Deadhead
Deadhead is driving with an empty trailer - miles you run between loads with no freight and no revenue.
Deadhead miles are the empty miles you drive to reposition between loads – no freight, no pay, but still burning fuel and adding wear. Every operator deadheads sometimes; the goal is to minimize it, because empty miles raise the cost of your next paying mile.
Why it matters: deadhead does not just earn nothing – it actively raises your effective cost per mile. If you deadhead 100 miles to pick up a load, the fuel and wear on those 100 miles have to be covered by the revenue on the loaded miles. Smart operators factor deadhead into whether a load is worth taking and try to book backhauls or tighter load pairs to cut it.
One more wrinkle: deadhead miles still count for IFTA – empty distance through a state is taxable mileage. Track it. See also detention.