Fuel price surge pushes cost of running empty higher

Truckers feeling pain at the pump

The cost of running empty just went up again. Nonrevenue, or empty miles, are nothing new. Carriers don’t get paid when they’re not loaded. While the cost bucket was up alongside fuel prices last year, it’s already up significantly in 2022.

Carriers have fuel surcharges (FSCs) in place to cover fluctuations in diesel prices for paid miles. However, they don’t cover deadhead, out-of-route miles or idle time. That means as fuel prices increase, so do the costs associated with running empty.

FSCs...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/fuel-price-surge-pushes-cost-of-running-empty-higher

Trucking costs fell 9.3% in 2019 with industry contraction

Slowing freight demand reduced line item costs to operate a truck in 2019, according to the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI).

The average marginal cost per mile incurred by motor carriers in 2019 decreased by 9.3% to $1.65. But that was still 6 cents per mile higher than during the last freight softening in 2016. 

In 2019, trucking costs contracted from $1.821 to $1.652. The cost per hour fell to $65.11 from $71.78 in last year’s report. 

The economic softening, combined with...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/trucking-operational-costs-fell-93-in-2019-with-industry-contraction