A backhaul in trucking is the return trip a truck makes after delivering its primary load, ideally carrying new cargo back toward its point of origin instead of driving empty. It’s one of the most straightforward ways carriers earn additional revenue and shippers get lower freight rates. About 35% of semi-trucks on U.S. roads are driving empty at any given time, which makes backhauling a major efficiency opportunity for the entire industry.
How a Backhaul Works
Every trucking route has two legs. The first leg, called the headhaul, is the primary load a carrier is hired to deliver. It typically pays the highest rate and drives the route planning. Once that delivery is made, the truck needs to get back home or to its next pickup. That return journey is the backhaul.
Without a backhaul load, the driver “deadheads,” meaning they drive the entire return trip with an empty trailer. Deadheading generates zero revenue while still burning fuel, accumulating wear on the truck, and eating into the driver’s available hours. It’s actively losing money. A backhaul load, even one that pays less per mile than the original headhaul, turns that empty return into income.
Backhaul freight can be a full truckload, a partial load, or a smaller less-than-truckload shipment. The key requirement is that the cargo’s pickup and delivery points fall along or near the carrier’s return route.
Headhaul vs. Backhaul Rates
Backhaul loads almost always pay less than headhaul loads. In headhaul markets where freight demand is high, carriers can be selective and command premium rates. Backhaul markets are the opposite: carriers are trying to avoid an empty return, so they’re more willing to accept lower prices. Shippers who need freight moved in a backhaul direction benefit from this dynamic, often securing rates well below standard outbound pricing.
For carriers, the math still works in their favor. A backhaul load that covers fuel costs and puts some money toward the truck payment is far better than deadheading. The smart approach is to evaluate the entire round trip as a single financial picture rather than judging each leg independently. A carrier might accept a lower-paying backhaul specifically because the headhaul rate was strong enough to make the round trip profitable overall.
Internal and External Backhauling
There are two broad categories of backhaul operations. Internal backhauling is when a company uses its own private fleet to carry its own goods on the return leg. A grocery chain, for example, might deliver products to stores and then use those same trucks to pick up inventory from a supplier located near the delivery area. This is relatively simple to manage since everything stays within one organization.
External backhauling is when a carrier picks up freight from a third party for the return trip. This is more common among for-hire carriers and owner-operators. It requires coordination with brokers, shippers, or load boards to find available freight that matches the return route. External backhauling is more complex logistically, but it opens up far more opportunities to keep trailers loaded.
Why Backhauling Matters Financially
Companies that optimize their backhaul lanes can lower transportation costs by 9% to 15%. That number is significant in an industry where margins are already thin. For carriers, the benefit is straightforward: filling empty miles creates a second revenue stream from every route. For shippers, using backhaul capacity means access to lower rates from carriers who are motivated to avoid deadheading.
The industry average for empty miles sits at about 16.7%, representing a massive amount of underutilized capacity rolling down highways every day. Each percentage point of that figure converted into loaded miles translates to real money for carriers and lower shipping costs across supply chains. Companies running private or dedicated fleets feel this especially sharply because they pay for round-trip mileage regardless of whether the truck carries anything on the way back.
The Challenges of Finding Backhaul Freight
Backhauling sounds simple in theory, but several practical obstacles make it harder to execute consistently.
Timing is the biggest constraint. A backhaul pickup has to align with the carrier’s schedule after completing the primary delivery. If the shipper’s loading dock isn’t available until the next morning but the driver needs to be moving tonight, the load doesn’t work. Hours-of-service regulations add another layer: a driver who’s nearly out of legal driving hours can’t take a backhaul that adds three hours to the return trip. Appointment conflicts between the backhaul pickup and the carrier’s next headhaul commitment can also kill a deal.
Equipment compatibility is another hurdle. A refrigerated truck that just delivered produce needs temperature-controlled freight for the backhaul, and that’s not always available. Flatbed carriers can only haul loads suitable for open transport. Tanker operators need compatible liquid cargo or they deadhead. Oversized haulers face the most limited options of all, since very few backhaul loads require specialized oversize equipment.
How Carriers Find Backhaul Loads
The traditional method involved phone calls, personal relationships with brokers, and posting availability on load boards. That still happens, but digital freight matching platforms have transformed the process. These platforms use algorithms and real-time truck location data to match available carriers with nearby loads automatically. Instead of a driver calling around after a delivery, the software identifies backhaul opportunities based on the truck’s current position, equipment type, and route.
Some platforms let carriers instantly book loads at a listed rate through an app, eliminating the back-and-forth negotiation. The real-time element matters because backhaul freight is time-sensitive by nature. A load that’s perfect for your return route right now might be gone in an hour. Brokers also use these tools proactively, offering reload options to drivers before they even finish their current delivery.
Environmental Benefits
Every truck that deadheads burns fuel and produces emissions while moving nothing. Reducing those empty miles has a direct environmental impact. Research on collaborative backhaul routing found that coordinating return loads across a freight network can reduce carbon emissions by 3% to 20%, depending on the scale of collaboration and the routes involved. Even modest improvements at the lower end of that range add up across an industry that moves billions of ton-miles annually.
For shippers with sustainability goals, using backhaul capacity is one of the more practical ways to shrink a supply chain’s carbon footprint without overhauling operations. You’re not adding trucks to the road. You’re just making better use of the ones already out there.
Benefits for Shippers
Shippers who build backhaul freight into their logistics strategy get more than just lower rates. Carriers who regularly run specific lanes and count on backhaul freight from certain shippers tend to prioritize those relationships. That translates to more reliable capacity, meaning fewer scrambles to find a truck during busy periods. Delivery consistency improves too, since carriers familiar with a lane know the route, the facilities, and the timing expectations.
The cost advantage is real and measurable. Carriers filling empty return miles are motivated to offer competitive pricing because any revenue beats zero revenue on a deadhead. For shippers whose freight naturally moves in backhaul directions (away from major production hubs, toward less freight-dense areas), this pricing dynamic can be a significant and ongoing cost advantage.