3 min read · updated October 11, 2026
Deadhead miles: the cost nobody pays you for
Why empty miles raise the rate you need per loaded mile, how to count them in 30 seconds, and the rate that is really "all-in".
Deadhead is every mile you drive with nothing in the trailer. To the pickup. Back from a delivery nobody could fill. To the shop. The truck burns the same fuel. The tires wear the same. The clock runs the same. Nobody pays for it.
For most owner-operators, deadhead is 10% to 20% of all miles. The number itself is not the problem. The problem is that rates are quoted per loaded mile, so empty miles disappear from the math until the money is gone.
What one empty mile costs
Take the example truck from our cost per mile guide: fuel, DEF and tolls at $1.04 a mile, money to save at $0.40 a mile. An empty mile costs that truck about $1.44 in cash and reserves, plus the time. On a 120-mile deadhead, that is about $173 before you touch the load.
How deadhead changes the rate you need
Your true cost per mile is for all miles. To turn it into a rate per loaded mile, divide by the loaded share.
True cost per mile: $2.84. Empty miles: 15% of all miles. Loaded share: 85%.
Lowest rate per loaded mile = $2.84 ÷ 0.85 = $3.34.
With 20% empty, it is $3.55. With 10%, $3.15. The truck did not change. Only the share of miles that pay.
| Empty miles | Lowest rate per loaded mile (true cost $2.84) |
|---|---|
| 5% | $2.99 |
| 10% | $3.15 |
| 15% | $3.34 |
| 20% | $3.55 |
| 25% | $3.79 |
The quick check on any load
A broker offers $2,400 for 900 loaded miles. You are 120 miles away. Do the math on all miles, not loaded miles.
- All miles: 900 + 120 = 1,020.
- Pay per mile, all miles: $2,400 ÷ 1,020 = $2.35.
- Compare with your true cost per mile, all miles: $2.84.
$2.35 is below $2.84, so this load does not cover your pay and safety money, even though "$2.67 a mile" sounded fine. It covers the truck's costs, so it is a NEGOTIATE, not a PASS. The load profit calculator does this in one line, including the days the trip takes.
Three ways to cut deadhead
Price the empty miles into the counter. If a load needs 120 empty miles, your counter should include them. Many brokers will pay part of it if you say the number.
Plan the next load before you deliver. A load that pays a little less but ends where the freight is can beat a higher rate into a dead region.
Track it. If you log every load with its empty miles, you will see your real deadhead share in a month. Most people guess 10% and find 18%.
Do the math for your truck
The cost per mile calculator shows your lowest rate per loaded mile for your own empty-mile share. The Miles to Money spreadsheet logs the empty miles on every load and shows your real share on the dashboard.
Example numbers. This guide is not tax, legal, accounting or financial advice.