Free tool
Deadhead cost calculator
Deadhead means miles driven empty. They burn fuel and wear tires, and nobody pays for them directly. This tool prices them and shows the loaded-mile rate that covers them.
Result
Runs in your browser. Nothing you type is sent anywhere. Example numbers are invented (EXAMPLE VALUES). This is a calculator, not financial, tax or legal advice.
The formulas
all miles = loaded + empty empty share = empty miles / all miles cost of empty miles = empty miles x cost per all mile rate per all mile = rate / all miles needed per loaded mile = target per all mile x all miles / loaded miles
Why the loaded-mile rate has to carry the empties
Two loads can pay the same $3.00 per loaded mile. If one has 5% empty miles and the other 25%, they do not pay the same per mile driven. The second truck is working harder for the same money. That is why a good-looking linehaul rate on a lane that strands you can still lose money.
Ways carriers reduce empty miles
- Track empty share by lane in your own data, not by feel. The audit does this for lanes with three or more loads.
- Price the reposition into the quote instead of accepting the load rate and hoping.
- Ask whether the receiver area has loads out before you take the load in. We cannot tell you that; your own history can.
- Put real empty miles on every load record. A blank is treated as unknown, not zero, so it hides the problem.
Related: minimum rate, lane costs example, deadhead miles guide.
Questions
Do empty miles to the pickup count as deadhead?
Yes. Any mile driven without freight counts, whether it is before the pickup or after the delivery.
Is there a good deadhead percentage to aim for?
We do not publish a benchmark because we have none we can source for fleets your size. Compare lanes and months within your own file.
Formula table
| Quantity | Formula | Note |
|---|---|---|
| All miles | loaded + empty | Basis for the per-mile figures. |
| Empty share | empty / all miles | Share of the trip with no pay. |
| Rate per all mile | rate / all miles | What the truck really earned per mile. |
| Cost of empty miles | empty miles x cost per all mile | Needs your cost per mile. |
| Rate needed | target per all mile x all miles | Then divided by loaded miles. |
Worked example (invented numbers)
A load pays $1,850 for 612 loaded miles with 83 empty miles to get there. The empty share is 11.9% and the rate is $3.023 per loaded mile but $2.662 per mile driven. At $2.09 a mile the empty miles cost $173.47. To earn $2.60 per mile driven the load must pay $1,807.00, or $2.953 per loaded mile.
What this means for you
Empty miles are paid for by the loaded ones. When a lane forces a long reposition, quote the load as if the empty miles were part of it, because they are. The hidden number scales one load to a month so you can see whether a bad lane is a habit.
Related tools
See what your last 20 loads show.
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