Backhaul is the return leg of a trip where a vehicle that has completed its deliveries is assigned a new load for the journey back toward its starting point. Instead of running empty, the truck or van carries goods for the original business or a third party on the way home. Backhaul strategies reduce empty miles, cut fuel and labor waste, and increase the revenue earned from each vehicle’s full round trip.
What is Backhaul?
In logistics, a backhaul is the return journey a vehicle makes after completing its main outbound deliveries, with a new load assigned for that return leg. Traditionally, many vehicles would run “deadhead” or empty on the way back to base, generating costs but no revenue. Backhauling changes that by finding freight for the return path so that the miles driven back are productive.
Backhaul can be internal, where a company uses its own fleet to bring goods back to its depot or to move stock between its own locations, or external, where the vehicle carries loads for another business on the way back. Either way, the goal is to make use of capacity that would otherwise be wasted.
Because backhauls depend on timing, location, and available freight, they usually require planning and good visibility of both outbound and inbound flows. Modern systems increasingly use real-time tracking and digital freight matching to pair vehicles needing a backhaul with suitable loads.
Key features of Backhaul
- Uses the vehicle’s return journey to carry freight rather than running empty, reducing deadhead or empty miles
- Can involve internal loads (own stock, returns, or packaging) or external loads for other shippers
- Requires coordination of pickup times and locations so that backhaul loads fit naturally after the outbound route
- Often supported by TMS platforms, load boards, or digital freight marketplaces that match return capacity with freight
- Lowers per-mile costs by spreading fuel, labor, and maintenance over more loaded miles
- Can be combined with reverse logistics, such as collecting returns, recyclables, or pallets on the way back
What Backhaul means for your business
Backhauling is one of the most direct ways to cut the cost of your delivery operation without adding new vehicles or drivers. Every mile a vehicle travels empty still consumes fuel, driver time, and maintenance budget; turning those miles into productive, revenue-generating trips has an immediate impact on margin.
For businesses with regular lanes between depots, suppliers, or large customers, planned backhaul can move stock, packaging, or returns without needing separate routes. For carriers and 3PLs, external backhauls sourced through partnerships or freight platforms help keep vehicles full more often, which is especially important in softer demand periods.
Backhaul also supports sustainability goals. Fewer empty miles mean lower emissions for the same volume of freight moved, which is increasingly important for customers and regulators.
How SmartRoutes supports Backhaul strategies
SmartRoutes focuses on minimizing empty miles in last mile operations by building more efficient routes and highlighting opportunities to use capacity on the way back. Route optimization and multi-stop routing help ensure that vehicles run fuller for more of the day, reducing the distance they travel without freight.
Teams can use SmartRoutes’ planning tools to layer collections, returns, or supplier pickups onto routes that would otherwise end with an empty drive back to base. By combining outbound deliveries with backhaul tasks in a single optimized plan, planners can make better use of each vehicle’s available hours.
Because SmartRoutes provides real-time visibility over routes and vehicle positions, operations teams can also spot when vehicles are returning empty from certain areas and explore backhaul or reverse logistics partnerships in those regions over time.
Frequently Asked Questions about Backhaul
1. How is backhaul different from empty miles?
Empty miles are the distance a vehicle travels without any load on board. Backhaul is the opposite approach: it aims to fill that return journey with freight so those miles generate revenue instead of pure cost.
2. What types of loads are suitable for backhaul?
Typical backhaul loads include supplier collections, stock transfers between warehouses, returns from customers, packaging and pallets, or freight for another company that matches the vehicle’s return lane and schedule.
3. Do I need special software to manage backhauls?
You can manage simple backhauls manually, but as volumes grow it is much easier with routing or transport management software. These tools help you see where vehicles finish their routes, what capacity they have left, and which loads could fit on the way back.
4. Can backhaul work for last mile delivery fleets, not just long-haul trucking?
Yes. Last mile fleets can use backhaul principles by adding collections, returns, or supplier pickups to the return leg of routes. The distances may be shorter, but the goal is the same: reduce the number of miles driven with an empty or underused vehicle.
5. How does backhaul affect delivery planning?
Backhaul adds extra stops and pickups to your plans, so the routing engine needs to consider both outbound deliveries and return loads together. Done correctly, it improves utilization without compromising delivery windows or driver hours-of-service limits.
Related terms
Empty Miles, Reverse Logistics, Route Optimization, Load Planning, Multi-Stop Routing, Fleet Utilization, Deadhead Miles