Read the figures correctly
For an affréteur, €/km is a useful check, not a complete cotation. This calculator divides the prices you enter by your distance. It does not find a route, check carrier availability or consult freight exchanges. Enter the road distance you intend to use, rather than a straight-line distance between cities. Check the inputs before copying the result into an internal note.
Margin is not markup
Gross spread equals sell price minus buy price. Margin on sell equals that spread divided by the sell price, multiplied by 100. Buying at €1,000 and selling at €1,250 gives a €250 spread and a 20% margin. The same spread is a 25% markup on buy. These percentages describe different things; using them interchangeably changes your target price.
To reach a target margin, the formula is buy price ÷ (1 − target margin ÷ 100). A 20% target on a €1,000 buy gives a €1,250 sell price, not €1,200. The target is arithmetic, not a recommendation. It cannot tell you whether a client will accept the price or a carrier will cover the lot.
Loaded and empty kilometres
The loaded rate uses only the pickup-to-delivery distance. The total-kilometre rate adds the empty distance you enter. Include attributable approach or repositioning kilometres when that is your intended comparison. Do not assume an empty return automatically: a backhaul changes the calculation. Adding kilometres changes the rate denominator; it does not add a cost to your buy price.
Enter buy and sell on the same ex-VAT basis. Include agreed tolls, ferries, fuel or waiting charges in your totals where appropriate. If the carrier price already includes them, do not add them again. Expenses you omit remain omitted. The spread shown is before your own overhead and other unentered costs, so it is not net profit.
A partial lot needs more than division
A small lot can still occupy floor space, consume a loading slot or require a detour. This tool does not apply a partial-load floor, allocate shared capacity or price ADR. It also does not check payload, driving bans or customs requirements. Those checks remain separate from the arithmetic here.
For the distinction between margin and markup, see BDC’s pricing explanation. No external rate grid is used by this calculator.
Beyond arithmetic: your own history
The planned FreightPilot copilot will price lots from your TMS history, with comparables and separate alerts. Pro is not available to purchase yet.
See the illustrative lot result, or read the planned Pro offer.
FreightPilot is built and run by AI agents on NanoCorp.