Reducing Empty Kilometers: How Data Helps Optimise Linehaul Routes 

Empty kilometres refer to the distance a truck travels without nearby loads to pick up and drive in its backhaul routes. According to Eurostat, on average, over 22% of the HGV (Heavy Goods Vehicle) journeys in the EU are empty runs, out of which 13% of the trips are international and across borders. These empty kilometers are a hidden cost in European logistics, wasting fuel, driver time, and increasing CO₂ emissions.

Empty vehicles traveling without cargo represent a significant inefficiency. Fortunately, with the help of advanced data analytics, AI routing tools, and real-time visibility, carriers can reduce empty kilometers, optimise capacity utilisation, and improve overall linehaul efficiency.

Let’s explore the impact of empty kilometers and how data helps optimise linehaul routes.

The Cost of Empty Kilometers: A Hidden Challenge

Empty kilometers in trucking are hiccups to revenue generation for carriers. Trucks that return to the destination without loads still continue to consume fuel and incur maintenance costs, while providing zero value to the business. The expenses incurred contribute directly to linehaul costs, operational costs, and overall transportation costs for trucking companies. For shippers, empty kilometers eventually get sandwiched into shipping costs and overhead costs, making it problematic for the industry at large.

Empty kilometers also result in truckers driving without tangible revenue, wasting time that could be spent on productive workdays. Lastly, empty runs lead to higher CO2 emissions, negatively impacting the environment.

Innovative Technologies Reducing Empty Kilometers On The Road

Carriers can reduce empty kilometers, optimise capacity utilization, and improve overall linehaul efficiency by leveraging advanced data analytics, AI routing tools, and real-time visibility.

For example, a smart routing system might automatically select the fastest delivery route based on real-time traffic data and delivery deadlines, ensuring timely and cost-effective shipments.

Dynamic Route Planning and Real-Time Adjustments

Dynamic routing is an intelligent brokerage system that is capable of automatically identifying backhaul and load-sharing opportunities. This system utilises telematics data, such as sensor and geo-based information, to create a historical pattern of freight movement and detect potential backhaul opportunities. The system also applies data mining techniques to analyse the historical movement patterns and identify backhaul opportunities that may not be immediately obvious. This system can help reduce the number of empty miles traveled by trucks, and by efficiently filling trucks on their return leg, carriers can save on fuel costs and reduce delivery expenses.

Dynamic routing helps optimise routes and determine optimal delivery routes by considering factors such as traffic, road conditions, and delivery deadlines. Optimizing routes based on real-time data leads to direct routes with fewer multiple intermediary points, resulting in fixed routes, consistent transit times, and on time deliveries. This approach ensures fast deliveries and enables carriers to ensure consistent transit times for their customers.

Real-Time Load Matching

Real-time load matching is a logistics process where freight loads are instantly paired with available trucks using digital platforms, AI algorithms, and GPS tracking. The process can be initiated the moment a customer clicks to request a load match, triggering the system to search for optimal pairings.

Real-time load matching supports load optimization by maximising truck capacity and reducing empty miles, leading to more efficient and cost-effective operations. Tracking line haul carriers and using real time tracking tools help gain real time visibility and complete visibility into freight movement, allowing the back office to setup return loads close to headhaul destinations.

At the first instance of a load becoming available, the system matches it with a suitable truck. Unlike traditional methods that rely on manual coordination or advance bookings, real-time load matching continuously updates load availability and truck locations to find the most efficient matches — within seconds. This approach is especially useful in reducing empty truck miles by enabling carriers to quickly find return loads or last-minute freight opportunities.

Investing in Load Monitoring Technology

When trucks are equipped with motion sensors, operators can accurately measure load weight and volume in real time, enabling smarter dispatch decisions during empty kilometers. The function of these technologies is to analyse real-time data on load weight and volume, providing accurate information for optimising dispatch decisions.

These monitoring systems are reliable in ensuring accurate load data, which helps flag opportunities to consolidate smaller loads and increase the load factor of the vehicles. With more visibility into load weight and volume, carriers can pick up loads along the way, ensuring freight optimization and lowered empty kilometers.

Use of Freight Exchange Platforms

JCtrans, TransEU, and TIMOCOM are a few examples of freight exchange platforms that offer load-posting tools helping drivers find outbound loads from their delivery destination. These tools help maintain the cycle of transferring goods and reduce the frequency of empty kilometers.

Freight exchange platforms enhance shipping services by providing carriers with greater visibility, control, and route optimisation, which leads to significant cost savings and helps boost cost efficiency through better load planning and reduced transportation expenses.

Smart Geolocation Reduces Empty Backhauls

Hyperlocal routing is another innovative approach that helps carriers reduce empty kilometers. Drivers can reduce unnecessary travel and avoid returning empty to the hub by optimising local routes. In addition, territory planning helps in highlighting favourable service areas based on historical data. This helps reduce the number of trucks traveling outside of their assigned territories and ensures that backhaul opportunities are maximized within those areas.

By analyzing driver performance data, carriers can shuffle drivers and allocate stops more efficiently, which not only improves delivery times but also helps reduce the risk of mishaps among line haul drivers by balancing workloads and preventing fatigue.

Data Driven AI-Based Planning for Operational Efficiency

Advanced solutions currently in development include AI-powered forecasting tools designed to predict demand surges and identify route inefficiencies. These tools enable companies to make data-driven decisions for future planning by analyzing historical trends and traffic patterns.

Among the emerging trends in line haul transportation today are the integration of AI, automation, and data analytics, which are transforming how logistics networks operate. This proactive approach helps reassign vehicles more effectively and reduce empty truck miles.

Mobile and Telematics Solutions

Mobile devices and telematics systems play a critical role in reducing empty kilometers by providing real-time data, enhancing communication, and improving visibility across fleets. These technologies bridge the gap between planning and execution, ensuring that drivers and fleet managers can timely respond to backhaul opportunities.

Sustainability and Profitability: Reducing Empty Kilometers for Trucking Fleets

Carriers can significantly reduce both their operational expenses and environmental impact by reducing empty kilometers, creating a win-win scenario for business sustainability and profitability.

As per the IRU, fuel costs represent up to 30% of total trucking expenses, and driving without a load effectively doubles the cost per useful kilometre, making deadhead miles more expensive.

Reduce truck fleet maintenance costs and extend vehicle lifespan

Smart routing reduces unnecessary mileage, harsh driving conditions, and idle time — all of which contribute to wear and tear. Companies can lower maintenance needs, reduce breakdowns, and extend the useful life of their trucks by optimising routes and minimising deadhead miles. This results in fewer repair costs and delays, and extends the need for vehicle parts replacement.

Lower Fuel Emissions

Fuel that gets wasted on empty kilometers is minimised, making trips more efficient and reducing carbon emissions by optimising routes and leveraging data analytics. This action directly supports global initiatives aimed at combating climate change and promoting cleaner air. It showcases the trucking industry’s capacity to contribute to broader environmental goals through meticulous logistical planning and route optimisation.

Baton Uses Data Analytics to Reduce Empty Kilometers 

Empty kilometers is a growing concern in the context of freight sustainability, as it increases operating costs, fuel usage, and greenhouse gas emissions, leading to a negative impact on the environment. Through smart routing and data-driven technologies, freight management and movement can be improved.

With Baton Transport, real-time route optimisation and flexible contract structures are integrated to better match truck capacity with actual demand. This minimises empty miles, improves load efficiency, and enhances overall supply chain resilience. Baton helps pave the way toward cleaner, more efficient, and sustainable freight systems by adopting flexible operating models and digital freight solutions.

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