Multi-car trip planning: how to cut deadhead and earn more per mile

Think in trips, not loads

Each load has its own price, but your truck runs one route with several pickups and deliveries. Judge every new load by what it does to the whole trip: added miles, added empty miles and the trip’s rate per mile.

Step by step

1. Start with an anchor load going where you want to end up.
2. Add pickups near the start and deliveries near the end of the route.
3. Check the stop order: all pickups usually come before deliveries, but a smart order can deliver a car early and free a spot for another pickup.
4. Count the empty miles from where the truck is now to the first pickup.
5. Check the trip’s rate per mile after every added load. If it drops, the load is not worth it.
6. Book the backhaul before you leave the last delivery city.

Example (sample numbers)

The third load adds $400 but lowers the rate per mile. Whether it is worth it depends on your cost per mile and whether you would otherwise drive the trailer partly empty. Use the rate per mile calculator to check.

Habits that cut deadhead

• Work lanes you know well and build relationships with dealers at both ends.
• Keep a list of regular shippers near your home base for the last leg.
• Look for the next load the day before your last delivery, not after.

Dispatch Autopilot’s trip planner combines loads, sets the stop order and shows total miles, empty miles and rate per mile for every trip.

Questions