Most owner-operators know how to drive. Some know how to negotiate. But only a few truly know their business. And the ones who do? They’re not just looking at weekly gross or fuel receipts—they’re tracking KPIs.
KPI stands for Key Performance Indicator. In plain language: these are the numbers that tell you whether your business is winning or bleeding. Not guesses. Not gut feelings. Hard data, tracked weekly, that exposes the real truth about how well the truck—and the business behind it—is running.
This isn’t about corporate dashboards or spreadsheets filled with fluff. This is about the five to seven numbers every owner-operator should measure, understand, and use to guide decisions every single week.
Why KPIs Matter for Owner-Ops
Here’s the hard truth: if the truck is running but the numbers aren’t being tracked, you’re gambling, not running a business.
Without KPIs:
- It’s impossible to know whether you’re pricing lanes correctly
- You won’t see where your money is really going
- You can’t tell if the next truck is a good idea or a fast way to go broke
- You’ll keep reacting instead of leading
KPIs give you real-time truth about the health of your operation. They’re not about being fancy. They’re about being in control.
Bonus Benchmark – Know Your Breakeven Point First
Before you start tracking KPIs, you need to calculate the one number that everything else measures against: your breakeven.
This is not technically a KPI—it’s not tracked week to week. But it’s your baseline. It’s the minimum rate per mile, per day, or per week you must hit just to cover expenses and keep the operation afloat.
How to calculate:
Total fixed and variable costs per week ÷ average loaded miles or days worked
Example:
$4,600 in weekly costs ÷ 2,300 loaded miles = $2.00 per mile breakeven
or
$4,600 ÷ 6 days = $766 per day breakeven
If your loads are paying less than that, you’re losing money—whether you realize it or not.
Your breakeven point sets the floor. Your KPIs show how far above (or below) that floor you’re running. It also is a continuous moving number that must be updated.
The 6 KPIs Every Owner-Op Needs to Track Weekly
Let’s break them down. Not in theory—but in the real-world sense of what to track, how to track it, and what it tells you.
1. Cost Per Day (CPD)
Forget CPM for a second. Cost Per Day tells you exactly what it takes to keep your truck moving every 24 hours.
How to calculate:
Total expenses for the week ÷ days worked
Why it matters:
If your loads are only grossing $700/day and your CPD is $770—you’re operating at a loss. This is how you monitor breakeven in real time.
2. Revenue Per Hour
This shows how well you’re using your most limited resource—time.
How to calculate:
Total gross revenue ÷ total hours worked (including driving, loading, waiting)
Target:
$90/hr or better is a healthy benchmark for regional or spot market operators.
3. Margin Per Load
This is your net earnings after expenses per load—not what the broker paid, but what you actually got to keep.
How to calculate:
Total load revenue – all load-related expenses (fuel, tolls, lumpers, deadhead, factoring)
What it shows:
Whether you’re taking home enough to justify the haul. Margin, not mileage, is what matters here.
4. Net to Gross Ratio
This tells you how much of your gross is making it to your bank account.
How to calculate:
Net income ÷ gross income × 100
Benchmark:
Goal to be above 25%. If it drops below 20%, it’s time to audit expenses or rethink lanes you are running.
5. Deadhead Percentage
Deadhead silently eats your profit. This KPI shows how much time you’re burning without pay.
How to calculate:
Empty miles ÷ total miles × 100
Target:
Under 12–15% for solo operators running general freight.
6. Rolling 30-Day Operating Ratio (OR)
Used by big fleets—but crucial for owner-ops too. This shows what portion of your revenue is being spent.
How to calculate:
Total operating costs ÷ total gross revenue × 100
Healthy OR:
Keep it under 85%. Over 90% means you’re working too hard for too little.
What to Do With These Numbers
Tracking KPIs is step one. But what makes them powerful is when you act on what they reveal.
Use your KPI data to:
- Identify which brokers are profitable for you and which are time-wasters
- Adjust your minimum rate requirements based on your current costs
- Shift from “chasing gross” to actually building a “book of business”
- Make smart calls about maintenance timing, downtime, or scaling
- Stop accepting loads just to stay moving if they push you below breakeven
This is where many carriers miss the mark. They have the tools. They just don’t use them to make real decisions.
Final Word
KPIs aren’t about perfection. They’re about visibility.
When you track them consistently, you stop flying blind. You stop hoping the next load is better. You stop saying “I think we’re doing okay” and start knowing exactly where the money’s going and what needs to change.
It starts with your breakeven point. That’s your bottom. From there, every KPI tells you whether you’re building a business—or just buying yourself a job.