Freight cost has two groups of expenses. Fixed costs continue even when the truck stands still: lease payment, driver salary, insurance, taxes. Variable costs grow with distance: fuel, tires, oil, maintenance.
Many carriers count only fuel. That is a mistake. The trip looks profitable, but no cash remains at month end. Split every cost into the two groups. Set a price only after that.
Include depreciation and overhead in the cost. As a truck ages, it loses value, and that is a cost too. Office, accountant, dispatcher, and communication expenses also belong to the fleet. Add these up for the month, divide by the number of trucks, and add the result to the fixed part. That way the price covers real costs.
The formula: cost per kilometer equals monthly fixed costs divided by monthly distance, plus variable cost per kilometer. The more kilometers a truck covers each month, the smaller the fixed share per kilometer. A truck that runs more makes each kilometer cheaper.
Calculate fuel from consumption. A rate of 35 liters per 100 km means 0.35 liters per kilometer. Multiply that by the price per liter. Take tires, oil, and maintenance from annual costs and divide by distance driven.
Estimate monthly distance realistically. A truck does not run every day of the month. Example (assumption): with 26 working days and an average of 350 km a day, monthly distance is 9,100 km. If the truck sat in repair or waited, that figure falls. If distance is underestimated, fixed cost per kilometer rises. Take the real average from past months.
All figures are assumptions, not real prices. Monthly fixed costs are 27,000,000 UZS: lease 20,000,000, driver 6,000,000, insurance and other 1,000,000. Monthly distance is 9,000 km. The fixed part: 27,000,000 divided by 9,000 equals 3,000 UZS per km.
The variable part: fuel 0.35 liters times 10,000 UZS (assumption) equals 3,500 UZS. Tires, oil, and maintenance add 700 UZS. Variable total is 4,200 UZS per km. Total cost: 3,000 plus 4,200 equals 7,200 UZS per km. Margin is added on top.
If the truck delivers a load and returns empty, you must pay for the distance both ways. Example: 600 km one way. The round trip is 1,200 km. Cost: 1,200 times 7,200 equals 8,640,000 UZS. The price you charge the shipper must not fall below that.
Finding a return load lowers the cost. Add a profit margin to the cost and quote the price. Update the calculation every quarter, because fuel and lease terms change. See suitable trucks for your fleet on faw.uz/en/products/ and service information on faw.uz/en/services/.
A cost calculation gives you a base for talks with the shipper. If you explain the price with numbers, arguments shrink. Clarity helps the shipper too: they see what the price is made of. Prepare the calculation in advance and write the price clause of the contract on that basis.
Set waiting time as a separate item. If the truck waits at loading or at customs, fixed costs keep running. Example (assumption): 60,000 UZS is charged per hour of waiting, so 5 hours of waiting cost 300,000 UZS. If such a clause is written into the contract in advance, no dispute follows. Road tolls and border costs can also be listed separately.
Update the calculation every quarter. Fuel price, lease rate, and tire price change. Working from an old calculation slowly eats the profit. A spreadsheet is enough even for a small fleet. To choose a truck and size up service costs, use faw.uz/en/products/ and faw.uz/en/services/.