Guide
Deadhead miles: count them, cost them, price them
Deadhead means miles driven with no freight. Nobody pays for them directly. They still burn fuel, wear tires and use the driver's day. The loaded-mile rate has to carry them, so you need to know how many there are before you say yes to a load.
In short
- Count empty miles before the pickup and after the delivery.
- Price them at your cost per all mile, then add them to the quote.
- Two loads with the same rate per loaded mile can pay very differently per mile driven.
- Track empty share by lane in your own history. That tells you which lanes strand you.
The trip, drawn out
The load in the picture pays $3.00 per loaded mile. The truck drove 140 miles empty to reach the shipper and 60 miles empty after the receiver. Only the middle is paid.
That is 200 empty miles out of 900. The empty share is 22.2%. The rate per mile driven drops to $2.33.
Price your own load with the deadhead cost calculator.
Price a load with its empty miles
Count empties
Miles from where you are, or where you will deliver, to the pickup. Plus miles after delivery before you can load again.
Know your cost
Use your own cost per all mile from the cost per mile tool.
Set a target
Pick the revenue per all mile you need. See minimum rate.
Work back to the quote
Target x all miles = the load must pay at least this. Divide by loaded miles for the loaded-mile rate.
Ask, or pass
If the offer is lower, ask for the difference, or compare it with another load.
all miles = loaded + empty empty share = empty miles / all miles cost of empty miles = empty miles x cost per all mile rate needed = target per all mile x all miles needed per loaded mile = rate needed / loaded miles
Two loads, same loaded rate EXAMPLE VALUES
All numbers invented. Invented cost per all mile: $2.00. Invented target: $2.50 per all mile. Both loads pay $2,100 for 700 loaded miles.
| Item | Load X | Load Y |
|---|---|---|
| Rate | $2,100 | $2,100 |
| Loaded miles | 700 | 700 |
| Empty miles | 200 | 35 |
| All miles | 900 | 735 |
| Empty share | 22.2% | 4.8% |
| Per loaded mile | $3.00 | $3.00 |
| Per all mile | $2.33 | $2.86 |
| Cost of empty miles at $2.00 | $400 | $70 |
| Rate needed for $2.50 per all mile | $2,250 | $1,837.50 |
Load X needs $2,250 / 700 = $3.21 per loaded mile to reach the target. It pays $3.00. The gap is $150. Load Y already clears the target: $2,100 against $1,837.50 needed. Same linehaul rate, $330 apart in the cost of empties ($400 - $70).
Where empty miles come from
- Reposition to the pickup. The last drop is rarely next to the next shipper.
- Thin outbound areas. Some receivers sit where few loads start. The truck leaves empty or travels far to find freight.
- Timing. A tight appointment on the next load can force a direct, empty run instead of a stop at a better area.
- Unpriced habits. A lane you take out of habit, at a rate set years ago, may carry more empties than you think.
Each source is something your own load records can show. Sort by lane and by receiver area, and the pattern usually appears within a month or two of data.
Ask the broker for the reposition
Keep it factual. State the miles and the arithmetic. Brokers may say no. That is useful information too.
Use lane data, then your own file
- Read freight corridors for where truck freight has moved. These are modeled 2022 flows, not rates and not today's loads.
- Check lane costs to see how lanes re-rank once empty miles count.
- Record real empty miles on each load. A blank looks like zero.
- Group your loads by lane. Look at lanes you ran three or more times.
- Ask whether the receiving area has freight out. Your own history is the only answer we can point to.
Then see which lanes in your last 20 loads carry the most empty miles.
Questions
Do empty miles to the pickup count as deadhead?
Yes. Any mile without freight counts, before the pickup or after the delivery.
What is a good deadhead percentage?
We publish no benchmark because we have none we can source for fleets your size. Compare lanes and months inside your own file.
Should I refuse long deadheads?
Not always. A long reposition into a strong lane can pay back over the next load. Price the whole sequence, not one load.
Who pays for the reposition?
Only what is in the rate con. A broker has no duty to pay for empty miles you choose to drive. That is why you price them into the quote beforehand.
Does deadhead change my fuel cost?
Empty trucks use less fuel per mile, but other costs per mile stay. Use your own cost per all mile from real records.
Related: deadhead, cost per mile, minimum rate, load profit, freight corridors, lane costs, true revenue per mile guide, how to calculate true RPM, spot vs contract freight.
See what your last 20 loads show.
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