A courier job can look worthwhile on the quoted rate alone. Say you drive 100 miles to deliver a load, then travel 100 miles back without another job. The delivery covered 100 miles, but your van travelled 200.
Those unpaid miles still use fuel or electricity, add wear to your vehicle and take up working time. They can change how profitable a job really is. Understanding your dead mileage helps you assess the full journey, rather than judging a job only by the miles that generate revenue.
Get access to 15,000+ loads a day on Courier ExchangeBe your own boss. Set your own hours. Make your own money.
Dead mileage means miles driven without carrying a paying load. It can include the journey to a collection, an empty return after delivery, or repositioning your van to another area for work.
It is sometimes called dead miles or empty mileage. The term is not limited to the drive home: any unpaid part of a working journey can contribute to your total.
Loaded mileage is the distance you travel with a paying consignment. Dead mileage is not automatically avoidable, and an empty leg does not make a job unprofitable by itself. The important thing is to include it when you assess the work and its costs.
For practical ways to plan journeys and find work for the return leg, read how to avoid empty return journeys as a courier.
The cost of an empty mile is more than the fuel used to cover it. Extra distance also contributes to tyre wear, servicing and maintenance, and vehicle depreciation. It takes time too, even when there is no load to invoice for.
Your own cost per mile will depend on the vehicle, its efficiency, maintenance, energy prices and the costs you include in your calculation. A figure based on fuel alone will be lower than one that includes other running costs. Choose a method that suits your business and use it consistently when comparing jobs.
Multiply the number of unpaid miles by your estimated operating cost per mile:
Dead miles × operating cost per mile = estimated dead mileage cost
For example, if you drive 100 miles back without a load and estimate your operating cost at £0.35 per mile:
100 miles × £0.35 = £35
That £35 is an illustrative estimate, not an industry benchmark. Your actual costs will vary according to your vehicle and what you include in your per-mile figure.
If the delivery paid £150, the empty return would reduce the amount left from that job by an estimated £35, before accounting for the cost of the loaded miles, your time, other business overheads and tax. The load still brought in revenue; the calculation shows what the unpaid leg used up.
The same approach can help you compare jobs. Record the miles to collection, the loaded distance and any likely empty miles after delivery. If you are reviewing fuel costs too, see how to handle fuel price surges as a courier.
Before accepting a job, look at the whole commitment: how far you need to travel to collect, the delivery distance, where you may need to go next and how long the work will take. Consider whether there is a realistic chance of finding another load near the destination or along your route.
A higher-paying delivery may leave less margin than a shorter job if it involves a long empty journey afterwards. But an empty return does not automatically make a job a poor choice. The rate, destination, time involved and other work available all affect whether it makes commercial sense.
You do not need a complex pricing model to make a better comparison. Start by estimating the cost of all the miles the job is likely to add to your vehicle, including the unpaid ones. Then consider the time and other costs involved.
You cannot always avoid driving empty, but a few practical habits can help you understand and reduce it.
A suitable return load can turn some of an otherwise unpaid journey into revenue-generating mileage. The right job depends on its collection point, destination, rate and timing. If the terms are unclear, our guide to backloads and return loads explains the difference.
An additional collection or delivery does not have to take you directly home to be useful. Work along the route may reduce the share of your journey spent empty, provided the detour, rate and extra time make sense.
Record loaded and empty mileage separately. Over time, this can show which routes, customers or types of job involve the most unpaid driving. Consistent records also make it easier to refine your cost-per-mile estimate. See what to include in your courier mileage records for a practical checklist.
Courier Exchange gives members a way to look for loads based on where their vehicles are and where they are travelling. You can search for work near a delivery destination, check for return loads that fit a planned journey, and build relationships with courier companies that need extra capacity.
Finding a suitable load is never guaranteed, and not every job will fit your route or schedule. But access to more opportunities can help you make better use of miles your vehicle is already travelling.
Be your own boss. Set your own hours. Make your own money.
Dead mileage is any distance driven without a paying load. It can include travelling to a collection, returning after a delivery or repositioning your van for work.
Multiply your unpaid miles by your estimated operating cost per mile. For example, 100 empty miles at £0.35 per mile would cost an estimated £35. Your actual figure depends on your vehicle and which costs you include.
The terms are often used in similar ways. Both describe driving without a paying load, including empty returns and journeys between jobs.
Not necessarily. The job’s rate, total distance, time involved, destination and other available work all affect its profitability. Include the likely empty miles when assessing the job.
Look for suitable return loads or work along your planned route, where the rate and extra time make sense. Tracking loaded and empty miles can also help you identify where unpaid driving adds up.
