Moving & storage
Moving Fuel Cost Calculator
Fuel for a move, in whichever units your truck and your pump are quoted in, including the return leg people forget to count.
Result
The round trip option exists because it is the most common omission: on a local move and on most rental arrangements the truck has to come back, which doubles the fuel and is routinely left out of a quote. The load penalty matters for the same reason. Published economy figures for box trucks are generally measured empty, and a fully loaded truck on hills or into a headwind can fall well below the rating, so quoting fuel at the rated figure understates it on exactly the jobs where fuel is largest.
Get a Free Business AuditHow the calculation works
Distance divided by fuel economy gives fuel used, in whichever units you work in: miles over miles per gallon, or kilometres over a hundred times litres per hundred kilometres. The round trip option doubles the distance, and the load penalty adjusts the economy figure, worsening it in both unit systems rather than only one. Fuel times price gives the cost, and dividing by distance gives the per mile or per kilometre figure that belongs in a rate.
What moves the number
- Whether the truck returns, which doubles the distance and is the most common omission.
- The load penalty, since published economy figures are generally measured empty.
- Number of trucks, as each one burns its own fuel over the same route.
- Fuel price volatility, which is why a surcharge exists in this trade.
Where this one goes wrong
The return leg is the item left out most often, and on a local move the truck always comes back. Leaving it out halves the fuel figure on exactly the jobs where fuel is a visible cost. The load penalty compounds it: a box truck at single figure economy loaded, on hills, into a headwind, falls well below its rating, and quoting at the rating understates the longest runs.
Before you quote
- Include the return leg unless the truck genuinely stays.
- Use your own logged loaded economy rather than the rating.
- Count every truck on the job, not just the largest.
Questions
About this calculator
Should I count the return trip?
Almost always, unless the truck genuinely stays at the destination or is dropped off with a one way rental. For a local move the truck returns to the yard, and on a long distance move with your own truck it has to come home empty. Leaving it out halves the fuel figure.
How much worse is fuel economy with a full load?
Enough to matter, and the rating you are working from was probably measured empty. Weight, terrain and speed all contribute, and the effect is largest on the long highway runs where total fuel is biggest. Use your own logged figures if you have them rather than the rating.
Can I bill fuel separately?
Some movers do, as a fuel surcharge, and some build it into the rate. Which is better depends on how volatile fuel is and on what your customers will accept, but either way the figure has to include the return leg and the loaded penalty or you are absorbing the difference.
The formula
gallons = distance / mpg; litres = distance / 100 x L per 100 km; cost = fuel x price
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How to use this calculator
- Units. Enter your own figure; the page starts at Miles, gallons and miles per gallon.
- One way distance. Enter your own figure; the page starts at 450.
- Journey. Enter your own figure; the page starts at Round trip, truck comes back.
- Truck fuel economy (mpg). Enter your own figure; the page starts at 8.5.
- Fuel price per gallon or litre ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $4.1.
- Economy loss when fully loaded (%). A loaded truck burns noticeably more than its rated figure, and the rating is usually measured empty.
The result updates as you type, so you can try a figure, see what it does to fuel cost, and change it back. Nothing you enter is sent anywhere or saved.
A worked example
These are the figures the calculator opens with. Every number in the results column below is produced by the same calculation the page runs, so you can follow it through before putting your own figures in.
What goes in
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Units | Miles, gallons and miles per gallon |
| One way distance | 450 |
| Journey | Round trip, truck comes back |
| Truck fuel economy (mpg) | 8.5 |
| Fuel price per gallon or litre | $4.1 |
| Economy loss when fully loaded | 20% |
| Number of trucks | 1 |
| Markup if you are billing this on | 0% |
What comes out
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Fuel cost main result | $542.65 |
| Billed to the customer | $542.65 |
| Distance driven | 900 |
| Fuel used | 132.4 |
| Loaded fuel economy | 6.8 |
| Fuel cost per mile or km | $0.60 |
Driving 900 at a loaded 6.8 burns 132.4 of fuel, costing $542.65. That is $0.60 for every mile or kilometre the truck turns a wheel.
How sensitive the answer is
Holding everything else steady and changing only fuel price per gallon or litre, this is what happens to fuel cost. It is worth knowing which of your inputs the answer actually hinges on, and which barely move it.
| Fuel price per gallon or litre ($) | Fuel cost |
|---|---|
| $2.05 | $271.32 |
| $3.08 | $407.65 |
| $4.1 example above | $542.65 |
| $6.15 | $813.97 |
| $8.2 | $1,085 |
Every other input is held at the example value while this one changes, which is not how a real job behaves. Treat it as a guide to which number matters most, not as five separate quotes.
What each figure means
- Units
- Choose from Miles, gallons and miles per gallon, Kilometres, litres and litres per 100 km.
- One way distance
- A number, between 0 and 20000, starting at 450.
- Journey
- Choose from One way, truck stays or is dropped off, Round trip, truck comes back.
- Truck fuel economy (mpg)
- A number, between 0 and 60, starting at 8.5.
- Fuel price per gallon or litre ($)
- A money amount, between 0 and 50, starting at $4.1.
- Economy loss when fully loaded (%)
- A loaded truck burns noticeably more than its rated figure, and the rating is usually measured empty.
- Number of trucks
- A number, between 1 and 50, starting at 1.
- Markup if you are billing this on (%)
- A percentage, between 0 and 200, starting at 0%.
What the results tell you
| Result | What it is |
|---|---|
| Fuel cost | The headline result. A money figure. |
| Billed to the customer | A money figure. |
| Distance driven | A number. |
| Fuel used | A decimal figure. |
| Loaded fuel economy | A decimal figure. |
| Fuel cost per mile or km | A money figure. |
Keep going
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