Availability, nonbillable time, and hours required per sale determine the delivery throughput.
Try this with your own numbersFormula and worked example
Capacity = staff × hours × utilization / hours per sale
| Input | Example |
|---|---|
| Delivery staff | 4 |
| Available hours per staff member | 160 |
| Billable utilization | 65 % |
| Hours per shipment | 8 |
| Calculated result | 52 sales per month |
Choose reliable inputs
Compare route time, vehicle cost, delivery density and collection timing. For this freight brokerage calculation, use completed route logs, fuel receipts and delivery records and a consistent definition of one shipment.
- Carrier charges: include the portion belonging to this shipment or reporting period, and record where the value came from.
- Admin time: include the portion belonging to this shipment or reporting period, and record where the value came from.
- Claim handling: include the portion belonging to this shipment or reporting period, and record where the value came from.
Use the same currency for every money input. Do not mix weekly costs with monthly revenue, or count the same expense in both an itemised cost and allocated overhead.
Why is headcount alone not enough to predict capacity?
Availability, nonbillable time, and hours required per sale determine the delivery throughput.
Assumes interchangeable skills and a stable average job duration.
What if this input changes?
If delivery staff rises by 10%, this example changes by 5.2 sales per month. This shows the effect of one change; it does not predict what will happen.
Open the calculator, save your baseline, then change the input supported by the least reliable estimate in your records. Compare both scenarios before committing to a price or capacity promise.