Cost per stop

Definition

The all-in delivery cost of one drop, once settlement deductions are added back.

Why It Matters

It is the only number that compares two routes honestly, and it is rarely the one in the file. Contractor pay reported net of chargebacks, fuel billed separately, and a dispatcher shared across routes all hide inside a revenue-per-route figure that looks healthy. Rebuild it from settlement statements for the busiest and the quietest month, because a route that is profitable in December and not in February is a route that is not profitable.