The purchase price of a reusable container is not its trip cost. First fix the period and service: which product and route, how many deliveries, and what acceptance criteria? Count only accepted loaded deliveries in the denominator; track empty returns as a cost.
Calculation. Cost per trip = (period investment allocation + washing and drying + plate preparation/energy + handling + loaded and empty transport + maintenance/repair + loss cost) / accepted loaded deliveries in the same period. Allocate container and accessory costs to the period using a documented useful-life or financing method; state any assumed trip life separately.
For one month, collect purchase and repair invoices, water and electricity meter readings, washing and preparation hours, empty-return distance and trip records. Code lost containers separately. Do not enter the same labour or distance in more than one line. If a price is not yet quoted, label it as an estimate and do not present the result as an actual cost.
When comparing a vehicle, single-use packaging or another container, hold product volume, route length and acceptance conditions constant. This shows which cost line changes and lets you explain the container share in a customer quote using your own data.
