one at $2.05/mile if you're factoring — because the factoring fee comes out of the loaded rate either way. Most load boards show broker credit scores and average payment time. If a broker consistently pays in 45+ days or has a credit score below 85 on DAT, factor that risk into the load's real value.

Step 5: Think About the Back Haul

Where does this load deliver? If it drops you 200 empty miles from the nearest freight market, that repositioning cost belongs in your load math. A load delivering to the edge of a dense freight market where you can turn around quickly has more value than the rate line alone shows.

Quick Comparison Template

Before accepting any load you're unsure about, run these three numbers:

1. All-miles rate: Gross pay ÷ (loaded + deadhead miles)
2. Net after fuel: Gross pay − (total miles ÷ MPG × diesel price)
3. Net after your cost per mile: Total miles × your CPM subtracted from gross pay

Two minutes of math before the phone call is worth hours of regret after.

The HOS Factor

Hours of service add a dimension that doesn't show up in rate-per-mile math at all. If you're 4 hours from a 34-hour restart, a $900 short haul that uses 4.5 hours and positions you for a strong back haul may be worth more than a $1,500 long run that burns your remaining 11 hours and drops you in a freight desert.

A useful sanity check: revenue per hour. Divide gross load pay by estimated total time — drive time plus loading and unloading.

• $1,500 load, 11 hours total: $136/hr
• $900 load, 4.5 hours total: $200/hr

The shorter load wins on revenue per hour by nearly 50%. When your HOS clock is a real constraint, that number matters. A faster turnaround also means you can pick up a second load in the same driving window — which compounds the advantage.

The HOS factor doesn't change every load decision. But when two loads look similar on rate and you're watching your clock, revenue per hour often breaks the tie in a way that raw rate per mile won't.