Backhaul loads are loads a truck carries on the way back after unloading. Without them the vehicle returns empty, and every empty kilometre costs fuel, tolls and driver time with no revenue.
This guide is for carriers running articulated trucks, rigid trucks or reefers on international routes. It shows how to plan the return leg before you leave, judge an offer and find it in the right channel.
You will not remove empty kilometres completely. You can cut them clearly with the decisions you make before every trip.
Where empty running comes from
Empty running starts when a truck has nowhere to go with freight after it unloads. The driver then runs without a load all the way to the next loading.
Empty running affects the whole industry. According to Eurostat, 21.8% of the kilometres driven by goods vehicles in the EU in 2025 were driven empty: 26.0% in national transport and 12.9% in international transport (Eurostat, Road freight transport by journey characteristics, 2025 data).
The longer the route, the more an empty return costs. That is why, in international transport, it pays to plan the backhaul load before you leave.
Empty kilometres usually have three sources:
- Unbalanced flows. More goods go into a region than leave it, so return freight is scarce.
- Timing. The return load exists, but a day late or in a window the driver cannot reach.
- Type of goods. Local freight does not fit your vehicle, for example a free reefer in a region where most freight needs a curtainsider.
Plan the return before you accept the outbound load
Many empty kilometres start when you accept an outbound trip with no plan for the return. A good one-way rate means little if you then drive back empty across half of Europe.
Before you confirm the outbound trip, go through four steps:
- Choose a corridor you know. On your regular routes you have contacts and know when freight moves both ways.
- Check the area around the unloading point. See which backhaul loads exist in the region you are heading to, and when. If offers there have been scarce for weeks, treat it as a warning.
- Think about where the truck ends up after the return. The return makes sense when it unloads close to your next start, for example a regular loading in Poland on Monday.
- Set a walk-away rule. Decide in advance what result for the whole loop makes you drop the trip. Then you decide fast, even when a forwarder pushes.
An example: a truck unloads in Germany on Thursday, and your next regular loading in Poland is on Monday. A return that ends near Poznań on Saturday closes the loop.
A return that unloads on Tuesday at the other end of the country does not. The truck then misses the Monday loading, and the whole next week starts late.
When you plan the loop, take dynamic loading and unloading time windows into account. One shifted window can change the whole return.
This takes discipline, because a good rate tempts you to confirm fast. A short check before you decide helps you avoid an empty return.
Where to find a backhaul load
Look for a backhaul load in several channels at once. Each gives you different freight at a different pace.
- Load boards. Search for “load board” and you find several large platforms with spot offers. Filter by unloading region, date and body type, and set alerts for your main routes.
- Shippers in the unloading region. A company that ships weekly from near your unloading point gives you a predictable return. Tell it when your vehicles are regularly nearby.
- Forwarders you already work with. A regular partner may have return freight before it goes public. Ask when you confirm the outbound trip.
- Your own network and repeat clients. Carriers on the same routes pass freight to each other when they have no free vehicle. A satisfied client may give you the next trip.
- Orders directly in your TMS. A shipper sends the order straight into the system you use to plan your fleet. In ONYX TMS these orders load in Poland, so they help you plan the next trip once you are back (more on Transport Orders in ONYX TMS).
Filters and alerts work best when they are narrow. A broad filter buries you in offers you would never accept.
For a wider review of channels, including how to vet a client, read how to find loads for a transport company.
How to check whether a backhaul load pays
The profitability of a backhaul load does not come from the rate alone. Check the costs between the outbound unloading and the vehicle’s next start.
| What to check | Why it changes the calculation |
|---|---|
| Run to the loading point | You drive the kilometres from unloading to loading empty, so add them to the trip. |
| Waiting at the ramp | Hours of waiting use up driving time. Check whether the order pays for waiting. |
| Tolls and fuel on the whole route | Every country charges differently, and the return route may differ from the outbound one. |
| Driving time and tachograph | The return must fit the driving and rest times. A weekly rest on the road moves the unloading. |
| Fit with your vehicle | Body type, temperature range, ADR and pallet places must match your vehicle. |
| Where the truck ends up after unloading | A good return ends close to the next loading. A weak one leaves the truck far from next week’s plan. |
Tolls can surprise you, because the return may cross different countries than the outbound trip. A review of road tolls in Europe helps here.
Fill in each row with your own figures. Every fleet has different fuel use, driver rates and cost structure.
When to walk away. When the run to loading, waiting and tolls eat the margin, and the unloading leaves the truck far from its next start, run empty to a sure loading instead. An empty run to good freight can cost less than a full trip to the wrong place.
Loads from Germany, the Netherlands and Italy: building a corridor
Regular corridors are routes with freight in both directions. For a carrier based in Poland, typical return directions are, for example, loads from Germany to Poland, loads from the Netherlands to Poland or loads from Italy to Poland.
A corridor works when it meets three conditions:
- Freight at both ends. You have shippers in the unloading country, not only in the country you leave from.
- Repetition. Regular clients load on similar days, so you plan loops ahead.
- Windows that connect. The outbound unloading and the return loading fit into the driver’s working time without a long wait.
One well-built corridor gives you more calm than many random trips. The driver knows the ramps, and you know the people at the other end.
Cabotage before the return
A load from Germany to your home country is international carriage. A load within Germany before you head back is cabotage, which has limits.
The rules below apply to EU carriers that hold a Community licence. They do not cover carriers from outside the EU.
After unloading an incoming international carriage in a country, you may carry out up to three cabotage operations there with the same vehicle. The last unloading must take place within 7 days of unloading the international carriage.
You may also carry out these operations in another EU country that you enter without a load. In that case you get one operation per country, within 3 days of entering it, inside the same limit.
After the cabotage ends, the same vehicle may not carry out cabotage in that country for 4 days. The legal basis is Article 8 of Regulation (EC) No 1072/2009, as amended by Regulation (EU) 2020/1055.
For more on how costs and rules differ, read domestic vs international transport.
Transport Orders in ONYX TMS for your next trip from Poland
Once you are back in Poland, the next trip can already wait in your TMS. That is how Transport Orders in ONYX TMS work: a verified shipper sends the order directly to a verified carrier.
The shipper sets the maximum price, and you see the payment term before you accept the order. You receive the full amount the shipper pays, with no commission.
Orders are already in the system, with loading in Poland. We keep adding more countries and regions.
So look for a backhaul load from other countries in the other channels. Once your truck is in Poland, an order loaded there can fill the next trip, and your TMS shows the whole fleet plan in one place.
To take part, you need ONYX TMS and compatible telematics: ONYX, GBox, Transics or Trimble. See Transport Orders for carriers in ONYX TMS for details.
Where to start
- Choose one or two corridors and build contacts at both ends of the route.
- Before every outbound trip, check the area around the unloading point and where the truck ends up after the return.
- Judge each offer against the whole table in this guide, not the rate alone.
If your trucks load in Poland, see how Transport Orders for carriers work.
