Is this load profitable? Why a load that looks fine can still lose money

A load is profitable only if the offer beats your break-even job cost: loaded km, empty km, tolls and waiting. In a worked example calculated on 2026-11-10, EUR 2,300 against a job cost of EUR 2,208.70 leaves EUR 91.30 profit, a 3.97% margin and EUR 41 a day, below a 10% margin.

Is this load profitable? How to test an offer against break-even

Test any offer with one formula, then compare the margin with the one you need:

Profit = offer - job cost; margin = profit / offer

Here job cost = loaded km cost + empty km cost + tolls + waiting and extras. Logifie's freight calculator applies this to a 1,300 km job through Germany and France on its default 40 t profile, with tolls on ECB rates of 2026-09-25. Loaded km cost EUR 1,834.90 and tolls EUR 373.80 give a job cost of EUR 2,208.70.

The recommended price lifts break-even until profit equals your target margin of price, 10% by default (2,208.70 / 0.90 = 2,454.11, rounded up to EUR 2,460). The offer sits EUR 160 under that.

The job takes about 2.22 days (20 h of driving at 65 km/h, 9 h driving a day), which is why EUR 91.30 shrinks to EUR 41 a day.

Why can a load that looks profitable lose money?

A load can look fine on rate per km while empty km and waiting stay outside the sum. The table above assumes 0 empty km and no waiting. Price the same job with the default 20% fleet empty share and the calculator estimates EUR 3,030 (+23.4%), which leaves the EUR 2,300 offer EUR 730 short.

Waiting does the rest. The default profile shows a standstill cost of EUR 429 a day, so one waiting day turns EUR 91.30 of profit into a loss of EUR 337.70. See what waiting and detention rules let you charge in Europe .

The market context points the same way. In Spain, operating costs rose 15.1% in Q1 2026 against Q1 2025 while transport prices rose 6.2% on average, according to the transport ministry cost observatory as reported by trans.info on 2026-06-29 . In Germany, Destatis press release No. 325 of 2026-09-11 puts transport and storage at 71.6 insolvencies per 10,000 companies in H1 2026, against 36.2 across all sectors. About one fifth of EU road freight vehicle-km were driven empty in 2020, Eurostat reported on 2021-12-10 .

Should I accept a load that only covers break-even?

Sometimes yes, if it is a conscious choice. A truck that would otherwise stand still costs EUR 429 a day in the default profile, so a load that covers break-even beats an idle day. A thin load can also reposition the truck toward a better reload area; check how hard a region is to leave on the freight balance map .

Write down the profit you give up against the recommended price, and accept only if you can name what you get in return. Read how to calculate a freight rate for a truck load for the method behind each cost line.

Frequently asked questions

How do I know if a load is worth taking?

Compare the offer with your job cost, including empty km, tolls and waiting, then check the margin. If the offer is below your recommended price, the load earns less than your target, and you should know why you take it. On the example job, EUR 2,300 earns a 3.97% margin against a 10% target.

What is a good profit margin on a truck load?

There is no single figure that holds for every haulier, so set your own target from your fixed costs and risk. Logifie's freight calculator starts at a 10% margin of price and lets you change it, or switch to a markup on cost.

Do empty km and waiting time count in load profit?

Yes. Empty km cost 1.30 EUR each before tolls in the default profile, and a standing day costs EUR 429. Both belong in job cost.

What is the difference between break-even price and recommended price?

Break-even price covers the job cost and earns nothing, EUR 2,209 on the example job. The recommended price adds your target margin of price, EUR 2,460 at 10%.

Check your next offer in Logifie's freight calculator before you say yes.