Deadhead miles: What they are, what they cost, and how to reduce them

Tractor-trailers sometimes have empty flatbeds attached, or might not have a trailer hooked up at all. If a truck doesn’t have a trailer attached, it’s a deadhead truck in trucking terminology. It means the driver dropped off a load and is on their way to pick up another load, or headed home without one.

In the simplest, most general terms, a deadhead is an empty truck driving down the highway without a load or cargo on board. And it’s costing money, not making money.

When driving without cargo, owner-operators running a trucking operation lose money. These empty miles still require fuel and put wear and tear on your trucks. And if you run your own trucking business, you’re not getting paid.

This article covers what deadhead miles are, why they cost owner-operators and carriers money, and practical ways to reduce empty miles between loads using load boards and trip planning tools.

What are deadhead miles?

Deadhead miles are the number of miles you drive with an empty load, either returning to home base or driving to a new destination to pick up a new load.

A deadhead truck is not the same as bobtailing, which means driving a cargo truck without a semi-trailer hooked up. When a driver drops off a load and travels to pick up another, the miles they travel empty are deadhead miles.

Drivers have times when they’re not carrying loads, but those miles are not only unprofitable, they’re costly, unless the driver is getting paid for their deadhead miles. If there’s no load to carry, they’re losing money.

The goal for drivers is to go relatively short distances without cargo. Drivers must monitor the money they make carefully, taking into account all expenses, cost per mile, and pay.

Do drivers get paid for deadhead miles?

Drivers sometimes receive pay for deadhead mileage. Some drivers get deadhead pay because they may not want to travel outside of a specific area for pickups. However, if you’re not getting deadhead mile pay, you should always work to minimize the empty miles between loads.

Let’s say a trucker drops off a load in New York and then picks up a load in Florida, where he wants to vacation over the winter. He will have about 1,000 deadhead miles to cover to reach his next destination.

To avoid the financial impact of deadheading, brokers and shippers might add an incentive to some trucking job assignments. For example, a broker might pay 60 or 90 cents per deadhead mile. This gives the driver some compensation to cover costs and, hopefully, remain profitable.

Keep in mind that not every broker pays deadhead miles. If you’re an owner-operator, this is a big consideration. It’s not as big a factor if you’re a company driver, as you’ll likely receive deadhead pay.

The cost of driving deadhead miles

Empty miles cost money, especially if you’re an owner-operator. If you’re not being reimbursed for deadhead miles, that means paying for fuel out of pocket. If you’re not careful, this can quickly make a load unprofitable.

Besides fuel costs, you are also putting additional wear and tear on your truck. This increases your maintenance costs without any incoming pay to offset the expense.

On top of all that, when you’re driving deadhead miles, you’re spending time that you could use to haul other loads and earn money.

Use load boards to limit deadhead miles

Not every lane is perfect, and drivers often look for ways to avoid deadheading. Truckers who need additional loads have a few options to help them avoid wasting diesel and cutting into their pay, but it sometimes takes careful planning before their trips.

One approach is looking for loads that require backhaul freight. This can help drivers keep their trucks loaded, especially in the winter months when high winds are a factor. If a driver can’t find a return load with the same broker, it might help to check with nearby brokers or shippers in the area.

Load boards are another option. These are online job boards that connect brokers, shippers, and carriers. Truckers can find available freight on their given routes, or find loads in other destinations if they want to head to a different region.

The Truckstop Load Board for carriers can help you find loads to fill your truck and increase your profitability. You’ll find legitimate loads posted by verified brokers, plus tools that help you plan more profitable trips. Features include:

• Easy sorting by lane and routes
• Visibility into all load details, including posted rates
• Rate Insights sourced from real invoice data, so you’re seeing what brokers actually paid, not just what they posted
• Backhaul Search, which swaps your origin and destination to quickly surface reload freight and help you avoid driving empty
• A market conditions map showing load density and truck capacity across the country, so you can see where demand is stronger before you position your truck
• IFTA tax tracking on the go

Staying safe when running empty

Deadheading comes with real safety trade-offs that are worth knowing before you hit the road. An empty trailer can weigh roughly half of what a loaded one does, which changes how the truck handles in wind, rain, or ice.

Truck driving safety training courses cover high winds and road safety, but driving through severe weather is quite different in practice. Deadheading drivers need to be cautious. General safety tips include:

• Know the truck’s sail area, which varies by truck size
• Secure doors and loose items
• Follow the FMCSR pre-trip inspection before rides
• Lower speeds to reduce wind force
• Check the weather and travel reports for your current location and destination
• Observe road signs and landmarks, such as shaking road signs or grass blowing horizontally
• When uncertain, slow down or pull over to stay safe

Get access to a load board and limit deadhead miles

Deadhead miles are unavoidable sometimes, but letting them pile up without a plan is what hurts profitability. Between fuel costs, wear on your truck, and time spent not earning, every empty mile has a real dollar amount attached to it.

The good news is that most deadheading comes down to planning, and better planning starts with having the right tools. Finding a backhaul before you deliver, knowing which markets have strong outbound demand, and working with brokers who have a verified payment history all make a difference to your bottom line.

The Truckstop Load Board is built around exactly those needs. Hundreds of thousands of loads from verified brokers, rate data sourced from real invoice data, Backhaul Search to help you line up return freight, and a market conditions map so you can see where demand is before you position your truck. On the road, the Truckstop Go mobile app puts all of it in your pocket.

Fewer empty miles means more earning miles.

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