Trip fuel cost calculator: what this run burns in diesel
Enter the trip miles, your MPG and the diesel price, and reefer hours if you run one. The trip fuel cost calculator returns gallons, the fuel bill and fuel cost per mile.
Defaults are an example trip; the reefer burn is an example value, since it varies with the unit, set point and weather. Diesel default: EIA U.S. average, week of Oct 5, 2026.
FUEL COST PER MILE
$0.95
$1,240 for 1,300 miles
- Truck fuel
- 200 gal · $1,240
- Per 100 miles
- $95
- Each 0.5 mpg better saves
- $89
POSTED: EIA, Gasoline and Diesel Fuel Update, on-highway diesel, week of Oct 5, 2026 · checked Oct 2026
This trip burns $0.95 a mile in fuel. Our dispatchers count that before they offer you a load, and plan loads around your hours and home time. Dispatch runs 5% of gross for one truck, and you confirm every load.
By Nathan Beck · Updated October 2026
Fuel is the cost that moves the most from one trip to the next, and the one most worth knowing before you say yes to a load. This trip fuel cost calculator, a simple semi truck fuel calculator, turns trip miles, your MPG and the diesel price into gallons and dollars, and adds a reefer unit's burn if you pull one.
Fuel cost per mile for a semi truck
Fuel cost per mile is the diesel price divided by your miles per gallon. At the EIA U.S. average of $6.199 a gallon for the week of October 5, 2026 and 6.5 mpg, that is about 95 cents a mile. Two things change it most:
- Where you buy. That same week, EIA regional averages ran from $5.699 on the Lower Atlantic to $7.229 on the West Coast and $8.082 in California.
- Your MPG. Speed, weight, wind, terrain, tires and idle time all move it. Use the number from your own fuel receipts.
POSTED: EIA, Gasoline and Diesel Fuel Update (week of Oct 5, 2026) · checked Oct 2026
Reefer fuel
A reefer unit burns diesel by the hour, not by the mile, and it keeps running at the dock and overnight. Tick the reefer box and enter how many hours the unit will run and its burn per hour from your unit's log. The calculator adds that fuel to the truck's and shows the split.
Where the fuel stops fall
Knowing the trip total is half of it; the other half is where you will fill. A truck with two saddle tanks can cover a long run on one fill, but you still need to plan where the tank reaches your reserve, ideally at a stop you would make anyway for a break or the night. The trip planner lays those fuel stops out by mile, next to your breaks and park points.
How it is calculated
- Truck gallons: trip miles divided by MPG.
- Reefer gallons: reefer hours times gallons per hour, if you run one.
- Fuel cost: all gallons times the diesel price.
- Cost per mile: the total divided by trip miles.
- MPG check: what half a mile per gallon better would save on this trip.
What a good result and a bad result look like
A good result is a fuel cost per mile you know before you book, with fuel stops planned where diesel is cheaper and a rate that covers it comfortably. A bad result is finding out at the pump: buying the most expensive fuel on the route because you ran low, or pricing a load without the empty miles.
Where you buy matters almost as much as how much. Our guide to truck stop fuel covers what to look for at the island, and fuel rewards programs for truckers compares the loyalty and discount cards. For one stop rather than a whole trip, the semi truck fill-up cost calculator prices the next fill, and the trucking cost per mile calculator puts fuel next to all your other costs.
Fuel is part of every rate
A load that looked good can turn thin once the fuel is counted. Our dispatchers check the miles, the deadhead and the fuel before a load reaches you, and plan loads around your hours and home time. You confirm every load and get the rate con yourself. Read how it works for owner operators, or apply in about two minutes.
Questions about this calculator
How much does it cost to fill up a semi truck?
It depends on tank size, how empty the tanks are and the pump price. Two 150-gallon tanks from a quarter full take about 225 gallons, which at the EIA U.S. average for the week of October 5, 2026 is roughly $1,395. Our semi truck fill-up cost calculator works it out for your tanks; this calculator prices a whole trip instead.
What is the fuel cost per mile for a semi truck?
Divide the diesel price by your MPG. At $6.20 a gallon and 6.5 miles per gallon, fuel costs about 95 cents a mile. Every change in either number moves it: half a mile per gallon better saves several cents a mile, and regional prices differ by more than two dollars a gallon. Use your own MPG from fuel receipts, not a brochure figure.
How do I estimate reefer fuel?
A reefer unit has its own fuel use, measured in gallons per hour rather than per mile, and it keeps running when the truck is parked. Many units log fuel use or show hours on the display. Multiply the hours the unit runs on the trip by its burn rate. Burn changes with the set point, the outside temperature and how often the doors open.
Should I include empty miles?
Yes. The truck burns the same diesel driving empty to a pickup as it does loaded, sometimes a little less because it is lighter. Leaving deadhead out makes the fuel bill look smaller than it is. Enter the full miles from where the truck is now to the delivery, then compare the cost with what the load pays.
Loads priced with the fuel counted
We check the miles before we offer a load. You approve every one.