Deadhead miles (empty miles)

Deadhead miles, or empty miles, are the miles a vehicle drives with no rider on board: from the yard to the first pickup, between a drop-off and the next pickup, and back to the yard at the end of the day.

Also called: empty miles, deadhead, unloaded miles

Why they matter

Payers pay loaded miles, so every empty mile is fuel, wear and driver time with no revenue. Comparing loaded miles with total miles, the loaded-mile ratio, shows how well a day was planned.

Where they come from

Runs that crisscross the service area because trips were assigned in the order they were booked.
A will-call sent to a van across town because it was the only one free.
Long gaps between appointments, where the van drives back toward the yard and out again.
No-shows and dry runs.

Cutting them

Plan the day as a whole rather than trip by trip, group trips by area and time, and shop each new trip against every run that could take it. Some deadhead is unavoidable; a rider’s pickup window and ride-time limit matter more than a few saved miles.

See your own trips in MileCall.

Bring a day of trips and a broker file to the demo. We’ll plan it, dispatch it, drive it in the driver app and bill it while you watch.

Book a demo sales@milecall.com