A truck is an investment, not an expense

An expense is money that goes out and does not come back. An investment is money placed in a tool that should bring in more. A well-chosen, well-run truck belongs in the second category. But how much can it earn per month? The honest answer is: it depends entirely on your business. On the other hand, the method for calculating it is simple, and that is what we offer you here.

Why we do not give a "typical" figure

You will sometimes see promises such as "a tipper truck earns so much per month". Be wary of them. A truck's result depends on the price of transport in your city, the number of trips possible per day, the distance, the price of diesel, the driver's wage and the condition of the roads. Two identical trucks can have very different results in Lomé and in Ouagadougou. The only reliable figure is the one you calculate with your own data.

Step 1: estimate your monthly revenue

Depending on your business, you are paid per trip, per tonne, per cubic metre, per day or per contract. In all cases:

Monthly revenue = average price of a trip × number of trips per day × number of working days in the month

Be cautious about the number of working days: you must count the days without orders, the rainy season on construction sites, maintenance days and waiting times at loading.

Step 2: list all your costs

There are two families of costs.

Costs that vary with activity:

• fuel (the largest item for most trucks);
• tyres;
• routine maintenance: oil changes, filters, greasing;
• repairs;
• tolls and road charges.

Fixed costs, which you pay even if the truck does not run:

• the driver's wage (and the assistant's, if there is one);
• insurance;
• taxes, roadworthiness inspection and transport permits;
• loan repayments, if you borrowed;
• security or parking.

Step 3: do not forget the truck's wear

This is the most frequent oversight. A truck loses value every month. To know whether your business is really profitable, you need to set aside part of this loss of value, which accountants call depreciation:

Monthly depreciation = (price of the truck delivered and cleared − estimated resale value) ÷ number of months of planned use

The "delivered and cleared price" includes the truck, freight, insurance, duties and taxes and registration: it is your real initial investment.

Step 4: calculate your result

Monthly result = revenue − variable costs − fixed costs − depreciation

If this result is positive, the truck creates value. You can then estimate how long it will take to pay for itself:

Payback period (in months) ≈ delivered and cleared price ÷ (revenue − variable costs − fixed costs)

Do this calculation three times: with a cautious assumption, an average assumption and an optimistic assumption. If the project only works in the optimistic scenario, it is too risky.

To run this calculation with your own figures, use our truck profitability calculator: it shows your monthly profit and how long your truck takes to pay for itself.

What really makes the difference

• Utilisation rate. Fixed costs fall due every month. A truck that works twenty days a month instead of twelve spreads these costs over many more trips.
• Breakdowns. Every day in the workshop costs twice: the repair and the lost revenue. This is why a reliable, well-maintained truck is sometimes worth more than its purchase price suggests.
• Overloading. Loading more to earn more is a false calculation. In the WAEMU, regulation no. 14/2005 sets the fine at 20,000 FCFA per tonne of overload for domestic transport and 60,000 FCFA for inter-state transport (original amounts, subject to revision), with the obligation to unload the excess. In Senegal, according to the Ministry of Infrastructure, 47.71% of the 148,885 trucks checked in April 2026 were overloaded. Not to mention the accelerated wear of the truck.
• The right truck for the right job. A truck that is too small encourages overloading; a truck that is too big burns fuel for nothing.

Your starting point: the delivered price

This whole method relies on one figure: what the truck will cost you once it has arrived. That is exactly what we can give you. Request a quote for the model you are interested in: within 48 business hours you will receive the breakdown of the price, freight and insurance to your port, the basis of your profitability calculation.