Freight Broker Commission Calculator — Margin & Gross Profit
Calculate your freight broker gross profit, margin percentage and markup on any load. Essential for quoting lanes, tracking book performance and hitting revenue targets.
💰 Freight Broker Commission Calculator
How to Use This Calculator
- Enter load revenue — the total amount your shipper customer is paying you for this load.
- Enter carrier cost — what you're paying the carrier to haul the freight. Include fuel surcharges and accessorials.
- Review your margin — gross profit is your take. Margin % shows how efficient the load is. Compare to your book average.
Worked Example
A broker quotes a shipper $2,750 for a Chicago–Atlanta lane and covers it with a carrier at $2,150.
- Gross Profit: $2,750 − $2,150 = $600
- Margin: $600 ÷ $2,750 × 100 = 21.8%
- Markup: $600 ÷ $2,150 × 100 = 27.9%
At 21.8% margin this is a healthy load. The broker's break-even margin after overhead is typically 10–12%, so this load contributes well to net income.
Frequently Asked Questions
Spot freight broker margins typically run 12–20%. Contract freight margins are often tighter at 8–15% due to competitive bidding. Top brokers average 15–17% across their book.
Margin is gross profit as a percentage of revenue (what you charge). Markup is gross profit as a percentage of cost (what you pay the carrier). Margin is the standard metric in freight brokerage. A 20% margin equals a 25% markup.
Include base linehaul rate, fuel surcharge, and any carrier-side accessorials (liftgate, layover, etc.). Don't include your own overhead — that's factored into your target margin.
Divide your total monthly overhead (salaries, software, office, insurance) by total monthly gross revenue. If overhead is $30,000 and revenue is $250,000, break-even margin is 12%. Every load above that contributes to profit.