LoadTally

Empty miles

Miles driven without freight: from the yard to the pickup, and back to the yard after the drop.

Also called: Deadhead, Return miles, Bobtail miles.

Does it pay the driver? Yes — it adds a line to the driver’s pay.

Paid at the mile rate when the owner’s rule says so; never paid by the carrier.

Every load starts and ends somewhere other than where the truck sits. The run to the pickup and the trip home after the drop are empty miles, and the carrier does not pay for them.

Whether the driver is paid for them is up to the owner-operator. Many pay empty miles at the same per-mile rate, reasoning that the driver drove them and they get forgotten otherwise. Others pay only loaded miles and set the rate a little higher to cover it.

Whichever rule you use, write it down and apply it the same way on every load. The argument over empty miles is the most common one between an owner and a driver, and a rule ends it.

Read next

  • Calculated miles — The mileage a load is paid on — the driving distance from pickup to drop — as opposed to what the odometer says.
  • Yard — Where the trucks sit between loads, and where empty miles are counted from and back to.

Every term, A to Z

Questions

What does Empty miles mean?

Miles driven without freight: from the yard to the pickup, and back to the yard after the drop.

Does Empty miles pay the driver?

Yes — it adds a line to the driver’s pay. Paid at the mile rate when the owner’s rule says so; never paid by the carrier.