The national power only benchmark for the week of 20 July 2026 to 26 July 2026, snapshot recorded 21 July 2026: what the carrier is paid, what the shipper pays, what it works out to on a real lane, and what it leaves the truck once its own costs are covered.
| Measure | Week 30, 2026 | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Carrier rate per mile | $2.55 | What lands on the rate confirmation. |
| Shipper all-in per mile | $2.93 | Before any accessorial actually incurred on the load. |
| vs prior snapshot | ● unchanged | Compared like for like. |
| Snapshot recorded | 21 July 2026 | Never edited afterwards — this page keeps showing the week 30 number. |
That is unchanged from the previous recorded snapshot.
At this week’s benchmark of $2.55 per loaded mile, a 700-mile power only load grosses about $1,785. Run 140 empty miles to reach the pickup and that same money is spread across 840 miles, so the truck’s real revenue per mile turned falls to roughly $2.12 — and the operating cost does not fall with it.
This bites power only harder than it bites dry van, for a reason worth knowing: power only freight is less evenly distributed across the country, so the average distance between one load and the next is longer. Fewer origins means more empty miles between paid ones, and a national average that looks healthy can still leave a truck short.
If you post power only freight, put the exact pickup city and the exact ready time on the posting. Every carrier who can reach it will do the deadhead maths himself and some of them are closer than you think.
This week’s benchmark multiplied by real lane distance. A starting point for a conversation rather than a quote — direction, season and the receiving requirement all move the true number, and none of them are in a national average.
| Lane | Distance | Carrier gets | Shipper pays |
|---|---|---|---|
| Memphis, TN → Dallas, TX | 450 mi | $1,148 | $1,318 |
| Harrisburg, PA → Atlanta, GA | 700 mi | $1,785 | $2,051 |
| Ontario, CA → Phoenix, AZ | 360 mi | $918 | $1,055 |
Distances are practical truck miles and will differ slightly from a car routing.
Against a working all-in operating cost of $1.90 per mile for a one-truck carrier, this week’s power only benchmark of $2.55 leaves +$0.65 per loaded mile — about $455 on a 700-mile run, before deadhead and before any unpaid time at a dock.
That gap is not profit. It is what has to absorb the empty miles to the next pickup, a wait nobody paid for, a week with a bad reload, and the repair that has not happened yet. A rate that clears the floor by a few cents only works if nothing goes wrong. Work out your own cost per mile →
Week to week, mostly noise. Over a season, these are the things that actually decide where this benchmark sits.
| No trailer cost | The carrier supplies only the tractor and driver, and the rate reflects exactly that. |
| Drop and hook | No waiting at a dock. Faster turns mean a carrier can accept less per mile and still earn more per day — which is why this works for both sides. |
| Trailer condition | A trailer with bad tires, lights or brakes becomes the driver’s DOT violation. Carriers price that risk in on shippers they have not worked with. |
The full power only rate hub → carries the rest, plus the specification table, the regional breakdown and the accessorial impact.
The national benchmark was $2.55 per mile to the carrier for the week of 20 July 2026 to 26 July 2026, which works out to about $2.93 all-in for the shipper before accessorials.
It depends entirely on your own cost per mile. Against a working all-in operating cost of $1.90 for a one-truck carrier it leaves +$0.65 per loaded mile — before deadhead, which typically takes a further sixth off it.
A national benchmark blends lanes running in both directions, appointment and FCFS freight, and every region at once. Your lane is one direction, one receiving requirement and one market. Direction alone can move a real quote by a third.
No. Detention, layover, TONU and lumper fees all sit outside the per-mile number. On a short lane they can be worth more than the whole margin — see the detention policy.
No, and deliberately so. This is a dated report and it keeps showing the week 30 number. The evergreen Power Only rate hub always carries the current figure.