Deadhead is the miles a truck drives empty, with no paying freight on board, such as the drive from the last delivery to the next pickup. You reduce it by planning the next load before the current one delivers, choosing lanes with freight going both ways, and counting empty miles in every rate you accept.
Every truck has some deadhead. The goal is not zero empty miles, but empty miles you chose on purpose and priced into the load. Here is what deadhead is, how to measure it and how dispatchers keep it under control.
Key takeaways
- Deadhead means driving without paying freight. The truck still burns fuel and the driver still uses hours.
- Measure it as a share of total miles: deadhead miles divided by total miles.
- Most deadhead is created by booking a load without thinking about where the truck goes next.
- Plan the reload before the truck delivers, and compare loads by rate per total mile, not loaded mile.
- All numbers in this article are round examples only, not typical figures.
What does deadhead mean in trucking?
Deadhead is any mile a truck drives without a load that is paying for that mile. It happens when the truck drives to a pickup, repositions to a better freight area after a delivery, or heads home empty.
You will also hear the word bobtail. Bobtailing means driving the tractor with no trailer attached. Deadheading usually means pulling an empty trailer. People sometimes mix the two up, so ask if you are not sure what a driver or broker means.
Deadhead matters because the broker pays for the loaded miles on the rate confirmation. The empty miles to get there are not listed as a separate payment unless the broker agrees to it. Our guide to reading a rate confirmation shows what is and is not paid on a typical load.
Why does deadhead cost the carrier money?
An empty mile costs almost as much to drive as a loaded one, but it pays nothing on its own. Each deadhead mile uses:
- Fuel, which is usually one of the carrier’s biggest running costs.
- Driver hours. Under FMCSA hours of service rules, driving time counts whether the trailer is full or empty. Check the current rules on the FMCSA website.
- Wear and tear on tires, brakes and the engine, which leads to maintenance costs later.
- Time that could have been spent on a paying load.
That is why a load with a high rate per loaded mile can still be a poor choice if the truck has to drive a long way empty to reach it.
How do you calculate deadhead percentage?
Divide the deadhead miles by the total miles driven, then multiply by 100. Total miles means loaded plus empty miles.
The numbers below are an example only, not a typical or target figure.
Over one week, a truck drives 2,000 total miles. Of those, 400 miles were empty. The deadhead percentage is 400 ÷ 2,000 × 100 = 20%.
You can also see what deadhead does to a single load. Say a load pays $2,000 for 800 loaded miles, and the truck drives 200 miles empty to reach it (example only).
| Measure | Calculation | Result (example only) |
|---|---|---|
| Rate per loaded mile | $2,000 ÷ 800 miles | $2.50 |
| Total miles | 800 loaded + 200 empty | 1,000 miles |
| Rate per total mile | $2,000 ÷ 1,000 miles | $2.00 |
| Deadhead share of this trip | 200 ÷ 1,000 × 100 | 20% |
The load looks like $2.50 a mile on the board, but it really pays $2.00 for every mile the truck drives. The deadhead calculator on our free tools page does this math for you, and the rate per mile calculator sits right next to it.
How do you reduce deadhead miles?
You reduce deadhead by thinking one or two loads ahead instead of one load at a time. These steps help:
- Look at the delivery area before you book. Check how much outbound freight there usually is for the carrier’s equipment. A strong rate into a quiet area can mean a long empty drive out.
- Start looking for the reload early. Search for the next load while the current one is still on the road, so the driver is not waiting empty at the receiver.
- Search a sensible radius. Look for pickups near the delivery first, then widen the search and check whether the extra empty miles are worth the rate.
- Build round trips and triangles. If the carrier runs out and back on the same lane, or around three cities, the truck spends more of its time loaded.
- Price the empty miles in. When a pickup is far from the truck, include those miles in the rate you ask for. Brokers can say no, but you should know your number before the call.
- Plan home time early. If the driver needs to be home on Friday, aim the loads that way from Tuesday or Wednesday, instead of running empty at the end of the week.
- Keep notes on lanes. Write down which areas reload quickly for your carrier’s trailer type. Over time, this becomes your best tool for avoiding empty miles.
Geography plays a part too. Our article on topography and time zones in dispatching explains why some routes take longer than the map suggests.
When is deadhead worth it?
Some deadhead is a smart choice. Driving empty for a while can make sense when:
- The truck is in an area with very little freight, and a short empty drive puts it in a busier market.
- A load a bit further away pays enough that the rate per total mile is still better than the nearby options.
- The driver needs to get home, and there is no load going that way in time.
In each case, the dispatcher does the math, explains it to the carrier, and the carrier makes the call. Deadhead you planned and priced is very different from deadhead that happened because nobody looked ahead.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do brokers pay for deadhead miles?
Usually not as a separate line. The broker pays the agreed rate for the load, so you account for the empty miles in the rate you negotiate. Some brokers may add to the rate for a far pickup, but only what is written on the rate confirmation counts.
What is a good deadhead percentage?
There is no single right number. It depends on the equipment, the lanes and the season. Track your carrier’s own percentage week to week and work to bring it down over time.
Is deadhead the same as empty miles?
Yes, the two terms mean the same thing in most conversations. Both describe miles driven without paying freight.
Does deadhead affect the driver’s hours?
Yes. Driving time counts toward hours of service limits whether the truck is loaded or empty, so long empty drives can leave the driver with fewer hours for the next load.
Learn to plan loads, not just book them
The Dispatcher 101 course covers finding freight, choosing loads and planning routes in its Logistics and Finding Freight sections, so you can think past the next delivery. Students on both plans can ask Joe Piazza about a real routing problem through 1-on-1 mentorship, and the Gold plan adds the templates, 12 months of load board access and a 14-day money-back guarantee.
