Fuel range and fuel stop planner
Enter your tanks, fuel left, mpg and the reserve you keep. See how far you can go and how many fuel stops a route needs.
FUEL RANGE AND STOPS
MILES BEFORE YOUR RESERVE
455 mi
- Range on full tanks (to empty)
- 1,300 mi
- Usable range per full fill (above reserve)
- 1,105 mi
- Fuel stops needed on this route
- 1
- First stop no later than mile
- 455
Plan stops before these marks, around fuel prices, parking and your hours of service. Mpg drops with weight, hills, wind and idling.
This route needs 1 fuel stop. We plan loads around real fuel stops and your hours.
Get trips planned for meHow the fuel range planner works
- Range on full tanks = capacity x mpg.
- Usable range per fill = capacity x (1 - reserve) x mpg.
- Miles before your reserve now = capacity x (fuel left - reserve) x mpg.
- Stops needed = the remaining route after your current fuel, divided by the usable range per fill, rounded up.
EXAMPLE ROUTE
Semi truck fuel range in real life
The planner's range assumes a steady mpg. Real mpg changes with load weight, terrain, headwinds, speed and idling, so a loaded truck in the mountains goes less far than the same truck empty on flat ground. Use your recent average, and lower it for heavy or hilly runs.
The cheapest place to fuel is rarely the moment the tank runs low. Knowing your range lets you skip an expensive stop and fill where diesel costs less, as long as the next stop is inside your reserve line and your hours.
See what the trip burns with the trip fuel cost calculator and whether it pays with the rate per mile calculator. Box truck routes have their own rhythm; see our route planning template and box truck mpg guide. Planning around fuel and hours is part of what our dispatch fee covers.
Questions about this calculator
Q-01How far can a semi truck go on a full tank?
Total tank capacity times miles per gallon. A truck holding 200 gallons at 6.5 mpg can go about 1,300 miles to empty in theory. Plan to stop well before that, because mpg drops with weight, hills and wind, and fuel stops depend on prices, parking and your hours of service.
Q-02How far can a semi truck go on a full tank of gas?
Semis run on diesel, not gasoline, but the math is the same: capacity times mpg. Enter your own tanks and average mpg above.
Q-03What is a safe fuel reserve?
Enough to reach a station if the planned one is closed, out of fuel or full. Many drivers never plan below a set fraction of their tanks. Set the reserve you are comfortable with in the planner; the miles shown stop at that line.
Q-04How do I plan fuel stops on a route?
Work out how far you can go before your reserve, then pick stops before that point where diesel is cheaper and parking is available, and that fit your driving hours. The planner marks the last mile by which each stop must happen.
Ryan, TruckSwing dispatch desk
UPDATED OCTOBER 2026 · EDITORIAL POLICY
Trips planned around real stops
We plan loads around fuel, parking and your hours. You approve every load.