Question

Hoi Chong Transport, Ltd., operates a fleet of delivery trucks in Singapore. The company has determined that if a truck is driven 114,000 kilometers during a year, the average operating cost is 12.7 cents per kilometer. If a truck is driven only 76,000 kilometers during a year, the average operating cost increases to 14.8 cents per kilometer.
Required:
1.Using the high-low method, estimate the variable and fixed cost elements of the annual cost of the truck operation. (Do not round your intermediate calculations. Round the Variable cost per kilometer to 3 decimal places and Fixed cost answer to nearest whole dollar amount.)
2. Express the variable and fixed costs in the form Y = a + bX. (Do not round your intermediate calculations. Round the Variable cost per kilometer to 3 decimal places.)
3. If a truck were driven 95,000 kilometers during a year, what total cost would you expect to be incurred? (Do not round intermediate calculations.)

Answer 1

Explanation:

The computation of the fixed cost and the variable cost per hour by using high low method is shown below:

Variable cost per hour = (High Operating cost - low operating cost) ÷ (High driven in kilometers - Low driven in kilometers)

where,

High operating cost = 114,000 km × 12.7%

= $14,478

Low operating cost = 76,000 km  × 14.8%

= $11,248

So,

= ($14,478 - $11,248) ÷ (114,000 km - 76,000 km)

= $3,230 ÷ 38,000 km

= $0.085 per km

Now the fixed cost equal to

= High operating cost - (High driven in kilometers × Variable cost per km)

= $14,478 - (114,000 km × $0.085)

= $14,478 - $9,690

= $4,7882

2. The equation is as follows

Y = a + bx

So,

Total cost = $4,788 + 0.085X

3.

Y = a + bx

   = $4,788 + 0.085 × 95,000

   = $4,788 + $8,075

   = $12,863