Before buying routing software, a fleet needs a clear answer to a fairly ordinary question: how much money would this leave in the business after paying for it? A percentage on a product page is a starting point. The budget needs an amount, a timeframe, and an explanation of what changed.
Our reported results are 25–30% lower fuel spend than human dispatch, with 99.8% of stops arriving inside their delivery window. Customer names and order-level data remain confidential. A new operation should establish its own result using its existing schedule as the baseline. [1]
Fuel savings belong on the fuel line
ATRI's 2026 operating-cost study puts the average cost of running a heavy truck in 2025 at $2.336 per mile. Excluding fuel, the figure was $1.854. The difference is $0.482 per mile, or about 20.6% of the total. FleetOwner's coverage gives further context on the Class 8 fleets behind the study. [2][3]
That mix illustrates why the denominator matters. A 25% reduction in the fuel component of those historical costs would reduce the total by about 5.2%, with everything else held constant. This is arithmetic applied to a trucking benchmark. It is not a prediction for a delivery van or an estimate of September 2026 operating costs.
For your fleet, use the actual fuel bill. Keep vehicle finance, insurance, driver pay, maintenance, and depot costs in their own categories. Some of those costs may change as the operation improves; each needs its own evidence.
ATRI's 2026 update covers 2025. Fuel is the difference between total and non-fuel costs. This is a heavy-truck benchmark, not a delivery-van cost estimate.
View the underlying data
| Cost component | USD / mile | Share of total |
|---|---|---|
| Fuel (calculated) | 0.482 | 20.6% |
| All other operating costs | 1.854 | 79.4% |
| Total | 2.336 | 100% |
The two results we look at together
Rotasal's fuel-spend result compares the planned work with human dispatch. The on-time figure measures stops arriving inside their delivery windows. Looking at both keeps the service obligation in view: a cheaper route still has to get the work done. [1]
For a fresh comparison, hold the orders, vehicle availability, delivery windows, and fuel price constant. Record planned distance and driver time, then compare those plans with actual execution. Differences caused by traffic, waiting, or failed deliveries deserve an explanation before the result becomes a budget assumption.
lower fuel spend
of stops within their window
Fuel spend indexed to 100 for human dispatch. The two Rotasal bars show the endpoints of the reported range.
Avernsys-reported results. Customer identities and order data are confidential. These figures are not assigned to a U.S. or European customer and do not guarantee an individual fleet's outcome.
View the underlying data
| Measure | Reported result |
|---|---|
| Fuel spend vs human dispatch | 25–30% lower |
| Stops arriving inside their window | 99.8% |
Put your own fuel bill into the calculation
Start with a representative monthly fuel spend. Choose the reduction you want to examine and enter the software cost from your quote. The calculator shows gross fuel savings, the amount left after software, and the reduction needed to cover that software cost. Its starting 10% reduction is an illustrative sensitivity, not a promised result.
A fleet spending $20,000 a month on fuel would retain $2,000 from a 10% reduction before software costs. At 25%, the amount would be $5,000; at 30%, $6,000. The same percentages work in euros when both costs are entered in euros. The currency switch changes the label and makes no exchange-rate conversion.
Your operation
Work out the fuel case.
Software cost is covered at a 2.5% fuel-spend reduction.
Illustrative inputs. The software amount is an example, not Rotasal pricing. Annual values assume 12 identical months. Implementation, labour, maintenance, financing, and tax effects are excluded. Changing currency relabels the amounts; it does not convert them.
Keep the comparison small enough to trust
A useful pilot covers representative delivery days, including the awkward ones. Include busy periods, sparse routes, and the customers with tight windows. Agree on the measures before reviewing the result. That makes it harder for an unusually easy day to distort the picture.
| Measure | What to record | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Fuel | Gallons or litres used; the price paid | Separates consumption changes from pump-price changes |
| Distance | Complete routes, including depot travel | Captures miles outside the customer stops |
| Driver time | Driving, service, waiting, and overtime | Shows whether a shorter route saves usable time |
| Service | Completed stops and arrivals within the agreed window | Checks that cost improvements preserve delivery commitments |
| Net benefit | Verified savings less software and implementation cost | Shows the amount the business actually keeps |
From the plan to the doorstep
Rotasal gives dispatchers routes built around their orders and constraints, gives drivers instructions for the day, and gives customers visibility through tracking. The product's value should be visible in the operation: less avoidable driving, a manageable day's work, and deliveries arriving as agreed. [4][1]
Bring a representative order set and the requirements your dispatch team works with. We can compare the resulting plan with your current one and review the cost lines together. The decision gets easier when the numbers belong to your fleet.
The record
Sources & method
Research checked September 18, 2026. ATRI figures describe 2025 heavy-truck operations. Fuel cost is derived as $2.336 − $1.854 = $0.482 per mile. The calculator is a sensitivity model: monthly fuel spend × selected reduction, minus the entered monthly software cost. Annual figures multiply the monthly result by 12, assuming unchanged activity and prices. Implementation costs, taxes, wage savings, maintenance, and financing effects are excluded. Company-reported performance is not an individual fleet forecast.
- Rotasal performance and product capabilities Avernsys · Reviewed September 18, 2026
Company-reported results: 25–30% lower fuel spend than human dispatch and 99.8% of stops within their delivery window. Customer identities and underlying order data are confidential. Results depend on the operation and are not a forecast for an individual fleet.
- Analysis of the Operational Costs of Trucking: 2026 Update American Transportation Research Institute · July 15, 2026
2025 operating data: $2.336 per mile total and $1.854 excluding fuel. Fuel is calculated here as the difference, $0.482. Heavy-truck operating costs should not be applied directly to delivery vans.
- Trucking operational costs hit record $2.336 per mile, ATRI reports FleetOwner · August 2026
Trade reporting on the 2026 ATRI study of Class 8 truck costs.
- Rotasal route optimization and delivery operations Avernsys · Reviewed September 18, 2026
Public product description: order uploads, delivery windows, vehicle and driver constraints, driver-ready routes, and integration with existing systems.
Spotted an error? Let us know.