TruckingHot Shot Trucking Profit Planner and Break-Even Rate Calculator
A hot-shot trucking planner that helps you check, in about two minutes, whether a load rate covers deadhead, fuel, insurance and your truck note. What you get. 01-Hot-Shot-Trucking-Profit-Planner.xlsx (Excel workbook): three...
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Formats: Excel (.xlsx), Google Sheets, PDF
Try a free working sample first →
What you can check before you buy
v1.0version · file dated Oct 14, 2026
4visible sheets in the workbook
99formulas, all readable in the cells
0formula error cells after a full recalculation
nonemacros in the spreadsheet file
Checked on Oct 14, 2026: the workbook 01-Hot-Shot-Trucking-Profit-Planner.xlsx was opened and fully recalculated in LibreOffice and no cell showed an error. This is our own check against the sold file, not an outside audit. The template was drafted with AI assistance; its formulas are checked with automated tests and worked examples.
Inside the workbook (from the real file)
input cellformula (hover for the formula)heading
Sheet: Start Here (11 rows, 7 columns)
| Hot-Shot Trucking Profit Planner | | | | | |
| Plan a hot-shot (pickup + goosenec | | | | | |
| Built around the way hot-shot real | | | | | |
| How to use: change only the yellow | | | | | |
| Yellow cell = type your own number | | | | | |
| Green cell = calculated for you, d | | | | | |
| Template only. Not legal, tax or f | | | | | |
Sheet: Planner (37 rows, 8 columns)
| Hot-Shot Profit Planner | | | | | | |
| One week of running, then scaled t | | | | | | |
| Your numbers (yellow cells - type | | | | | | |
| Loaded miles per week (paid miles) | | 2000 | Miles with freight on the trailer. | | | |
| Deadhead (empty) miles as % of loa | | 0.2 | Empty miles driving to pickups and | | | |
| Average rate per loaded mile ($) | | 2.1 | Total load pay / loaded miles. Exa | | | |
| Weeks you run per year | | 48 | Subtract holidays, breakdowns and | | | |
| Factoring / dispatch fee (% of rev | | 0.03 | Enter 0 if you do not use either. | | | |
| Diesel price per gallon ($) | | 4 | Your average pump price. Example v | | | |
| MPG when loaded | | 11 | Measure over full tanks while pull | | | |
Sheet: What-If (26 rows, 8 columns)
| What-If: rate and weekly miles | | | | | | |
| Change the offsets or mileage in t | | | | | | |
| A. Profit at different rates per l | | | | | | |
| Rate change vs Planner ($ per mile | Rate per loaded mile | Revenue per week | Profit per week | Profit per year | Weekly profit vs target | |
| -0.3 | 1.8 | 3600 | 1343.94 | 64509.19 | -156.06 | |
| -0.2 | 1.9 | 3800 | 1537.94 | 73821.19 | 37.94 | |
| -0.1 | 2 | 4000 | 1731.94 | 83133.19 | 231.94 | |
| 0 | 2.1 | 4200 | 1925.94 | 92445.19 | 425.94 | |
| 0.1 | 2.2 | 4400 | 2119.94 | 101757.19 | 619.94 | |
| 0.2 | 2.3 | 4600 | 2313.94 | 111069.19 | 813.94 | |
Preview shows the first rows of each sheet as calculated. Your copy has the full sheets.
About this template
A hot-shot trucking planner that helps you check, in about two minutes, whether a load rate covers deadhead, fuel, insurance and your truck note.
What you get
- 01-Hot-Shot-Trucking-Profit-Planner.xlsx (Excel workbook): three sheets, Planner, What-If and Cost Notes, with working formulas.
- 01-Hot-Shot-Trucking-Profit-Planner.pdf (printable PDF): the same worksheets, ready to print and fill in by hand.
This is an instant digital download. Nothing is mailed, and the download links appear after purchase.
File types
- Excel workbook (.xlsx). It works in Excel 2013 or newer, Google Sheets and LibreOffice.
- PDF, sized for US Letter paper.
How to use
1. Download both files after checkout and open the workbook.
2. Change the yellow cells only. Replace every example figure with your own quotes, receipts and costs.
3. Read the results on the Planner sheet. They update instantly as you type.
4. Use the What-If sheet to try a different rate, mileage or cost and see how it changes the outcome.
5. Print the PDF if you would rather work through a load on paper.
Who it is for
- Owner-operators and small hot-shot haulers who want a quick way to compare a load offer against their own costs.
- Drivers who want to understand their break-even rate per mile, including empty (deadhead) miles.
- Anyone who prefers a plain spreadsheet or a paper worksheet to a subscription app.
What it is NOT
- It is not tax, legal or financial advice. Check rules and rates with the official source or a qualified professional.
- It is not accounting software. It does not track invoices, payroll or taxes.
- Every number in the example is a placeholder. None of them is a market rate, a tax rate or a legal requirement.
- It makes no promise about income or profit. Your results depend entirely on the figures you enter.
- It is a template, so adapt it to your own situation, equipment and costs.
Created with AI assistance and checked with automated tests.
Questions
What file types do I get, and what will it open in?
You get an Excel workbook (.xlsx) and a printable PDF sized for US Letter paper. The workbook works in Excel 2013 or newer, Google Sheets and LibreOffice.
Can I edit the formulas, and does this replace an accountant?
It is a template with working formulas, so you can adapt it to your own equipment and costs. It is a planning tool, not tax, legal or financial advice, and it is not accounting software, so check rules and rates with a qualified professional.
How do I start?
Download both files after checkout and open the workbook. Change the yellow cells only, replacing every example figure with your own quotes, receipts and costs, then read the results on the Planner sheet. You can use the What-If sheet to try a different rate, mileage or cost, or print the PDF to work through a load on paper.
Refunds: refunds follow the rules of the marketplace where you buy; if a file is broken we fix or replace it (
details). It is a planning tool, not tax, legal, financial or engineering advice. Check rates, limits and rules against the official source before you rely on them.
How we check our files.
