Deadhead miles cost calculator
Enter the empty miles, the load and your costs. See what the empty miles cost and what the load really pays per mile.
DEADHEAD COST
THESE EMPTY MILES COST
$100
- Cost per empty mile
- $1.00/mi
- Rate per loaded mile
- $3.00/mi
- True rate per mile (empty included)
- $2.40/mi
- Rate lost to deadhead
- $0.60/mi
- Deadhead cost as share of pay
- 8%
Empty miles cost the same per mile as loaded ones, but nobody pays for them unless the rate does.
100 empty miles cost you $100 on this load. We plan the next load before you deliver to keep that number down.
Cut my empty milesHow deadhead cost is calculated
- Cost per empty mile = diesel price / mpg + your other running cost per mile.
- Deadhead cost = empty miles x cost per empty mile.
- Rate per loaded mile = pay / loaded miles.
- True rate per mile = pay / (loaded miles + empty miles). The difference is the rate lost to deadhead.
EXAMPLE LOAD
Deadhead mileage and the loads you choose
Broker rates are quoted per loaded mile, so a load 100 miles away and a load at your door look the same on the board. They are not. Run both through the calculator: the true rate per mile tells you which one actually pays more for the miles you drive.
Some deadhead is unavoidable, and the right amount depends on the rate, not a fixed rule. A tight radius limit can cost you more in empty days than a longer drive to a good load would. The goal is not zero deadhead; it is deadhead the rate pays for.
Price your running cost with the cost per mile calculator, the whole trip's fuel with the trip fuel cost calculator, and see the average box truck rate per mile and how many miles a box truck lasts. Our dispatchers count empty miles into every load; see our dispatch fees.
Questions about this calculator
Q-01What is deadhead mileage?
Miles driven with an empty truck: to the pickup, home after a delivery, or between loads. The truck burns fuel and wears out on those miles just as on loaded ones, but no one pays for them unless the load's rate covers them.
Q-02How much does deadhead cost per mile?
Your fuel cost per mile plus your other running costs per mile. Fuel is the diesel price divided by your mpg; running costs include maintenance, tires and fixed costs spread over your miles. Enter your own numbers above; the cost per mile calculator works out the running cost.
Q-03Is it worth driving empty to a better load?
Sometimes. Compare the true rate per mile, counting the empty miles, of the close load and the far one. A far load can win if it pays enough more per total mile, or if it delivers somewhere with good freight back.
Q-04How do I reduce deadhead miles?
Book the next load before you deliver, look at what moves out of the delivery area before you take a load in, keep a reasonable radius instead of a tight one, and build broker relationships on your lanes so loads find you.
Ryan, TruckSwing dispatch desk
UPDATED OCTOBER 2026 · EDITORIAL POLICY
The cheapest mile is the one you never drive empty
We plan your next load before you deliver. You approve every load.