The cost structure of haulage — what it is really made of
Most new carriers count the diesel and the lease, and stop there. Diesel is less than half of it. The rest eats the profit quietly: tyres, service, insurance, employer contributions, empty running, detention, the accountant, parking. Here is the whole list. If a line is missing from your sum, you are hauling cheaper than you think.
Your real cost per kilometre
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The trip costs you €1077 · ask at least €1293 · you earn €323
Tolls are not in this — they depend on the route. Plan the route to add them.
Tolls are NOT in this number — they depend on the route. Sign up to plan a legal truck route with real tolls, refuelling and VAT.
Plan a real tripVariable costs — they grow with every kilometre
Fuel (adjusted for the load and for empty running), AdBlue, tolls, service and tyres (not "once a year" but €/km — they wear in proportion to distance), washes, parking, the driver's per-diems. Mistake number one: costing fuel at the brochure figure instead of the real consumption under load.
Fixed costs — you pay them while the truck stands still
The lease or the loan (and if the truck is owned: depreciation — it loses value every year), insurance, the driver's wage TOGETHER with employer contributions (about +21% in Poland, +20% in Germany), the accountant, the phone, the office, the transport manager. This money leaves every month whatever your mileage.
What gets forgotten — and why the loss appears later
Empty running (up to 15% of the distance — nobody pays for it, but the diesel burns), detention at the ramp, currency swings, VAT that will never come back, fines, a breakdown on the road, the driver's holiday and sick pay. And crucially: these must be divided by the kilometres the truck ACTUALLY runs, not by a theoretical figure.
How to work it out properly
Cost per km = (all monthly fixed costs ÷ the real monthly mileage) + all variable costs per kilometre. That figure is the line below which a load loses money. Minimum rate = cost + margin (at least 15%, or there is nothing to grow with). Free to work out, no signup.
What is a normal cost per km for an artic in Europe?
Roughly €0.90–1.30 depending on the country of registration, the driver's wage, the age of the truck and how it is financed. But a market average helps nobody: your figure depends on YOUR lease and YOUR wage bill. Work out your own.
Does the driver's wage belong in the cost per km?
Yes — and with employer contributions, not the take-home. It is the most common mistake: the driver is paid €1,500 and costs the company €1,850. Nobody sees the difference until they count it.
What if the market rates are below my cost?
Do not take those loads. It sounds obvious until you do the arithmetic: a load taken "so the truck is not idle" at below cost burns money FASTER than standing still, because the variable costs pile on top of the fixed ones.