Delivery Cost Per Stop Calculator — Last-Mile Cost Analysis
Calculate your true cost per delivery stop for last-mile operations. Break down driver wages, vehicle costs, fuel and overhead to find your cost per delivery.
📦 Delivery Cost Per Stop Calculator
How to Use This Calculator
- Enter stops per day — actual daily average, not maximum. Use your route data for accuracy.
- Enter driver daily cost — gross wage plus payroll taxes and benefits. Typically $180–$320/day.
- Enter vehicle daily cost — depreciation, insurance and maintenance. Roughly $60–$120/day for a delivery van.
- Add overhead — dispatch labour, TMS software, and facilities allocated to this route.
Worked Example
35 stops/day, $240 driver, $85 vehicle, $65 fuel, $40 overhead.
- Daily total: $240 + $85 + $65 + $40 = $430
- Cost per stop: $430 ÷ 35 = $12.29
- At 40 stops: $430 ÷ 40 = $10.75 (-12.5%)
Route density is the key lever. Adding 5 more stops to this route without increasing fixed costs saves $1.54/stop — $33.88/day, $745/month, $8,940/year per driver.
Frequently Asked Questions
For commercial/B2B delivery: $8–$15/stop is competitive. Residential delivery runs higher at $12–$25/stop due to lower density, failed delivery attempts, and service requirements. Parcel carrier benchmarks (UPS, FedEx Ground) run $7–$12/stop on dense routes.
Increase stop density (tighter geographic routes), reduce failed deliveries (appointment windows, text notifications), optimize route sequencing (route planning software), right-size vehicles (smaller vans for dense urban, larger for suburban), and reduce idle time with telematics.