Empty Running in Haulage: How to Measure and Reduce Empty Miles

Empty running is not automatically waste. A vehicle may need to position for a specialist load, return to its operating centre, reach maintenance or protect a time-critical service. The cost problem is empty distance that could have been avoided or priced more accurately.

The national context

DfT’s accredited 2025 statistics report that GB-registered HGVs travelled 5,897 million kilometres empty in the UK—31% of their 18,975 million total vehicle kilometres. The proportion was 30% in 2024.

That national figure is context, not a target for every fleet. Tankers, construction vehicles, parcels, dedicated contracts and general haulage have different operating patterns.

Define empty running consistently

Decide whether the KPI counts:

• empty vehicle positioning before collection;
• return after delivery;
• empty trailer movement;
• tractor-only movement;
• movement to maintenance, wash or test;
• cancelled-load travel;
• kilometres between multi-stop jobs with no cargo.

Keep operational movement separate from private or erroneous odometer records. Consistency matters more than creating a flattering ratio.

Calculate the percentage

Use:

Empty-running percentage = empty kilometres ÷ total kilometres × 100

Example:

Also track absolute empty kilometres and cost. A lower percentage alongside falling loaded work may not be improvement.

Segment before acting

Break empty distance down by:

• customer and contract;
• lane and direction;
• vehicle/body type;
• day and time;
• planner;
• depot;
• reason code;
• planned versus unplanned;
• distance band.

Useful reason codes include return-to-base, pre-position, no compatible backhaul, customer cancellation, maintenance, driver-hours constraint, equipment mismatch, time-window conflict and deliberate service choice.

One lane with a dependable outbound load but no return market needs a pricing decision. Random short empty legs between compatible jobs may need planning improvement.

Reduce avoidable empty kilometres

Pair lanes and time windows

Look for repeated outbound and return flows with compatible equipment, cargo, timing and geography. Build preferred pairings rather than searching from scratch each day.

Improve order visibility

Late job entry prevents planners seeing options. Capture collection, delivery, load, body, time and equipment requirements early enough to combine work.

Use backhaul carefully

A backhaul only adds value if its rate covers extra distance, time, handling, risk and potential disruption. Verify shipper, cargo, insurance, weights and payment terms.

Collaborate or subcontract

Trusted partners may cover a distant return more efficiently. Apply due diligence and compare whole-job margin, not just headline revenue.

Challenge fixed return habits

Some vehicles return to base because that has always been the pattern. Test whether safe parking, maintenance and driver arrangements allow another plan. Do not erode security or rest to improve a KPI.

Constraints that make empties rational

• incompatible body or contamination risk;
• driver-hours and working-time limits;
• maintenance or legal inspection;
• customer confidentiality/security;
• cleaning or temperature-control requirements;
• low-value return that increases delay exposure;
• delivery commitments on the next job;
• operating-centre and parking arrangements;
• hazardous-goods segregation or qualification.

Record the reason. The goal is informed choice, not zero empty kilometres.

Avoid false economies

A cheap backload can make the vehicle late for a high-value contract, consume driver hours, increase waiting or add claims exposure. Compare:

• incremental revenue;
• loaded and extra empty distance;
• fuel and road charges;
• driver time;
• subcontract or handling cost;
• waiting risk;
• equipment/cleaning;
• effect on the next job.

This leads naturally into haulage job costing.

Weekly exception review

Review the largest empty legs and ask:

1. Was it planned?
2. Why was it necessary?
3. Was a compatible job available?
4. Did late information or cancellation cause it?
5. Was the cost priced into the original job?
6. Can the lane, customer terms or schedule change?
7. Who owns the action?

Track actions for recurring lanes. One-off anecdotes should not drive network changes.

Measure capacity as well as kilometres

An empty leg consumes more than fuel. It uses a driver’s available duty, vehicle time and a slot that might have carried revenue. Add empty vehicle hours and empty vehicle days to the review where distance alone understates the effect.

For example, 25 empty motorway miles may be less damaging than 12 empty urban miles that consume two hours and cause a missed collection window. Compare distance with time, contribution and next-job availability. This also prevents a planner improving the kilometre ratio by accepting a low-value load that blocks better work.

Set a baseline over several representative weeks. Seasonal contracts, harvests, construction cycles and customer shutdowns can distort a single month, so explain major changes rather than claiming improvement from one favourable period.

A balanced KPI set

Use:

• empty kilometres and percentage;
• loaded kilometres;
• revenue and contribution per vehicle day;
• on-time service;
• driver-hours feasibility;
• cancellations;
• backhaul margin;
• empty reason-code completeness.

Digital dispatch systems can capture job status and distinguish loaded from empty legs. They cannot create a compatible market or justify an unsafe schedule.

Common mistakes

• Comparing every fleet with the national 31%.
• Chasing zero empty miles.
• Counting tractor-only and trailer movement inconsistently.
• Accepting loss-making backloads.
• Ignoring service and driver-hours effects.
• Reviewing fleet total without lane detail.
• Treating planned specialist positioning as planner failure.
• Claiming savings without a measured baseline.

Frequently asked questions

What percentage of UK HGV distance was empty in 2025? DfT reports 31% for GB-registered HGVs operating in the UK, equal to 5.897 billion kilometres.

Is empty running always avoidable? No. Equipment, service, safety, maintenance and legal constraints make some positioning necessary.

What is the best first action? Use consistent loaded/empty data and segment the largest empty legs by lane and reason.

Does every backhaul improve margin? No. Price the added time, distance, waiting, handling and disruption risk.

Should targets use the national average? Use it as context only. Set targets from your operation, body types, customers and achievable actions.