Empty Miles, Empty Wallet

There are two words no logistics professional likes to hear: empty miles. If a truck completes a delivery and returns back home 500 miles away with an empty container, it drove 500 empty miles. The term refers to the distance traveled while generating no income. Empty miles are a waste of fuel, time, and money. They make supply chains sluggish and inefficient.

Although they affect carriers more directly, shippers also stand to lose from too much empty miles. Carriers plagued by too many empty miles will face less revenue and increased costs. To stay afloat, they might be forced to pass these costs to the shippers. Empty miles are not only bad for carriers, they are bad for logistics in general.

Luckily, technology has found ways to make empty miles less frequent or even completely unnecessary. On-demand logistics platforms such as Quickload connects shippers to nearby drivers who have available space in their containers. For example, a carrier might use Quickload after completing a delivery and before driving back home. Instead of making the return trip with an empty container, with Quickload they can accept available shipments going in the return trip’s direction.

It’s not hard to see how giving carriers more flexibility to accept shipments throughout their routes helps the entire industry. The bottom line is that empty miles are never good for your bottom line.

Learn how Quickload can help you avoid running on empty.

Content Creator: Pablo Torres