Counter-offer calculator: the rate to quote the broker
Enter your cost per mile, the load's miles, deadhead and the profit you want. You get the lowest rate you can take and the number to counter with.
Updated October 2026 · Free, no signup
Counter-offer target
EXAMPLE- Counter at
- $1,500 ($2.34/mi)
- Walk-away floor
- $1,196 ($1.87/mi)
- Broker's offer
- $1,500 ($2.34/mi)
- Offer profit after costs
- $304
- Ask above the offer
- Offer meets your target
Rates are quoted on loaded miles, so the floor and target are spread over 640 loaded miles even though your truck drives 725.
Counter at $1,500 and walk away under $1,196. Our dispatchers make those calls for you, then send the load to you to confirm or pass.
Let a dispatcher negotiateHow it's calculated
| Number | Formula |
|---|---|
| Total miles | Loaded miles + deadhead to the pickup |
| Walk-away floor | Cost per mile x total miles / (1 - fee %) |
| Target | (Cost per mile + profit per mile) x total miles / (1 - fee %) |
| Rates per mile | Floor or target / loaded miles |
| Counter | Target, rounded up to the next $25 |
The fee line covers anything taken as a percentage of gross, like a dispatch fee or a factoring fee. Leave it at none if you don't pay one.
Worked example
| EXAMPLE | |
|---|---|
| Cost per mile | $1.65 |
| Loaded / deadhead | 640 / 85 miles |
| Profit wanted | $0.40/mi |
| Broker offer | $1,500 ($2.34/mi loaded) |
| Walk-away floor | $1,196 ($1.87/mi loaded) |
| Target | $1,486 |
| Counter | $1,500 |
Here the offer already meets the target, so take it, or ask about detention terms before you confirm. Drop the offer to $1,300 and the calculator tells you to counter about 14% higher.
Reading the result
Offer below cost: pass, or counter hard with a reason. Between floor and target: a judgment call: what does the next load out of the delivery area pay? At or above target: confirm the details (stops, appointment, detention, lumper) and take it.
The best counter is short: "I can do it at $1,500 all-in, I'm 85 miles out and empty." Specific numbers with a reason get better answers than "can you do better?"
Why the floor uses all the miles
A broker's rate per mile is loaded miles only. Your truck doesn't care: fuel, wear and your time cost the same on the 85 empty miles. Leaving deadhead out is the most common way small carriers book loads that lose money while looking fine on the board.
Questions about this calculator
How much should I counter a broker's offer?
Counter from your own numbers, not from the offer. Work out the rate that covers your cost on every mile you'll drive for the load, deadhead included, then add the profit you want. If the offer is below that, counter at your target and know your walk-away floor before you dial.
Should deadhead be included in the rate?
Yes, in your math. Brokers pay on loaded miles, but you pay for the empty miles to the pickup. Spread the deadhead cost over the loaded miles, and a load that looked fine can turn out to be below cost.
What's a walk-away rate?
The lowest rate that still covers your costs on the whole trip after any percentage fee. Below it, you're paying to haul the load. Sometimes a below-cost load makes sense to reposition the truck, but that should be a decision, not an accident.
How do I negotiate a better rate with a broker?
Know your number, ask what else is on the load (stops, detention terms, appointment times), give a specific counter with a short reason (deadhead, tight appointment, market), and be ready to pass. Brokers counter too. Calls go better when you sound like you have other options.
Does a dispatcher negotiate rates for me?
Ours do. We negotiate every load against your numbers, then send it to you as an offer with the final rate. You confirm or pass, and the rate con comes straight to you.
Numbers done. Want someone to find loads that beat them?
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