Truck Fuel & Diesel Cost Calculator

Calculate trip fuel costs and diesel consumption for commercial semi-trucks, freight haulers, and pickup trucks.

Calculator Parameters

Distance unit
Fuel economy unit
$per US gallon

This is an estimated default price. Automatic price detection only applies to visitors in the United States. Everyone else can select their own currency and enter a local price below for an accurate result.

Currency

Enter total travelers to split gas cost fairly.

Trip type
Timeframe

Your Calculation Results

High Consumption (> 8.5 L/100km)
Total Fuel Needed (for this trip)
9.56 US gallons
(36.2 liters total)
Total Fuel Cost (for this trip)
$14.34
Cost breakdown per distance unit
$0.231 per mile • $0.143 per km
Total Distance (for this trip)
100.0 kilometers

Fuel economy in every unit

L/100km
36.2
MPG US
6.5
MPG UK
7.8
km/L
2.8
Featured Snippet Reference

Commercial Truck Diesel Fuel Cost Formula

Standard logistics formula for computing fuel surcharges and trip budgets across commercial Class 8 rigs and fleet operations.

Truck Trip Fuel Cost = (Distance in Miles ÷ Truck MPG) × Diesel Price ($/gal)
Class 8 Semi (1,000 mi)(1,000 mi ÷ 6.5 MPG) × $3.90$600.00 diesel cost ($0.60/mi)
Heavy Pickup Hauler(500 mi ÷ 14.0 MPG) × $3.90$139.29 diesel cost ($0.278/mi)
Delivery Van (300 mi)(300 mi ÷ 12.0 MPG) × $3.90$97.50 diesel cost ($0.325/mi)

Commercial Truck Fuel Cost Analysis

Fuel represents the single largest operating expense for commercial trucking fleets and independent owner-operators, accounting for 30% to 40% of total cost per mile ($/mi).

Truck Trip Fuel Cost = (Distance in Miles ÷ Truck MPG) × Diesel Price ($/Gal)

Freight Long-Haul Real-World Worked Scenarios

Scenario 1: Cross-Country Freight Run (1,800 miles)

Class 8 sleeper cab getting 6.8 MPG with diesel at $3.90/gal.

Calculation: (1,800 mi ÷ 6.8 MPG) × $3.90 = $1,032.35 Diesel Cost ($0.573 / mile).

Scenario 2: Regional Delivery Truck (450 miles/day)

Day cab hauling 35,000 lbs freight getting 7.2 MPG with diesel at $3.80/gal.

Calculation: (450 mi ÷ 7.2 MPG) × $3.80 = $237.50 / day ($5,225 / month).

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Frequently asked questions

Modern Class 8 commercial semi-trucks average between 6.5 and 7.5 MPG. Aerodynamic trucks equipped with side skirts, boat tails, and automated manual transmissions can reach 8.0 to 9.0 MPG under optimal conditions.

A Class 8 diesel engine burns approximately 0.8 to 1.2 gallons of diesel per hour while idling. Using an Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) reduces idle fuel burn to just 0.2 gallons per hour.

Under the International Fuel Tax Agreement (IFTA), commercial motor carriers calculate total miles driven in each state or province, divide by fleet average MPG to find tax-reportable fuel consumed in each jurisdiction.

For every 10,000 lbs of added freight payload, a semi-truck's fuel economy drops by approximately 0.5 MPG.