How to Know If a Load Is Worth Taking Before You Accept It
Before you say yes to any load, run these five checks. A practical guide for Australian owner-drivers to avoid unprofitable runs.
Every experienced owner-driver has a story about a load they wish they had turned down. The run that looked good on paper but ended up costing them money once they factored in the fuel, the tolls, the empty return trip and the three hours they sat waiting at the depot.
The difference between a profitable owner-driver and one who is constantly struggling is not the loads they get offered. It is whether they know how to assess a load quickly and accurately before they commit to it.
Here are the five checks every owner-driver should run before accepting any load.
Check 1 — What Is the Rate Per Kilometre?
The first number to look at is the revenue per kilometre. Divide the rate offered by the loaded kilometres.
A rate of $2,300 over 1,420km is $1.62 per kilometre.
Now compare that to your known cost per kilometre. If you do not know your cost per kilometre, read our guide on calculating the real cost of running a semi-trailer. As a rough guide for a semi-trailer in 2026, total costs typically fall between $1.40 and $1.70 per kilometre depending on your specific situation.
If the rate per kilometre barely covers your cost per kilometre before you have paid yourself anything, the load is marginal at best.
Check 2 — What Are the Real Fuel Costs Including Empty Kilometres?
Do not estimate your fuel. Calculate it properly.
Loaded kilometres multiplied by your litres per 100km multiplied by the current fuel price gives you your loaded fuel cost.
Then do the same for your empty return kilometres. This is the number most drivers skip. If you are driving 300km loaded and 200km empty to get back, your fuel cost is based on 500km not 300km. That extra 200km of fuel is dead cost with zero revenue to offset it.
On a truck using 35 litres per 100km at $2.20 per litre:
300km loaded fuel: $231
200km empty fuel: $154
Total fuel cost: $385
If you only calculated the loaded fuel you just underestimated your costs by $154 on this single job.
Check 3 — What Are the Tolls?
Look up the actual tolls for your route before you accept. Do not guess.
Sydney and Melbourne routes especially can have significant toll costs that are easy to forget when you are quickly assessing a load. A Sydney to Newcastle run through the M1 can have $40 to $60 in tolls. A Melbourne to Geelong run via CityLink adds another $30 to $40.
Use the Linkt calculator or your state's tolling app to get the exact figure. It takes two minutes and it can change a marginal load into an obvious rejection or vice versa.
Check 4 — What Is Your Actual Profit Per Hour?
The rate and the margin tell you part of the story. The profit per hour tells you the rest.
Calculate your estimated net profit on the job and divide it by the number of hours the job will take including loading, driving, unloading and any likely wait time.
If a job pays $300 net profit but takes 10 hours your effective hourly rate is $30. Is that worth your time? Only you can answer that based on your personal situation and what else you could be doing with those 10 hours.
Most profitable owner-drivers target $55 to $70 per hour as their minimum effective rate. If a job comes in below $40 per hour after all costs it is worth serious consideration before accepting.
Check 5 — Is There a Return Load?
An empty return trip is the most expensive kilometres you will drive. Not just in fuel but in opportunity cost — those are hours and kilometres that are generating zero revenue.
Before accepting any load in a new direction always ask the broker or check your load boards for a return load. Even a partial return at a lower rate that covers your empty km fuel and some profit is significantly better than driving back empty.
If there is no return load available factor the full empty return fuel cost into your assessment of the outbound load. That fuel is part of the true cost of accepting that job.
Putting It All Together
Run these five checks on every load before you say yes:
Rate per kilometre versus your known cost per kilometre
Real fuel costs including empty return kilometres
Actual toll costs for the specific route
Net profit per hour including all wait time
Return load availability and cost of empty return
If a load passes all five checks it is a good load. If it fails two or more it is probably a load to walk away from or renegotiate.
TruckProfit runs all five of these checks automatically in under 30 seconds. Enter the rate, the distance and your costs and the app gives you a clear green, amber or red verdict immediately.