Empty miles in road freight: where they come from and how to reduce them

Road freight transport in the EU grew in 2025, but higher transport activity does not automatically mean better use of available vehicles. According to Eurostat, EU road freight transport reached 1,886 billion tonne-kilometres, up 0.9% from the previous year. Poland accounted for 381 billion tonne-kilometres, representing 20.2% of the EU total.

At the same time, Eurostat data on vehicle journeys show that in 2024, 21.6% of vehicle-kilometres in EU road freight covered by the dataset were run empty. The share was 25.8% in national transport and 12.6% in international transport.

The EU figure for empty running in 2024 does not include Italy, Malta or Romania due to unavailable data for these countries.

This does not mean, however, that one in five kilometres can simply be eliminated. Empty running is a natural part of road freight. It can result from imbalances between transport directions, vehicle requirements, the location of loading and unloading points or the availability of subsequent loads.

Some empty mileage can, however, be reduced through better organisation of the overall transport process.

Why do trucks run empty?

The most obvious reason is the lack of a suitable backload. In practice, there can be many more factors involved.

Demand for transport on one route may be much higher than in the opposite direction. A vehicle delivering goods to an import-heavy region will not always find a suitable load for the return journey.

The type of vehicle also matters. Refrigerated trucks, tankers, mega trailers or vehicles equipped for specific types of cargo have a more limited range of potential loads than standard trailers.

Timing is another factor. A backload may be available, but its loading time, pick-up location or delivery deadline may not fit the vehicle's current schedule or the rules on drivers' driving and rest periods.

Sometimes, therefore, the problem is not the lack of a load, but the inability to combine two shipments into one feasible transport plan.

Why is this not only a carrier's problem?

The empty journey itself is made by the carrier, but the way transport is organised by the shipper can also affect how easily the vehicle can be used for its next assignment.

When information about a shipment is provided at the last minute, there is less opportunity to plan what the vehicle will do next. The same applies to very narrow loading or unloading windows, frequent schedule changes or incomplete shipment information.

The earlier it is known where and when a vehicle will complete a shipment, the more time there is to find another load that fits its location, equipment and onward schedule.

This does not mean that shippers should organise their operations around a carrier's ability to find another load. Production schedules, warehouse availability and customer requirements will often take priority.

Where greater flexibility is possible, however, it can make transport planning easier and create more options.

Where does the freight forwarder fit in?

This is where freight forwarding plays an important role.

A carrier primarily looks at the capabilities of a particular vehicle and its fleet. A shipper focuses on getting the goods to the right place at the right time. The freight forwarder works between these two perspectives.

Access to different carriers, routes and vehicle types makes it possible to look for a solution that fits not only an individual shipment, but also the current transport situation.

Of course, not every shipment can be matched with an ideal backload. But the more information is available in advance, the more options there are for planning the transport efficiently.

This is why details that may initially seem minor can make a real difference: precise loading and unloading locations, dates and times, cargo type and dimensions, required vehicle type and any additional transport requirements.

Good information at the beginning of the process creates more options later on.

What can help reduce empty running?

There is no single solution that will eliminate empty miles. There are, however, several ways to improve the chances of making better use of available vehicles.

Providing transport information earlier

The earlier the freight forwarder and carrier know the basic shipment details, the more time they have to match the right vehicle and plan what it can do next.

Flexible time windows where possible

Not every loading time can be changed. However, where a wider loading or unloading window is possible instead of one fixed time, it can increase the number of available transport options.

Accurate cargo information

Dimensions, weight, cargo type, vehicle requirements and ADR information all matter when assessing whether a shipment can be combined with another transport operation.

Looking at recurring routes

With regular shipments, it becomes easier to identify where vehicles frequently end up without another load and where there may be potential to match transport flows more effectively.

Long-term cooperation

Recurring shipments provide freight forwarders and carriers with greater predictability. This, in turn, makes it easier to plan vehicle availability and subsequent transport operations in advance.

Zero empty miles is not a realistic goal

Reducing empty running should not come at any cost.

An additional load must not result in breaches of rules on drivers' driving and rest periods, cabotage regulations, vehicle weight and dimension requirements or cargo safety standards.

Not every backload makes economic sense either. A long detour, waiting time before loading or the risk of delaying the next shipment may mean that running part of the route empty is the more reasonable option.

The goal should therefore not be to eliminate empty miles entirely, but to reduce those that can be avoided without compromising safety, reliability or transport quality.

Empty miles also matter for emissions

Vehicle utilisation also has an environmental dimension. A vehicle running without a load still consumes fuel or energy and generates emissions associated with the transport operation.

Regulation (EU) 2026/1030, known as CountEmissionsEU, entered into force on 1 June 2026. It establishes a common framework for accounting for greenhouse gas emissions from transport services, based on EN ISO 14083:2023.

Most of its provisions will apply from 2 December 2030. The new framework is intended to improve the comparability of transport emissions data.

For the industry, this is another reason to measure actual vehicle mileage and utilisation more accurately. Reducing avoidable empty running can contribute to both operational and emissions efficiency.

Better transport starts with better information

Eurostat data show the scale of the issue, but an EU-wide average cannot tell us how many empty kilometres can be avoided in a particular company or on a particular route.

Every route has different characteristics, freight flows and vehicle availability. There is therefore no single empty-running rate that the entire market should aim for.

There is, however, room for better planning.

Earlier shipment information, accurate cargo details, reasonable flexibility and good communication between the shipper, freight forwarder and carrier create more opportunities to find an efficient transport solution.

This is where the interests of all parties align - better vehicle utilisation means better-planned transport.

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This article is for informational purposes only. Empty-running data reflects the situation at EU market level and should not be treated as a benchmark for an individual company, route or transport operation.