Deadhead Miles in Trucking: How Empty Miles Affect Hotshot Profit
Deadhead miles are miles driven without paying freight. They matter because your truck and trailer still use fuel, accumulate wear, and consume driver time when no load is generating revenue. A freight offer can look strong when measured by loaded miles alone, yet produce much less revenue per total mile after you include the empty legs.
For independent hotshot operators, the useful question is not whether deadhead can be eliminated altogether. It is how much empty travel a particular load requires—and whether the freight revenue covers the full trip's costs.
What are deadhead miles?
Deadhead generally means traveling with no revenue freight, such as towing an empty flatbed to a pickup or repositioning after delivery. Consider two examples:
- You drive 80 miles empty from your yard to a shipper, then carry a load 300 miles to the receiver.
- You deliver a trailer load and drive another 120 miles empty to your next confirmed pickup.
Those non-revenue legs belong in the distance used to assess the load's economics. An operator who only considers the 300 loaded miles may underestimate fuel spending, wear, and the time needed to complete the job.
Total evaluated miles = empty miles before pickup + loaded miles + expected empty miles after delivery, avoiding double-counting miles already allocated to another booked load. If a backhaul is only a possibility, treat its revenue as uncertain.
Deadhead versus bobtailing
The terms refer to different conditions. Deadhead describes travel without paying freight. Bobtail generally describes a tractor operating without its trailer, although the term is sometimes used informally for pickups without trailers.
A pickup towing an empty gooseneck trailer is deadheading. A truck traveling without its trailer may also be moving without freight, but the distinction can matter for equipment handling and insurance language. Ask your insurer how your specific policy treats each operation rather than assuming a universal rule about coverage.
What does industry research show?
Research from the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) shows that empty mileage is a real cost issue across commercial trucking. Its 2025 Analysis of the Operational Costs of Trucking, reporting on 2024 operations, found non-tank carriers averaged 16.7% of total miles run empty, up from 16.3% for the prior operating year. These figures are based on the surveyed motor-carrier sample; they are not a verified national average for hotshot pickups.
Source: ATRI 2025 operational costs report.
Your own deadhead share can be higher or lower depending on lanes, freight availability, delivery locations, and how frequently you find a return load. A personal trip log is more useful for pricing than an unsupported universal hotshot deadhead percentage.
Calculate the cost of deadhead miles
Suppose a hypothetical hotshot operator accepts a load with these inputs:
| Item | Hypothetical input |
|---|---|
| Loaded miles | 300 |
| Empty miles before pickup | 100 |
| Empty miles after delivery | 100 |
| Freight revenue | $750 |
| Modeled operating cost per total mile | $1.40 |
The trip involves 500 total miles. Its posted rate is $750 ÷ 300 = $2.50 per loaded mile, but revenue over all miles is $750 ÷ 500 = $1.50 per total mile.
At a modeled operating cost of $1.40 per mile, expenses total $700. The remaining $50 is a projected difference between freight revenue and modeled operating costs. It is not guaranteed net profit or owner take-home: dispatch fees, tolls, financing treatment, taxes, and other costs not captured in the $1.40 rate may change the result.
Without the 200 empty miles, the same revenue and cost assumptions would produce a very different result. That is why pricing only the loaded distance is misleading.
Estimate fuel use on empty miles
Fuel expense can be estimated from empty miles ÷ expected MPG × diesel price per gallon. For example, 200 empty miles at a hypothetical 12 MPG and $4.20 per gallon consume about 16.67 gallons, costing approximately $70.
This fuel calculation is separate from the $1.40-per-mile example above. Do not add it again if the modeled operating CPM already includes fuel. Your actual MPG will depend on equipment, conditions, trailer configuration, and speed.
How empty miles affect safety and maintenance
Driving an empty trailer changes vehicle dynamics, but its precise effect depends on the truck, trailer, weight distribution, weather, and road conditions. Avoid assuming an empty combination always has a particular percentage increase in stopping distance.
Every empty trip still adds time on the road and mileage on tires, suspension, and drivetrain. Check tire pressure, trailer condition, weather, and crosswind exposure, and follow safe operating practices suited to the equipment. A long empty repositioning run may also reduce the time available for the next load.
IFTA, IRP, and interstate regulations: check applicability
Federal motor-carrier requirements, licensing requirements, IFTA, and IRP are different regulatory frameworks. They must not be treated as interchangeable.
In particular, IFTA eligibility is not determined simply by holding a CDL. Qualified vehicles generally include those with three or more axles, two-axle vehicles exceeding 26,000 pounds gross or registered gross weight, or qualifying combinations over 26,000 pounds, when operating under the agreement's jurisdictional rules. Confirm the criteria and recordkeeping requirements for your operation.
Source: California Department of Tax and Fee Administration — IFTA FAQ.
Federal commercial motor vehicle safety rules may apply to interstate property transport at a 10,001-pound threshold based on specified vehicle-weight criteria, with additional classifications and exceptions. CDL licensing has separate requirements. Check your configuration and applicable operations rather than relying on a blanket “under 26,001 pounds” rule.
Source: FMCSA — Commercial motor vehicle definition.
Regardless of regulatory filing obligations, tracking both loaded and empty miles is useful for the financial analysis of a hotshot business.
Do drivers get paid for deadhead?
Compensation varies by employment agreement, broker contract, and the type of operation. Some company drivers are paid for certain empty miles; others are compensated under different arrangements. Independent owner-operators ordinarily need to recover their projected empty-mile costs through the total amount negotiated for the freight and related accessorial charges.
Don't assume that a separate line-item deadhead payment will be offered. Calculate the gross freight revenue needed to cover total-trip expenses and compare it with the available rate.
How to reduce deadhead without accepting bad freight
Reducing empty miles can help, but taking a low-paying load just to avoid driving empty can also be costly.
- Evaluate the destination. Consider how far the truck may need to reposition after delivery. Do not count unbooked return freight as guaranteed revenue.
- Compare multiple offers. A lower loaded-mile rate may still outperform a higher posted rate if the total miles and costs are more favorable.
- Combine trips carefully. Multi-stop and partial-load plans must account for capacity, timing, securement, and each segment's mileage.
- Track actual results. Record loaded, empty, and total miles after every trip, then review where projected versus actual distances diverge.
- Set a personal deadhead goal. Base it on your real lanes and costs rather than assuming one percentage applies across the hotshot industry.
A weekly or monthly deadhead percentage can be calculated as empty miles ÷ total miles × 100. Use it as one indicator alongside actual net revenue, not as a stand-alone guarantee of profitability.
Evaluate deadhead with Grab That Load
Grab That Load is a load-economics and business-management platform for hotshot operators. It is not a load board or dispatcher. Its purpose is to help users evaluate freight decisions using inputs such as load revenue, loaded miles, deadhead mileage, and operating assumptions.
Use the Grab That Load load calculator to estimate how the full route affects a load's projected economics. Treat its figures as estimates based on your inputs, then compare with actual expenses and miles after delivery.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between loaded miles and deadhead miles? Loaded miles are driven carrying paying freight; deadhead miles are driven without paying freight. Both contribute to total distance.
Should empty miles count in cost per mile? Yes. Fuel and equipment costs are incurred on empty legs. Use consistent assumptions for all-mile revenue and all-mile operating costs.
Is a deadhead percentage of 20% automatically bad? No. Whether a route works depends on the revenue, costs, destination, and business goals. A single percentage cannot establish profitability.
Can a backhaul eliminate deadhead expense? A confirmed return load can improve overall trip economics, but unbooked freight should not be treated as certain.
Does every hotshot truck need IFTA? No. Applicability depends on vehicle qualification and jurisdictional operation; review official requirements for the specific equipment and route.
Know the profit before you take the load
A load is worth analyzing across every expected mile, not just the loaded portion on a rate confirmation. Estimate empty travel, operating costs, and the return-positioning risk before deciding whether the freight fits your business.
Analyze your next load with Grab That Load. Know your numbers. Choose better loads. Keep more of what you earn.