Short answer
A backhaul is a load a truck carries on its return trip, from or near where it just delivered back toward its home base. Carriers book backhauls to avoid driving empty. Because the truck is heading that way anyway, backhaul rates are often lower than headhaul rates, the outbound rates on the same lane.
Why backhauls matter
An empty truck still burns fuel, uses the driver’s hours and wears tires. Those are deadhead miles, and they eat into what the carrier made on the outbound load. A backhaul turns some of that cost into revenue.
For brokers, backhauls are a way to become a carrier’s first call. If you know a carrier delivers in Jacksonville every Thursday and wants to get home to Atlanta, a load going that way is worth more to that carrier than it looks on a load board.
For shippers, freight moving against the main flow of a region can often ship for less, because carriers compete to fill trucks that would otherwise run empty.
Headhaul and backhaul markets
Freight doesn’t flow evenly. Regions that consume more than they produce pull in a lot of trucks and send fewer loads out. Leaving those regions, trucks outnumber loads, so outbound rates tend to be lower. The same lane can be a headhaul in one direction and a backhaul in the other.
Headhaul vs backhaul at a glance
| Headhaul | Backhaul | |
|---|---|---|
| Direction | Outbound from a freight-heavy area | Return trip toward the carrier’s base or a stronger market |
| Rate level | Usually higher | Usually lower |
| Carrier’s goal | Maximize revenue on the main trip | Cover costs and get repositioned |
| Broker opportunity | Capacity is harder to find | Carriers are easier to book and more flexible on price |
General patterns. Seasonality and market swings can flip a lane’s rates.
A backhaul example
Example (illustrative numbers): an Atlanta carrier delivers in Miami on Friday. Driving the roughly 660 miles home empty would burn about 101 gallons of diesel at 6.5 miles per gallon, roughly $385 at $3.80 a gallon, before driver pay. A broker offers $1,300 for a dry van load from Miami to Atlanta on Saturday. The carrier takes it, below what it charged outbound, because $1,300 beats a $385-plus loss.
Common mistakes
- Assuming a backhaul is always cheap. Markets move. Check current spot rates for the lane before you lowball.
- Booking a pickup the driver can’t legally reach. A driver finishing a delivery may need a 10-hour break under FMCSA hours of service rules before driving again.
- Not checking the trailer. A reefer that just hauled produce or a van with debris from the last load may not pass inspection at a food-grade shipper.
- Overpromising timing. If the outbound delivery runs late, the backhaul pickup slips and you may owe a TONU or lose the load.
Carrier sales teams that track where each carrier delivers and where it wants to go next fill trucks faster. See how FreightVero supports carrier sales.