The Guide to Managing Empty Miles in Trucking

Understanding Empty Miles and Their Impact

Empty miles (also known as deadhead miles or unladen miles) occur when trucks travel without a load. Every empty mile wastes fuel, incurs labor and maintenance costs, and produces no revenue . In fact, studies estimate roughly one-third of all miles driven by heavy trucks in the U.S. are empty. These unnecessary miles hurt an owner-operator’s bottom line, since most carriers don’t get paid for deadhead trips (or only receive a token per-mile rate). Even just the fuel cost adds up – at 6 mpg and $4 per gallon diesel, 100 empty miles cost over $65 in fuel alone with no income to offset it. When owner-operators track these losses, they see how quickly costs accumulate.

Empty runs also carry hidden risks. An empty trailer weighs about half as much as a full one, and research indicates a truck deadheading is roughly 2.5× more likely to crash than one hauling freight. They also add to a carrier’s carbon footprint: U.S. heavy trucks emit around 436 million metric tons of CO₂ per year. Reducing empty travel therefore helps fleets move toward sustainability goals (for example, one brewer reported that cutting empty miles significantly “improves the sustainability of our fleet” by lowering carbon emissions). In short, cutting deadhead miles saves money, enhances safety, and reduces environmental impact – making it crucial to address empty running in logistics.

Several factors contribute to empty trips (i.e. the reasons trucks run deadheading): common causes include:

• Imbalanced Freight Flow: Trucks may deliver a load but have no scheduled pickup on the return trip.

• Seasonal Demand Swings: Some freight lanes slow dramatically in off-peak seasons (for instance, flatbed freight in winter), leaving carriers empty until business picks up.

• Equipment Repositioning: Vehicles often move for maintenance or staging without cargo, inherently empty.

• Single-Stop Loads: Hauling one customer’s freight at a time (instead of multi-stop consolidation) creates gaps between jobs that are often deadhead legs.

Because of these impacts – financial, safety, and environmental – minimizing deadhead miles is critical. By planning for backhauls, leveraging technology, and coordinating with brokers and shippers, owner-operators can convert wasted miles into revenue-generating trips.

Practical Strategies to Minimize Empty Miles

Proactive Route Planning and Load Scheduling

Effective planning is the first line of defense against deadhead. Owner-operators and dispatchers should always “think one or two steps ahead” when lining up loads. Before setting off, identify potential reloads near your delivery area. For example, if you deliver freight to a certain region, look for pickups nearby for the next run. Experienced drivers often book “reloads” so that as soon as they drop off a load, they load again with minimal deadheading. In practice, this might mean taking a short reposition load instead of running empty home. Many drivers will accept a light or partial load that keeps the truck moving in a favorable direction, rather than letting it sit idle.

Route optimization tools can greatly assist. Mapping software (even basic GPS apps) can display multiple stops and suggest the shortest connecting path. More sophisticated truck-route planners (like PC*MILER, RoadWarrior, or similar apps) factor in truck-specific constraints (weight, height, delivery windows, etc.) to sequence pickups and drop-offs efficiently. They can automatically adjust for new loads and rest breaks too. By using these tools, an owner-operator can plot a trip that stitches together several loads, ensuring each leg is revenue-earning.

Key planning tips include always asking after a delivery, “What’s my closest paying load from here?” Even while en route, call brokers or refresh load board searches for nearby freight. By staying proactive—often while en route to a delivery—you keep your truck loaded more consistently. In practice, drivers might look at their digital maps for city centers or logistics hubs near the drop location and call ahead. In this way, careful pre-planning and flexible scheduling turn potential empty legs into freight legs.

Leveraging Load Boards and Freight Marketplaces

Online load boards and freight-matching apps are indispensable for filling deadhead gaps. These platforms allow carriers to post empty trucks and search thousands of loads in real time. As Convoy notes, load boards “help carriers avoid empty miles…by making it easy for carriers to find additional loads to fill each empty segment of their trip”. Owner-operators should use multiple platforms (DAT, Truckstop, 123Loadboard, Convoy, Uber Freight, etc.) to maximize opportunities. Each app might show different loads, so using several increases your chances of finding a backhaul.

When heading toward emptiness (for instance, after dropping a load far from home), immediately check your load board apps. Post your empty truck if possible, and search active shipments within a practical radius. Use filters for your equipment type and region. Set up alerts so you’re notified when new loads appear in your area. Many carriers juggle two or three apps at once to catch the best opportunities. A strong profile (listing your truck, trailer, and preferred lanes) makes shippers or brokers more likely to contact you.

In practice, this means an empty trip that might have been 100 miles at no pay could turn into two paid trips of 40–50 miles each. Even taking a short pickup near your location is worth it. Remember, brokers and shippers are often looking to fill holes; letting them know you’re available can yield a quick add-on load. Don’t overlook free boards or specialty apps; sometimes a free platform will list loads just as good as the paid ones. The goal is simple: cast a wide net and keep your eyes on the boards to catch loads before running deadhead.

Broker and Dispatcher Relationships

Teaming up with brokers or dispatch services can keep you continuously loaded. A reliable freight broker understands your lanes and equipment and can feed you steady freight. It pays to vet brokers for good reputation and credit (you want prompt payment) and maintain strong communication: timely deliveries and updates build trust, making them more likely to call you for the next load. Over time, this can transform sporadic loads into regular runs.

Similarly, using a professional dispatcher can be a game-changer. Dispatch services charge a commission (typically 5–8% of each load) to handle load searching and negotiation on your behalf Google Drive. This means a dedicated person or team is working to book your truck around the clock. For example, one flatbed owner-operator named Joe Allen found that before using dispatch support, “we ended up doing a lot of sitting and waiting” for loads. After partnering with a dispatcher, he said: “Before my truck is empty, my rep’s got us booked on another load.”  This shows that having a dispatcher actively monitoring the market means you rarely have to run empty. That comment highlights the advantage of a proactive dispatch strategy.

Even if paying a dispatcher isn’t an option, self-dispatch skills pay dividends. Invest time in learning freight logistics: know market rates, master negotiations, and keep multiple brokers and load sources in rotation. Some owner-operators even take formal training; for example, Trucking42 School offers a dispatch course on route planning and load board use. Ultimately, treat your operation like a mini logistics company. Continuously hunt the next load (often one or two ahead), and prioritize lanes where backhauls exist. In practice, that means if a broker offers you a load, you evaluate not just its pay but also where it leaves you: a slightly lower-paying load that ends near your home or on a busy freight corridor may be more valuable than a higher-paying deadhead route.

Collaboration and Backhaul Partnerships

Beyond individual tactics, collaboration can create new opportunities. Large shippers and fleets increasingly work together to match headhauls and backhauls. Owner-operators can do something similar on a smaller scale by communicating and staying connected. For instance, after completing a delivery, ask if the shipper has any outbound freight that goes in your direction. Even simple info-sharing with other drivers (e.g. “I’ll be in Chicago next week, who needs a load from there?”) can turn a reposition trip into a funded trip.

Freight visibility platforms also facilitate collaboration. For example, programs like FourKites Lane Connect allow shippers to share their lane requirements transparently. Similarly, digital freight brokers (Uber Freight, Convoy, etc.) can automatically combine shipments from multiple companies into efficient multi-stop routes. The lesson for owner-operators is to think beyond your own schedule: broaden your view to see what nearby carriers or shippers are doing. If you know there’s a lot of freight moving through Atlanta, you can position yourself there and quickly pick up a load once your current job ends. In essence, any extra visibility or partnerships can plug holes in your network. While a solo driver may not have the clout of a major fleet, using load-board alerts, industry bulletins, or logistics groups can help you tap into shared capacity and reduce empties.

Drop Trailers and Equipment Strategies

Sometimes the best strategy is equipment-related. The classic “drop-and-hook” method can eliminate entire empty legs. If you regularly deliver to a busy warehouse, arrange to leave your trailer there (after unloading) and pick up a loaded trailer for the return trip. This way, you drive full both ways. If you own multiple trailers or collaborate with a yard, staging trailers with loads can ensure you always hook up to freight rather than going home empty.

Even without owning extra equipment, consider cooperative arrangements. For example, some truckers form relay points: one drops an empty trailer in City A, another picks it up for outbound loads, and so on. Owner-operators can negotiate with shippers or 3PLs to leave trailers at certain hubs. These require setup and coordination, but the payoff is huge: essentially guaranteed loads. In practice, this might mean accepting a contract with a drop-trailer clause on part of the rate. For many small carriers, finding just one or two drop-trailer accounts can cut deadhead miles substantially. The key takeaway: use equipment logistics (trailers, drop hubs, relay points) as additional tools to eliminate empty runs.

Technology Solutions and Tools

Transportation Management Systems (TMS): Modern TMS platforms – even ones built for smaller fleets – integrate dispatch, routing, and load management in one place. These cloud-based systems (such as Axele, FreightPOP, or LoadOps) can automatically process your driver availability and search thousands of loads to find compatible backhauls optym.comoptym.com. For an owner-operator, a TMS can act like a personal freight analyst: it might flag nearby loads on the map, check your HOS compliance, and issue alerts when new loads fit your routes. By consolidating calls and board searches into one system, a TMS saves time and often finds loads you’d otherwise miss.

Route Optimization Software: Beyond the basics of navigation, truck-specific route planners help with multi-stop runs. Software like PC*MILER Truck Routing, Route4Me, or even advanced smartphone apps allows you to input multiple waypoints and solve for the most efficient sequence. These tools consider truck restrictions and optimize the entire trip, which is invaluable when you have more than one pickup or delivery. For example, if you plan to deliver in City X, pick up in City Y, and then go to City Z, an optimizer ensures you take the most direct path connecting all points. By minimizing overlap and backtracking, you inherently reduce empty mileage.

Freight Matching & Load Apps: In addition to traditional boards, many carriers now use app-based marketplaces. Uber Freight, Convoy, Transfix, Loadsmart and others let you list capacity in real time and accept loads instantly. These apps often offer unique features: instant booking, digital rate confirmations, and bundled loads. For instance, Convoy’s “Automated Reloads” program uses algorithms to bundle multiple loads for one carrier – enabling an owner-operator to take several drops under one job freightwaves.com. When a shipper posts several nearby shipments, the system can package them together, preventing the truck from having to pause and rebid. Downloading a freight app also means you get notified immediately of high-demand lanes near your GPS location – a timely heads-up that boosts your chances of filling empty legs.

Telematics and Fleet Tracking: Using GPS-enabled ELDs or fleet trackers can pay off in finding loads. When your truck’s location is known, brokers and shippers can proactively match you to freight. For example, Uber Freight’s system infers empty segments by comparing dispatch time to pickup time via GPS. With this data, they can notify you about a load while you’re en route on your return run. Even on a personal level, an app that shares your planned route (some brokers allow this) lets match-makers see your path and suggest pickups. The broader benefit: collecting your own GPS data reveals idle points and common deadhead corridors.

Data Analytics and AI: Some advanced logistics tools use artificial intelligence to pinpoint deadhead reduction opportunities. AI can analyze patterns in historical loads, traffic, and weather to suggest the best lanes or bundle possibilities. While a single trucker may not implement enterprise AI, the apps they use often incorporate AI-driven features (like dynamic pricing or predictive lane alerts). For instance, if analytics show a certain lane always produces an empty return, a smart dispatch tool might automatically shift to alternate lanes or hold the truck a bit longer until a load is found. On a DIY level, you can apply this idea by reviewing your own ELD logs: if you notice you repeatedly end trips in a particular city with no load, target brokers who operate there or suggest swaps to other carriers in that region.

Case Studies and Examples

Convoy Automated Reloads (2019)

Convoy’s “Automated Reloads” program packages multiple loads into single multi-stop contracts for carriers. Instead of finding one load at a time, drivers see a bundle of loads along a route. In practice, this allowed many carriers to haul two or more consecutive shipments under one booking. Convoy reported that this innovation cut empty miles dramatically: in key markets (like Los Angeles and Atlanta) they saw up to a 45% reduction in empty-mile emissions. As one owner-operator noted, he could bid on a “multi-drop” flatbed job and finish five loads in one week (earning more and cruising with virtually no idle time) instead of piecing together one-off loads. This example shows how technology-enabled load bundling converts deadhead legs into profitable multi-stop tours.

Uber Freight Network Analysis (2024)

Uber Freight analyzed real-world dispatch data and found that about 35% of all truck miles were being run empty . Using GPS tracking and simulation, they determined that smarter load matching and routing could reduce empty miles by roughly 64%. To act on this insight, Uber Freight improved its own load offerings – bundling pickups and introducing analytics tools for shippers – so that back-to-back shipments are shown to carriers more effectively. They even added features that map an assigned truck’s empty position to the next pickup, helping dispatchers and drivers close the gap uberfreight.com. The lesson: data-driven freight platforms can highlight and eliminate hidden empties across the network.

Manhattan TMS with Giant Eagle (2021)

Regional grocery chain Giant Eagle merged its transportation systems into one platform (Manhattan TMS) for all 340 of its trucks. This consolidation allowed end-to-end route optimization of deliveries and backhauls. After implementation, Giant Eagle achieved an 8% reduction in empty miles and a 7.7% drop in total miles traveled manh.com. They also improved their load planning so that trucks would take backhauls (filling trailers on the return route) instead of running empty. For an owner-operator, the takeaway is that even a moderate optimization effort – such as coordinating inbound and outbound trips – can yield double-digit improvements. In essence, better planning and one unified plan for a fleet leads to fewer empty gaps manh.com.

Owner-Operator Success (Joe Allen)

Independent driver Joe Allen provides a clear example of proactive dispatch. When he previously worked via spot broker calls, he “often sat and waited” because no reloads were offered until his truck was empty rxo.com. After switching to a dedicated freight partner (Coyote/RXO), his idle time all but disappeared. He reported: “Before my truck is empty, my rep’s got us booked on another load.”. This real-life case shows that a good dispatcher or broker relationship can keep your truck moving continuously. Essentially, having someone constantly on the phone for you turns empty runs into back-to-back filled loads.

Collaborative Shippers (Land O’Lakes & Coca-Cola)

On the shipper side, companies like Land O’Lakes and Coca-Cola have demonstrated how cooperative logistics reduces empties. By using supply-chain visibility tools (FourKites Lane Connect) and sharing truck location data, they coordinate shipments across their network. For example, if Coca-Cola has a driver finishing a load in a region where Land O’Lakes needs freight moved, they can match that truck to the right load. Though owner-operators are smaller scale, the principle holds: sharing information and being flexible pays off. The takeaway is that any extra visibility (such as updating brokers on your location and capacity) can attract loads that would otherwise be deadhead. Think of it as networking: the more freight planners know about your truck’s position and schedule, the more likely they’ll slot you into backhauls.

Best Practices for Owner-Operators

• Stay Flexible: Be willing to adjust your schedule and freight type. If your specialty lane slows, drop down to general freight or a shorter haul instead of running home empty. Accepting diverse load types (flatbed, van, reefer) when needed keeps you busy.

• Bundle Trips When Possible: Plan multi-stop deliveries. Instead of one long haul out and an empty return, see if you can string two or three deliveries in a loop. Discuss with brokers about “relay points” or partial loads – sometimes getting offloaded at one customer and immediately picking up at another nearby can form a continuous circuit.

• Use All Channels: Don’t rely on just one app or one broker. Post your truck on boards, use phone calls, and network in trucker groups. Sometimes a load isn’t online yet but a broker knows about it. Having multiple avenues (apps, load boards, direct customer leads) dramatically cuts risk of idle time.

• Stay Organized and Informed: Keep your documents and rate confirmations ready so you can book loads instantly. Monitor market rates (many load boards show rate indices); if a lane’s pay spikes, jump on it. Also track your own performance: note when and where you end up deadheading and proactively seek loads in those spots.

• Continuous Improvement: After each trip, reflect on your empty miles. Use your ELD or manual log to identify patterns (e.g. “I always come up empty in Chicago on Mondays”). Then adjust: target a broker in Chicago or schedule a pickup in that city. Small tweaks (like avoiding one inefficient lane or planning one more load) add up over time.

• Consider Professional Support: If deadhead miles are a persistent headache, consider a dispatch service or training. A good dispatcher can more than pay for themselves by keeping you loaded. At minimum, gaining dispatch knowledge (through courses or mentorship) arms you with strategies to avoid empty runs in the first place.

Conclusion

Minimizing empty miles is a journey of continuous improvement. The strategies outlined here – proactive planning, multi-source load hunting, smart partnerships, and technology use – give owner-operators a full toolkit. Each filled mile is margin earned, while each empty mile is a cost you can avoid.

In practice, this means using every resource at your disposal: dispatch services, load-board apps, and analytics. Many specialized providers (like Trucking42’s Dispatch service) exist to pair trucks with optimal loads. Companies such as Trucking42 even offer integrated platforms (dispatch, accounting, TMS) targeting single-truck carriers to manage loads efficiently. Ultimately, remember that each empty mile is an opportunity missed. Use all available resources to turn empty miles into earned miles – your business will thank you.

Sources: Industry research and case studies on empty-mile reduction