Box Truck Pay Calculator: Percentage vs CPM
Carriers quote whichever number sounds bigger. This shows you which one actually pays more on your lanes. Enter your miles, your rate or percentage, and a typical run — we'll do the math.
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Your run
If they pay percentage
If they pay CPM
Weekly deductions
Same for both structures — leave at 0 to skip
Percentage
70% of $6,000
All-in per mile
$1.91
every mile, loaded and empty
CPM
$2.10 × 2,000 mi
All-in per mile
$1.91
every mile, loaded and empty
It's a wash — both structures pay about the same on these numbers.
Where it flips: percentage beats $2.10/mi once the load pays the carrier more than $3.00 per loaded mile ($6,000 on a 2,000-mile run). Below that, CPM wins.
You're driving 200unpaid miles a week. That's already priced into the all-in rate above — it's the number carriers leave out.
What the numbers actually mean
Percentagepays you a cut of what the load pays the carrier. It rises and falls with the freight market — good weeks are very good, slow weeks hurt. You need to see real rate confirmations to know what you're agreeing to.
CPMpays you a fixed amount per mile. It's predictable, which is worth something, but it caps your upside when rates spike — and if deadhead isn't paid, every empty mile is free work.
The number that settles it is the all-in rate per mile: everything you earn divided by every mile you turn, loaded and empty. That's the figure to compare between two offers, and it's the one nobody quotes you.
Not sure which pay structure fits how you run? Read the full breakdown in our guide: Percentage vs CPM — which actually pays better?
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