Top 5 Most Important KPIs in Trucking
Published:May 22, 2025
3 min. read
Key Performance Indicators (KPI) are metrics that reflect the health and performance of a business. Armed with this data, businesses can determine the elements of their operations that are succeeding and where improvements can be made. Trucking and freight companies interested in key data and analytics that can help them drive success will appreciate our list of the Top 5 Most Important KPIs in Trucking.
What Are the Most Important KPIs in Trucking?
There are a lot of KPIs that provide value and insight for trucking and freight companies — from financial metrics like cost-per-mile to employee metrics like Driver Turnover Rate (DTR). Additional metrics highlight driver performance, fuel costs, On-Time Delivery (OTD), and asset utilization.
Here is a closer look at important KPIs for trucking and freight companies to track:
1. Cost-Per-Mile (CPM)
Cost-per-mile is a valuable metric to track operational costs. This KPI measures how much it costs to operate a truck or fleet per mile driven and can help identify areas where costs can be reduced and where your freight operations can be optimized. The operational costs include fuel, maintenance, driver costs, and more.
Cost-Per-Mile = Total Operational Costs in Select Period / Total Miles Driven in Select Period
2. On-Time Delivery (OTD)
Time is money in the freight industry and On-Time Delivery is an important KPI to track. This key metric measures the percentage of deliveries that arrive on time to their destinations and highlights customer satisfaction and efficient operations. Trucking companies with a high OTD rate will see long-term success.
On-Time Delivery = (On-Time Deliveries / Total Number of Deliveries) x 100
3. Asset Utilization
How much time does each truck in your fleet spend on the road and in operation? Asset Utilization is a KPI that measures the percentage of time that a truck is operating. The higher your asset utilization metric is, the higher potential your business has to increase revenue and profits. The optimum asset utilization metric is 70% for trucking and freight companies.
4. Revenue Per Mile (RPM)
Revenue is the key to financial success for any business in any industry and Revenue-Per-Mile (RPM) is a key metric for freight companies. While Cost-Per-Mile measures how much you spend per mile driven, Revenue-Per-Mile measures how much your company profits for each mile driven. This KPI should be measured per route, customer, and truck to determine where your fleet is most profitable.
Revenue-Per-Mile = Total Revenue / Total Miles Driven
5. Maintenance Costs
Maintenance and repair costs are a key element of your operational costs and a metric that is important for you to track. Trucking and freight companies should track overall maintenance costs in addition to Maintenance Costs-Per-Mile in an effort to determine how and where you can reduce costs. The general target for Maintenance Cost-Per-Mile is 15 cents per mile or less with routine maintenance and repair costs.
Maintenance Cost-Per-Mile = Total Maintenance Costs / Total Miles Driven
READ MORE: How Does a TMS Reduce Cost-Per-Mile?
Are you looking for the best way to track performance and costs for your freight company? This list of Top 5 Most Important KPIs in Trucking may help point you in the right direction. Contact TenTrucks today to learn more about our TMS platform and dispatching services!