How to Find Return Loads and Reduce Empty Miles: A Guide for Carriers

You've delivered the load. Now you're 400 kilometres from home with an empty truck. Do you drive back empty—burning fuel, paying tolls, earning nothing—or do you find freight heading your direction?

This question faces hauliers every day, and the answer has massive impact on profitability. Industry data shows that 20% of trucks on European roads are running empty at any given moment—that's roughly 200,000 vehicles per day generating costs instead of revenue.

The carriers who consistently find return loads operate in a different financial reality than those who don't. This guide covers practical strategies for finding backhaul freight, filling schedule gaps, and building route patterns that minimise dead miles.

Why Empty Miles Hurt More Than You Think

The obvious cost of running empty is the lost revenue—the freight rate you could have earned. But the real impact goes deeper.

Direct Costs Don't Stop

Your truck burns fuel whether loaded or empty. You pay tolls either way. Driver hours tick by regardless. Tyres wear, components age, maintenance schedules advance. Every empty kilometre incurs these costs with no offsetting income.

Margin Compression

Consider a simple example: you quote €800 for a 400km delivery. If you drive back empty, your total distance is 800km but your revenue is still €800—effectively €1 per kilometre. Find a €600 return load and suddenly you're earning €1,400 for 800km—€1.75 per kilometre, a 75% improvement in your effective rate.

Competitive Disadvantage

Carriers who consistently fill return legs can afford to quote more competitively on outbound loads because their overall economics are better. If your competitors are running 85% loaded while you're at 65%, they can undercut you and still make money.

Strategy 1: Plan Return Loads Before You Leave

The worst time to look for a return load is when you've just finished a delivery and you're standing in an unfamiliar industrial estate. By then, your options are limited and your bargaining position is weak.

Pre-Book When Possible

Before accepting an outbound load, check what's available for the return. Freight platforms let you search loads by origin and destination—use this to evaluate round-trip opportunities, not just one-way rates.

Build Route Patterns

Over time, identify corridors where you regularly find freight in both directions. These become your preferred routes—lanes where you can reliably operate profitably. Concentrate your marketing and relationship-building on these corridors.

Time Your Searches

Load availability fluctuates throughout the week. Tuesday through Thursday typically offers more choice than Monday morning or Friday afternoon. If you can time your deliveries to give yourself flexibility, you'll find better return options.

Strategy 2: Use Freight Platforms Effectively

Freight exchanges and load boards exist specifically to match available capacity with freight that needs moving. But not all carriers use them effectively.

Set Up Alerts

Don't just search manually when you need a load. Configure alerts for routes and areas you frequently serve. On platforms like Truckscanner, you can specify your preferred origins, destinations, and cargo types—then receive notifications when matching loads are posted. This means opportunities come to you rather than requiring constant searching.

Respond Quickly

Good loads get snapped up fast. Carriers who respond within minutes get more work than those who check the platform once a day. Enable mobile notifications and be ready to quote quickly when relevant loads appear.

Quote Strategically on Returns

A return load doesn't need to hit your full target rate to be worthwhile. If you'd otherwise run empty, even a lower-margin load improves your overall trip economics. Quote competitively on backhauls—you're competing against the alternative of earning nothing.

Strategy 3: Expand Your Geographic Coverage

Limited geographic coverage limits your return load options. If you only serve one region, you'll frequently find yourself needing loads from areas where you have no presence or reputation.

Build Presence in Key Areas

Identify the destinations where your outbound loads typically take you. Then actively build your profile and relationships in those areas. Register on platforms serving those regions. Let shippers there know you regularly have capacity available.

Consider Triangle Routes

Sometimes the best return isn't directly home. A load that takes you partway back, combined with another load from that point, might work better than waiting for the perfect direct return. Be flexible about multi-leg returns when they improve your overall utilisation.

Leverage Platform Networks

Platforms like Truckscanner operate across multiple European markets. A single registration gives you visibility to shippers across Italy, Germany, France, Spain, and beyond. This geographic reach dramatically expands your return load possibilities compared to local-only platforms.

Strategy 4: Build Relationships That Generate Repeat Loads

Spot freight from platforms is valuable, but the most reliable return load source is repeat business from shippers who know your routes and timing.

Tell Shippers Your Patterns

When you regularly deliver to a certain area, let shippers in that area know. "I'm in Hamburg every Tuesday with empty capacity heading back to Milan"—this simple information can generate regular opportunities.

Deliver Consistently

Shippers who need regular transport on a route will stick with carriers who reliably deliver. Every successful load builds your reputation and increases the likelihood of repeat business. Don't undermine return load relationships by poor service on outbound work.

Stay Visible

Platforms that offer company profiles or showcases help you maintain visibility even when you're not actively quoting. On Truckscanner, your company showcase is indexed by search engines—shippers searching for carriers on your routes can find you directly.

Strategy 5: Accept Partial Loads and Groupage

A full truck load heading exactly where you need to go is ideal but not always available. Flexible carriers find more opportunities.

Consider LTL/Groupage

A partial load is better than no load. If you can combine two or three smaller shipments heading roughly the same direction, you can fill your truck even when no single FTL opportunity exists.

Use Multi-Drop Routes

Picking up from or delivering to multiple points adds complexity but can dramatically improve utilisation. A load that requires stops in Munich and Stuttgart before reaching Milan might be more profitable than running empty waiting for a direct load.

Adjust Timing When Possible

Sometimes a good return load is available, just not at exactly the time you'd prefer. If waiting a few hours or adjusting your delivery schedule opens up a return opportunity, the maths usually favours flexibility.

Strategy 6: Leverage Technology and Automation

Finding return loads manually—checking multiple platforms, making phone calls, waiting for callbacks—is time-consuming. Technology can do much of this work for you.

Use AI Matching

Modern freight platforms use algorithms to match available capacity with posted loads. On Truckscanner, the AI matching system identifies loads compatible with your vehicle type, location, and preferences—then notifies you automatically. This surfaces opportunities you might miss through manual searching.

Enable WhatsApp Notifications

Getting load alerts directly to WhatsApp means you can respond from the cab without logging into platforms. Quick response wins loads. Truckscanner's Premium plan includes WhatsApp notifications with magic links that let you quote in 30 seconds, even while driving.

Maintain Updated Availability

The more accurately platforms know your current location, vehicle status, and availability, the better they can match you with relevant loads. Keep your profile current—shippers and AI systems use this information to find you.

Strategy 7: Analyse and Optimise Your Routes

Not all routes are equally profitable. Understanding your lane economics helps you focus on the routes where you can consistently find bidirectional freight.

Track Your Utilisation by Route

For each major route you serve, what's your typical loaded percentage? Routes where you consistently run empty on the return deserve either more attention (to find return loads) or less priority (in favour of better-balanced corridors).

Calculate True Profitability

A high outbound rate on a route where you always run empty might be less profitable than a moderate rate on a route with reliable backhaul. Factor return loads into your route selection decisions.

Use Platform Analytics

Some platforms provide data on load availability and rate trends by route. Use this information to identify promising corridors and adjust your focus accordingly. Truckscanner Premium includes margin analytics that help you understand which routes and customers actually make you money.

Making It Work: Practical Next Steps

Reducing empty miles isn't a one-time fix—it's an ongoing operational discipline. Here's how to start:

This week: Calculate your current loaded percentage. How many of your total kilometres are generating revenue versus running empty? This baseline tells you how much opportunity exists.

This month: Set up alerts on freight platforms for your regular routes. Register on platforms that serve your key destinations. Get notifications flowing to your phone so you can respond quickly.

Ongoing: Before accepting any outbound load, check return options. Build this into your quoting process—evaluate the round-trip opportunity, not just the one-way rate. Track your progress and aim for continuous improvement in your utilisation percentage.

The carriers who run 85% loaded instead of 65% loaded aren't lucky—they're systematic. They plan returns before they leave, use platforms effectively, build relationships, and stay flexible. The same strategies are available to you.

Sources: Eurostat road freight statistics; European Environment Agency transport data; Truckscanner platform analytics; industry utilisation benchmarks.