What happens when truckers drive their vehicle without a load? Many truckers don’t make a profit during those transitional times throughout the day or when going home.
Driving distances without a load can’t be entirely avoided — it’s a natural component of the job. However, truckers can create a strategy to minimize this traveling as much as possible.
Learning about the financial effects of driving deadhead miles can help truckers make informed decisions about their driving practices.
What Are Deadhead Miles?
In the trucking industry, deadhead trucks refer to tractor-trailers with empty flatbeds. Deadhead miles, also known as empty miles, describe the distance a trucker travels without a load. This action shouldn’t be confused with bobtailing — transporting a cargo truck without a hooked-up semi-trailer.
Sometimes a trucker drives without a load when they’re headed to the next pickup destination after unloading a haul at a delivery site. Other times, a trucker drives empty miles after a shift when they’re transporting without goods and cargo.
Even when driving without a load, truckers must account for operating costs. For example, deadhead miles still require drivers to pay for fuel. Additionally, extra mileage puts wear and tear on trucks, increasing the need to perform maintenance or replace parts sooner.
Altogether, deadhead miles are a factor in money management for truckers. Other factors include reporting and paying taxes for the International Fuel Tax Agreement (IFTA). If a trucker can’t afford to make the IFTA payments after operating costs and other expenses, they may not be eligible for an IFTA sticker. In that case, a trucker wouldn’t be able to travel on highways when transporting across state lines.
Do Drivers Get Paid for Deadhead Miles?
Drivers working for a company may get paid for deadhead miles, although each contract varies. On the other hand, owner-operators and lease drivers usually don’t profit from driving without a load.
Getting paid for empty miles sometimes occurs with these incentives:
- Agreement based on location jurisdiction: Some truckers may receive pay for driving empty miles because they don’t prefer to travel outside a specific area to fulfillment centers and the broker wants them to complete the job. In some cases, the deadhead mileage helps a driver break even and even turn a profit. An incentive amount provided depends on the company, although some consider paying around 60-90 cents per mile.
- Pay after a certain threshold: Sometimes, a carrier may pay for deadhead miles after a driver meets a certain distance. For example, a driver may get paid 25 cents after traveling the first 100 miles. In this case, they could earn $36.50 on a trip requiring a distance of 250 miles to drop off a load.
- Morale boosting amongst employees: In other cases, a company may offer deadhead pay to offer better working conditions than other trucking operations. Eligibility for this benefit can vary based on the terms. For instance, management may require drivers to have availability for a certain amount of days throughout the week or high performance with a history of safe driving practices and on-time deliveries.
The Cost of Driving Deadhead Miles
In the trucking industry, making money requires spending money. However, the impact of deadhead miles goes beyond financial factors. Here are some of the total costs of driving empty miles:
- Diesel fuel: If you’re an independent contractor or owner-operator, you may not receive reimbursement for the gas you use while driving without a load. At best, you may receive a portion of the cost you spend on diesel per empty mile unless you’re given an incentive based on terms and conditions. In other words, many truckers spend cash out of their pocket driving to pick up a new delivery between fulfillment centers.
- Safety concerns: An empty trailer doesn’t provide the safest driving conditions. Specifically, trailers without loads weigh half as much as full ones. When driving your rig without a load, your trailer may sway and become difficult to control or flip over in an area with high wind. That’s why truckers should always check the weather for wind conditions before driving an unloaded trailer.
- Wear and tear of equipment: Anytime a trucker drives their rig, the road and weather elements create wear and tear. A lack of compensation for empty miles doesn’t offset the price of damages to a truck. Drivers should routinely check the condition of their vehicle for necessary repairs or replacements to components such as engines, cab mounts, suspension systems, structural framing, tires, wheels, drum and hubs.
- Time and efficiency: In the trucking world, time is money. You should limit your deadhead miles if you don’t get paid for driving without a load. Putting less wear and tear on your vehicle can lower your downtime when you can’t make compensation while waiting for repairs on your equipment.
- Environmental impact: The trucking industry contributes to about 24% of carbon emissions released in the U.S. annually. Each driver’s transportation with empty miles may affect a fleet’s sustainability goals. To limit greenhouse gasses emitted, a trucker can drive a car instead of a commercial vehicle for personal use when needed.
How to Limit Deadhead Miles in Trucking
Drivers often look for ways to avoid deadheading. Truckers can optimize transportation with research and a few extra resources to increase safety and save on total costs. Some of these strategies include:
- Using load boards: An online site for a load board connects shippers and carriers. The convenient pages allow truckers to find available freights located nearby. Being able to pick up a load on a given route makes it easy to minimize the time spent driving with empty miles.
- Looking for loads requiring returns: Some sites include return material so truckers can drop off a load and pick up another at the exact location. Keeping trailers weighted down at all times is safer, especially during winter when there may be high winds on the road. Drivers can check with nearby shippers if the broker for their delivery doesn’t offer a return load.
- Planning routes for less mileage: Researching different paths can help truckers plan the most cost-effective traveling route. Today’s trucking technology, such as GPS fleet tracking, offers real-time data on traffic, road closures and weather conditions. The convenient devices allow changing courses to limit miles traveled without getting paid.
- Researching if brokers include deadhead pay: Altogether, cost and reward for services play a significant role in a driver’s money management. A trucker looking for new jobs can determine if a broker includes deadhead pay. This beneficial factor offers an incentive for those in the decision-making process when picking one broker over another.
Contact Porter Freight Funding For Funding Solutions
Even when limiting deadhead miles as much as possible, the trucking industry’s standard of supplying payments 30 to 60 days after services can make it challenging to keep track of invoices. When truckers send their paperwork to us at Porter Freight Funding, we offer a solution of paying directly with advances for a load.
We bill and collect payment from the customer so that trucking companies can focus on their current deliveries. This method supports the growth and success of carriers while benefiting truckers. If you need help, your company’s dedicated customer service representative can answer your questions over the phone.
To get started, fill out a contact form today!
