Reload before delivery
We start looking for the next pickup near your drop as soon as you're loaded, not when you're empty.
Reduce deadhead miles before they happen
Deadhead quietly eats profit on every equipment type: empty runs back from rural deliveries, final-mile drops, oilfield sites and produce country. The fix happens before you deliver, not after. We plan the reload while you're still loaded.
MILE02WHAT DEADHEAD COSTS
What empty miles really cost
An empty mile burns nearly the same fuel as a loaded one on many trucks, takes the same time and puts the same wear on tires and brakes. The difference is that nobody pays you for it. Three hundred empty miles is a day of driving you donate to the next load.
That's why a $3.00 load that strands you can pay less than a $2.40 load that sets up the next one. Count the empty miles in every decision, or the rate per mile on the post will keep lying to you.
MILE03COST DIAL
Dial in your empty miles
Set the empty miles, your mpg, diesel price and what an hour is worth. Then redraw the trip as a triangle with a reload and watch the cost drop.
EXAMPLE assumptions: 55 mph average, $0.20/mi for tires and wear. The triangle assumes a reload cuts the empty leg to a quarter.
WHAT 300 EMPTY MILES COST
FUEL $175 · TIME $164 · WEAR $60
Price a whole trip with the trip fuel cost calculator or the load profitability calculator.
MILE04HOW WE CUT IT
Four ways we cut deadhead
Triangle routes
When nothing heads straight home, a short empty leg to a load that does often beats the long run back.
Partials that chain
Two partials that line up can turn a half-empty week into a full one, especially for hotshots and 26 ft boxes.
Check the market first
Before booking into a city, we look at what leaves it. A strong load into a dead market is a trap.
MILE05WAIT OR RUN EMPTY
Wait or run empty?
| Situation | Usually | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Strong market, nothing today | Wait | Tomorrow's freight is likely close by |
| Weak market, strong one nearby | Run empty | A short empty run beats days of sitting |
| Friday afternoon, home time due | Head home | Weekend freight near home is often better than staying out |
| Seasonal market ending | Move early | Waiting gets worse each day |
These are starting points. We run them against your fixed costs per day and tell you which we'd pick, and why. Hotshots, see how this works on hotshot dispatch.
MILE06YOUR CALL
Every reload is your call
A planned reload is still an offer. You see where it picks up, how far you run empty to get there, the rate and the broker, and you say yes or pass. On a yes, the rate con comes straight to you to sign. Fees are on rates and fees.
MILE07OBJECTIONS
What carriers ask us
- "Some deadhead is unavoidable."
- True. The goal isn't zero; it's every empty mile chosen on purpose and priced into the load that caused it.
- "Triangle routes take me away from home."
- They don't have to. We plan triangles that bend back toward home, and on your home-time days the route ends there.
- "I'd rather wait than run empty."
- Sometimes that's right. We run the numbers on both and tell you which we'd pick and why. You still decide.
MILE08DEADHEAD BY EQUIPMENT
Deadhead by equipment
- 0126 ft box trucks. Final-mile and liftgate routes scatter you; we chain regional loads so the next pickup is near the last drop.
- 02Hotshots. Rural, oilfield and farm deliveries leave long runs back; partials and triangles help most here.
- 03Vans and reefers. Strong headhauls into weak markets are the trap; we check outbound freight first.
- 04Flatbeds and step decks. Mills, yards and plants cluster; the next load is often a short run away if someone looks early.
- 05Specialized. Car haulers fill spots on the way back; dumps stay local; oversize pickups are remote, so the reload is part of the price.
MILE09ONE QUESTION FIRST
The question we ask before every booking
Where does this load leave you, and what's there? Before we bring an offer, we check freight leaving the delivery area for your equipment. If there's little, the offer comes with a note and a higher counter, or we pass on it for you.
MILE10FAQ
Deadhead FAQ
Q01What is deadhead in trucking?
Miles driven without paying freight: running empty to a pickup, or back toward freight after a delivery. You still pay for fuel, tires, time and wear on those miles, but nobody pays you for them.
Q02How much deadhead is normal?
It varies by equipment and lanes. Regional vans and reefers on busy lanes can keep it low; hotshots and flatbeds running to rural sites, oilfield and farm deliveries often see much more. What matters is that every empty mile is priced into the decision.
Q03How do dispatchers reduce deadhead?
By looking for the next load before the current one delivers, using triangle routes when a straight backhaul doesn't exist, booking partials that chain together, and counting the empty miles in every rate counter.
Q04Is it better to wait for a load or deadhead?
Run the math: what the empty miles cost against what a day of waiting costs you in fixed expenses, and whether better freight is likely tomorrow where you are. Sometimes waiting wins. We show you both before you decide.
Q05Do I approve the reload too?
Yes. Every reload is a separate offer you accept or pass, and its rate con comes straight to you to sign.
Q06Does deadhead count toward hours of service?
Yes. Driving empty is driving time. That's another reason to plan reloads close to your drop: empty miles use hours you could spend loaded.
Q07Can I get paid for deadhead?
Sometimes. Brokers occasionally pay for a long run to a pickup, or you can price it into the rate. We ask when the empty leg is long.
Q08How do I track my deadhead?
Your weekly report shows loaded and empty miles for every load, so you can see the trend week to week.
Q09Do partial loads help with deadhead?
Often. Two partials that line up can fill a trip that would otherwise run half empty, especially on hotshots and 26 ft box trucks. We look for partials that share a direction.
EXAMPLE ROUTE
Fewer empty miles, starting next load
Apply in about 2 minutes. We plan the reload before you deliver; you approve every load.