How many jobs does a new delivery operation need to cover costs? Enter your numbers — see the break-even point and how fast you pay back startup costs.
Margin per job
$23
Jobs / month to cover fixed costs
53
Jobs to break even (incl. startup)
400
Jobs / day to break even in month 1
13.3
At 6 jobs/day, startup costs pay back in roughly 2.7 months.
PRIME gives new delivery businesses the full stack — bookings, dispatch, drivers, invoicing — free for up to 5 drivers while you find your volume.
Add up one-time startup costs (vehicle down payment, insurance deposit, equipment, licenses) and monthly fixed costs (insurance, software, parking). Divide startup costs by your profit per job to get jobs-to-payback; divide monthly fixed costs by profit per job to get the jobs you need each month just to stay afloat.
Revenue per job minus variable costs — fuel, driver pay for that job, tolls, and per-mile maintenance. A common mistake is using gross revenue instead of margin, which makes break-even look far closer than it is.
Most lean single-vehicle delivery operations break even in 6–14 months if the operator drives and secures steady contract work early. Fleets that hire drivers immediately or finance multiple vehicles should model 18–24 months.