21.6% of European road freight vehicle-kilometres are driven empty (Eurostat, 2024). That is approximately 87 billion empty vehicle-kilometres every year across the EU, consuming fuel, emitting CO2, occupying drivers, and generating zero revenue. At an average cost of €1.10–€1.40 per kilometre, the aggregate cost of empty running in Europe is in the range of €95–€120 billion annually.
Why empty miles became unaffordable in 2026
The fully-loaded cost-per-kilometre for a 40-tonne European tractor unit is roughly 18 to 26 percent higher in real terms in May 2026 than it was in January 2022. Empty kilometres at that cost base destroy margin faster than any other operational waste.
- Diesel base cost. EU weighted-average pump price sat at 1.995 EUR per litre in early May 2026 per IRU, with the Netherlands at 2.383. Brent went from 80 to 126 USD per barrel in March 2026 before retracing on a fragile ceasefire. Fuel surcharge clauses recover lane-revenue volatility, but only if the truck is loaded.
- AdBlue. Consumption runs whenever the engine runs, including on empty legs. DEF prices climbed 30 to 60 percent in six weeks in March-April 2026 on the Iran war gas shock.
- Tolls. German Maut from 0.19 to 0.35 EUR per kilometre since December 2023 means an empty leg through Germany now burns 35 cents per kilometre in toll alone, plus diesel and AdBlue, with zero revenue offset.
- Capacity tightening. The April 2022 ban on Russian and Belarusian hauliers removed cheap eastbound returns. Capacity that previously cross-subsidised empty westbound legs no longer exists.
The 10 strategies below assume this base. Pencil out each lever against your real 2026 cost-per-km, not a 2021 baseline, and the prioritisation flips meaningfully. See also the 12 broader fleet cost reduction levers and spot-versus-contract rate decisions that compound with empty-mile reduction.
The good news: empty miles are not a law of physics. They are a system-design outcome. Mature operators reduce empty-mileage rates to 12–15%; the best-in-class — typically those combining backhaul matching, trusted networks, and predictive capacity planning — reach 8–10%. This guide sets out the ten strategies that actually move the number, with specific focus on European road freight.
For the strategic “why” of empty miles, start with our pillar: What Are Empty Miles? The Hidden Cost Bleeding European Freight.
1. Run Continuous Backhaul Matching, Not Reactive Calling
Typical reduction: 20–40% of empty kilometres
Most fleets still run backhaul matching as a reactive process: a truck becomes empty, the dispatcher opens Timocom or Trans.eu, makes 10–20 calls, and hopes to find a compatible return load. The load is often found — sometimes at a rate that barely covers fuel.
Mature operators run backhaul matching as a continuous, automated process:
- The TMS or matching platform continuously scans upcoming arrivals 24–72 hours ahead
- Open return loads from customers, partners, and trusted networks are matched before the truck becomes empty
- Auto-tender rules offer matched loads to the operating carrier first
- Rates are pre-negotiated or reference-priced, not last-minute spot
The difference is not marginal. In a 2024 benchmarking study of 40 European mid-market fleets, carriers running continuous matching reported an average empty-mileage rate of 14.2%, versus 22.8% for those running reactive matching — a 38% reduction in empty running.
See our backhaul optimization guide for implementation detail.
2. Expand Matching Radius — Deadhead to the Match
Typical reduction: 10–25% of empty kilometres
The instinct is to accept a backhaul only if it originates near the delivery point. This leaves value on the table. A 100 km deadhead to collect a 600 km backhaul still eliminates 500 km of empty running — a 5:1 trade that most fleets should take.
Modern matching algorithms compute the net empty reduction across candidate matches:
- Net empty km = deadhead-to-pickup km + deadhead-after-delivery km
- Accept matches where net empty km < current-plan empty km × 0.7 (30% improvement threshold)
Key constraint: driver-hours (EU Regulation 561/2006). A deadhead that pushes a driver into forced rest before the backhaul delivery is not a saving. The matching platform must enforce driver-hour compliance automatically.
3. Use Trusted Networks Instead of Open Load Boards
Typical reduction: 15–25% of empty kilometres
Open load boards (Timocom, Trans.eu, TimoCom Smart, DAT in the US) are useful for long-tail capacity discovery. They are terrible for systematic empty-miles reduction because:
- Rate volatility makes cost predictability impossible
- Carrier vetting is minimal — shippers hesitate to offer loads through boards
- No capacity commitment — loads may or may not clear at any given time
- Information asymmetry — the matching is based on listed price, not on genuine mutual fit
Trusted carrier networks — closed platforms where shippers and carriers have established relationships, KPIs, and reference rates — consistently deliver higher match rates (70–90%) with lower rate volatility. TrucksOnTheMap’s carrier marketplace is built around this model.
The practical operational shift: move 60–80% of your freight flows into trusted-network arrangements, reserve open load boards for residual spot capacity only.
4. Forecast Capacity 7–30 Days Forward
Typical reduction: 10–20% of empty kilometres
Empty miles compound when capacity is planned reactively. A truck finishes a Tuesday delivery in Barcelona with no planned next load because the Friday export from Zaragoza was only confirmed on Thursday afternoon — too late to reposition efficiently. Capacity forecasting addresses this by projecting required truck volumes 7–30 days forward per lane.
Required inputs:
- Order book and forecast data from the ERP
- Historical pattern data from the TMS
- Customer tender volumes and commitments
- Carrier availability data from network partners
Output: a rolling 30-day capacity plan that enables proactive repositioning and matched backhaul commitments.
Mature capacity forecasting typically reduces empty running by 10–20%. See our guide on how freight capacity forecasting works.
5. Integrate Dock Scheduling With Trip Planning
Typical reduction: 3–8% of empty kilometres
A truck stuck at a dock for 4 hours cannot accept a backhaul with a fixed pickup window. Detention time causes cascade empty running — the original truck can’t take the next load, a replacement truck has to be dispatched (often deadheading), and the missed load enters the spot market at premium rates.
Integrating real-time dock scheduling with trip planning eliminates the cascade:
- Dock appointments confirmed before dispatch
- ETA-driven arrival avoids dock queueing
- Appointment adjustments communicated automatically when ETAs shift
- Detention time tracked and invoiced
See what is dock scheduling and 15 dock scheduling best practices for implementation depth.
6. Implement Collaborative Logistics With Peer Shippers
Typical reduction: 20–35% of empty kilometres in participating flows
Collaborative logistics — two or more shippers pooling freight flows to share trucks — is the highest-impact structural strategy for industries with fragmented shipment profiles. Real-world deployments:
- Dutch FMCG consortium (Friesland Campina, Unilever, Lamb Weston): shared DC-to-retail flows in the Netherlands, 18–25% combined empty mileage reduction
- European Consumer Goods Forum pooling: cross-manufacturer outbound pooling from shared 3PL DCs
- Automotive aftermarket pools: reciprocal backhauls between tier-one suppliers serving the same OEM plants
Barriers to plan for:
- Antitrust compliance: The EU’s Horizontal Cooperation Agreements guidance permits logistics pooling under defined conditions
- Data sharing: Use a neutral technology platform that exposes capacity but not commercial terms
- Governance: Multi-party agreements require explicit KPI, dispute-resolution, and exit frameworks
For pure-play digital approaches, see what is load matching.
7. Reduce Out-and-Back Lanes Through Network Rebalancing
Typical reduction: 8–20% of empty kilometres
Many operators run dedicated out-and-back lanes — trucks that cover the same round trip daily, returning empty by design because no backhaul is available in the lane. If the dedication makes commercial sense, the out-and-back is locked in.
But often it doesn’t. A network rebalancing exercise frequently reveals that 30–50% of “locked in” out-and-back lanes could be rebuilt into multi-leg circuits through small network adjustments:
- Opening a spoke DC on the return path
- Consolidating two adjacent delivery regions
- Adding a cross-dock waypoint that enables matched backhaul
- Shifting delivery windows to create backhaul compatibility
Network rebalancing is a 6–12 month project, typically run jointly with a 3PL or 4PL (see our comparison of 3PL vs 4PL), but the empty-miles dividend is large and durable.
8. Consolidate Urban Deliveries With Shared Fleets
Typical reduction: 15–30% of urban empty kilometres
Urban last-mile is a disproportionate contributor to empty running — parcel and general cargo vehicles return empty to depots after delivery rounds, then go out again. Urban consolidation centres (UCCs) address this by pooling inbound goods into shared delivery vehicles.
European examples:
- Paris CityLogin and similar UCCs in Nantes, Bordeaux, Lille
- London Docklands and Heathrow consolidation centres
- Bolonia, Barcelona, Lisbon urban freight pilots
Electric-vehicle-based shared fleets deliver combined empty-miles + CO2 reductions that individual operators cannot match at acceptable cost. The economics depend on municipal policy (low-emission zones, delivery windows, access restrictions) that is tightening across European cities.
9. Use Real-Time Visibility to Re-Plan in Motion
Typical reduction: 3–10% of empty kilometres
Static plans die on contact with reality. Traffic, weather, border delays, customer changes, breakdowns — every disruption that shifts a truck’s arrival window is an opportunity to re-plan in motion and capture a backhaul that the original plan missed.
Requirements:
- Sub-5-minute GPS refresh across the fleet
- Predictive ETAs that account for current conditions — see how machine learning achieves 95% ETA accuracy
- Matching engine integrated with the visibility layer so it can re-propose backhauls as ETAs change
- Driver-app workflow to accept or decline proposed backhauls within minutes
This is where freight visibility and backhaul matching converge operationally.
10. Track the Empty-Miles KPI Weekly and Act On It
Typical reduction: 5–15% compounding, across all other strategies
Strategies 1–9 are moot if empty-mileage is not measured and managed. The discipline matters more than the tooling.
Minimum KPI dashboard:
- Fleet-wide empty mileage rate (empty km / total km)
- Empty mileage by lane (where the worst contributors are)
- Empty mileage by carrier (performance variance)
- Matched-backhaul rate (% of empty potential that became a paid load)
- Deadhead-to-match km (what you paid to avoid emptier running)
- CO2 equivalent (direct connection to sustainability reporting — see green logistics strategies)
Weekly review with the operations team, quarterly review with the CFO and COO, annual review tied to incentive compensation. Empty mileage is both a cost KPI and an ESG KPI — it should sit on the same dashboard as OTIF and gross margin.
For a defensible cost model, see our empty miles cost calculator guide.
What Not To Do: Common Mistakes
Chasing every empty km to zero
There is a break-even empty distance below which any deadhead-to-match costs more than the incremental backhaul revenue. Sophisticated operators model this explicitly and accept structural empty running for operationally necessary repositioning. The goal is not zero empty miles; it is minimum empty miles consistent with service and cost.
Over-relying on open load boards
Board-sourced backhauls come with rate volatility, carrier risk, and information asymmetry. Use boards for residual spot capacity, not as the primary matching mechanism.
Rewarding drivers per kilometre driven
Per-km pay creates a perverse incentive: drivers maximise distance, not efficiency. A driver who accepts an empty repositioning run “to stay busy” earns more than a driver who waits for a matched backhaul. Review driver incentive models for alignment with empty-miles reduction.
Implementing matching without capacity forecasting
Matching alone cannot solve empty miles if the capacity plan is built day-by-day. Systemic reduction requires forecasting + matching + trusted networks working together.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an acceptable empty-miles percentage? The EU average is 21.6% (Eurostat). Industry leaders run 8–15%. For mid-market operators, the realistic near-term target is below 17% within 12 months of implementing the strategies above. See the benchmark data.
Is empty mileage the same as deadhead? Yes — “empty miles,” “empty running,” “deadhead miles,” and “unladen kilometres” all refer to distance driven without revenue-generating cargo. “Deadhead” is more common in North America, “empty running” in European regulatory contexts (Eurostat).
How does real-time visibility help reduce empty miles? Real-time visibility enables dynamic re-planning, early backhaul detection, and faster response to disruptions — all of which directly reduce empty running. Static GPS without planning integration produces no reduction.
What role does a TMS play in empty-miles reduction? A modern TMS is the orchestration layer that connects capacity forecasting, matching, visibility, and carrier management. Without it, empty-miles strategies remain ad-hoc and non-compounding.
What is the environmental impact of empty miles? Empty running in the EU emits approximately 6.5–8.5 million tonnes of CO2 per year — equivalent to the annual emissions of Latvia. See our bridge article on empty miles environmental impact.
How long does it take to reduce empty miles measurably?
- Quick wins (30–90 days): Continuous backhaul matching, expanded matching radius, dock scheduling integration — 15–25% reduction typical
- Structural (6–12 months): Capacity forecasting, trusted networks, network rebalancing — additional 15–25% reduction
- Transformational (12–24 months): Collaborative logistics, network redesign — additional 10–20% reduction
Where to Go Next
- Pillar: What Are Empty Miles? The Hidden Cost
- Data asset: Empty Miles Statistics Europe 2026
- Backhaul depth: Backhaul Optimization Guide
- ROI: How to Calculate the True Cost of Empty Miles
- Collaborative angle: Collaborative Logistics: How Shared Networks Eliminate Empty Running
- Book a demo: TrucksOnTheMap — Backhaul Matching Platform
Written by Tamas Domonkos, logistics operations lead at TrucksOnTheMap. Sources: Eurostat Road Freight Transport Survey 2024, IRU European Road Transport Report 2024, European Environment Agency Transport Emissions 2023, and benchmark data from 40 European mid-market fleets.
