Navicost

What it is

Navicost is a profitability calculator designed for French road transport operators. It automates the calculation of transport profitability using the CNR (Comité National Routier) trinomial formula, which breaks costs into three components: kilometre cost (fuel, tolls, maintenance, tyres), driver cost (salary, meal allowances) and daily charges (vehicle depreciation, insurance, overhead).

The tool helps transporters determine their real cost of return per journey, calculate actual margin in euros and percentage, and identify the minimum price to charge to remain profitable. It accounts for empty return miles by integrating the real distance covered into the calculation. Users input their vehicle details, route information and selling price, and Navicost displays the total cost, cost per km, margin and CNR breakdown within seconds.

The free Discovery plan includes unlimited CNR calculations and up to 3 saved journeys. Paid tiers add unlimited journeys, automatic distance, PDF export, alerts and advanced features like multi-vehicle management, customer book and fuel tracking.

Questions from the bench

How do you calculate the cost of return for a road transport journey?

Cost of return is calculated using the CNR trinomial formula: Kilometre cost (fuel, tolls, maintenance, tyres) plus driver cost (charged salary, meal allowances) plus daily charges (vehicle depreciation, insurance, overhead). Navicost automates this calculation in 30 seconds and displays the cost of return per journey.

How do you know if a journey is profitable and what is the minimum price to charge?

Compare your selling price to the total cost of return, including empty return miles. If the invoiced price is below this cost, the journey destroys margin. The minimum price to charge is the threshold from which transport covers its costs. Navicost calculates this automatically.

How do you include empty return miles in transport pricing?

Empty return miles must be integrated into the distance actually covered by the transport. If your empty return rate is 50%, 100 km outbound amounts to 150 km to cover in the calculation. Navicost integrates this parameter automatically.

Is Navicost free?

Yes, the Discovery plan is free and requires no credit card: unlimited CNR calculator, up to 3 saved journeys, 1 vehicle and 1 driver. To go further: Essential at 9 € HT/month (unlimited journeys, automatic distance, PDF export, CNR alerts) and Pro at 19 € HT/month (multi-vehicles, client book, dashboard, comparison, fuel tracking). VAT added by country.