How Trucking Companies Can Reduce Empty Miles
Every mile a tractor travels costs money, but an empty mile produces no freight revenue. In trucking, these non-revenue trips are often called empty miles or deadhead miles. Some are unavoidable: a truck may need to leave a receiver to reach its next shipper, return to a terminal, or move to a repair facility. The practical goal is therefore not to eliminate every empty mile, but to remove the ones created by weak planning, poor visibility, and avoidable delays.
Reducing deadhead takes more than finding any available load. A low-paying backhaul with long waits or a major detour can be less profitable than a short empty reposition. Fleet managers need to compare revenue, operating cost, driver hours, appointment risk, and the value of placing the truck in a stronger freight market.
Measure Empty Miles by Lane, Customer, and Day
Start with a reliable baseline. Track loaded miles, empty miles, revenue per total mile, fuel use, and dwell time for every trip. Then group the results by lane, customer, terminal, equipment type, dispatcher, and day of the week. A fleet-wide average can hide a recurring problem, such as trailers leaving one receiver empty every Friday afternoon.
The most useful report connects the empty movement to the decision that caused it. Was the next pickup unavailable? Did the receiver delay unloading? Was the truck assigned to freight that did not match its trailer? This turns a percentage into an operational problem the team can solve.
Plan the Backhaul Before the Outbound Load Leaves
Backhaul planning should begin when the outbound load is booked, not after the delivery is complete. Dispatchers can search for compatible freight near the destination, contact regular customers in the area, and reserve a realistic pickup window. The plan should account for unloading time, travel to the next shipper, fuel stops, parking, and the driver's available hours.
Good backhauls also protect the next high-value commitment. A load that pulls the truck far away from its home market may add revenue today while creating more deadhead tomorrow. Compare the full sequence of moves rather than judging each load in isolation.
Use Digital Freight Matching Carefully
Load boards and freight-matching tools can expose nearby opportunities that a dispatcher might otherwise miss. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's SmartWay guidance includes digital freight matching, route optimization, and continuous-move planning among strategies that can reduce empty travel and improve freight efficiency.
Speed still requires discipline. Before accepting a load, verify the broker or shipper, rate, commodity, weight, equipment requirements, pickup and delivery windows, detention terms, and payment conditions. Calculate the offer against all miles, including the distance from the receiver to the new pickup. A load that looks attractive on loaded miles alone can become weak after deadhead and waiting time are included.
Build Continuous Moves
A continuous move connects several compatible loads so the truck flows from one customer to the next with limited repositioning. A carrier might deliver near a supplier that ships back toward its core market, then finish with a short regional load that places the driver near home.
This approach works best with stable customer relationships and shared forecasts. Ask shippers about recurring volume near your common destinations. Even one dependable weekly backhaul can improve utilization more than repeatedly searching the spot market at the last minute.
Improve Appointment and Dwell-Time Planning
An efficient route can fall apart when a truck spends hours at a dock. Record actual arrival, check-in, loading, unloading, and release times by facility. Use that history when pricing freight and setting pickup windows. If a customer regularly causes delays, request drop-and-hook service, wider appointments, preloaded trailers, or clearer detention terms.
Dispatch should also receive fast updates from the driver. An early warning about a delayed unload may give the team enough time to protect the next pickup or find a replacement load. Useful logistics software should make those exceptions visible instead of burying them in messages.
Match Equipment and Capacity to the Freight
A truck cannot accept a useful backhaul if the trailer, weight rating, temperature range, or cargo-securement equipment does not fit. Review the freight mix in each market before assigning equipment. In some lanes, a dry van offers more reload options; in others, specialized equipment earns enough to justify a longer reposition.
Load utilization matters as well. Consolidating compatible shipments, improving pallet configuration, and using the available cube and weight safely can reduce the number of trips required. EPA SmartWay describes load optimization as a way to avoid wasting fuel and money on unused trailer space.
Reduce Out-of-Route Miles
Not all unnecessary miles happen between loads. Poor directions, unsuitable roads, missed exits, and unplanned fuel stops also increase cost. Provide drivers with truck-safe routing that accounts for bridge heights, weight limits, hazardous-material restrictions, construction, weather, and legal parking.
Compare planned miles with actual miles, but review the exceptions fairly. A driver may take a longer route to avoid a closure, unsafe weather, or an illegal road. The purpose of the review is to improve the plan, not pressure drivers into unsafe shortcuts.
Include Drivers in the Process
Drivers often know which facilities cause delays, which entrances are difficult, and where parking disappears early. Give them a simple way to report those details. Dispatchers can use the information to set realistic schedules and avoid repeating the same mistakes.
Performance goals should balance utilization with safety, service, and driver hours. Rewarding only loaded-mile percentages can encourage poor decisions, such as accepting marginal freight or rushing an appointment. A better scorecard includes revenue per total mile, on-time service, preventable incidents, fuel performance, and driver retention.
A Practical Empty-Mile Checklist
- Calculate empty miles and revenue using total trip miles.
- Identify the weakest lanes, facilities, and days of the week.
- Search for the next load before the current delivery.
- Check driver hours and realistic dock times before booking.
- Compare backhaul revenue with repositioning to a stronger market.
- Develop repeat freight near frequent delivery points.
- Use truck-safe routing and planned fuel stops.
- Review equipment fit and trailer utilization.
- Capture driver feedback about facilities and routes.
- Review the full sequence of moves each week.
Final Thoughts
Empty miles are a network problem, so the best improvements usually come from several small changes working together: cleaner data, earlier backhaul planning, better appointments, stronger customer relationships, suitable equipment, and quick communication with drivers. Fleets that evaluate the complete movement can make better decisions than those chasing the highest advertised rate.
For a broader view of how trucks connect with other modes, see our guide to ground freight transportation in 2026.