Deadhead
Also called Empty miles
Deadhead is any distance driven with an empty trailer, most often between a delivery and the next pickup, and it costs fuel and hours without earning revenue.
Last reviewed · by the fleetchart dispatch desk
Deadhead is unavoidable in truckload freight — you rarely deliver exactly where the next load starts — but it is controllable. Planning the next load before the current one delivers is the main lever.
The right way to judge it is to fold it into the rate. A load paying $2.90 per mile over 400 loaded miles that took 150 deadhead miles to reach is really paying about $2.11 per mile across the 550 miles the truck turned.
Deadhead percentage — empty miles as a share of total miles — is worth watching over a month rather than per load. Anything trending up usually means loads are being booked too late.