What is the difference between headhaul and backhaul?

The headhaul is the leg a truck was dispatched to run, usually the stronger-demand direction. The backhaul is the return leg toward its origin, which carriers price lower to avoid driving empty.

Why are backhaul rates cheaper?

Because the carrier has to drive the truck home anyway. Any rate above zero improves on an empty return, so backhaul prices only need to beat deadhead, not cover the full cost of the trip.

Can a foreign truck carry a return load inside the EU?

Within limits. EU cabotage rules allow up to 3 domestic operations within 7 days after an international delivery into a member state, then a 4-day cooling-off period before more cabotage there.

Term

Backhaul

A backhaul is the load a truck carries on its way back from a delivery toward where it started, instead of returning empty. Carriers price backhauls lower because any revenue beats driving empty, so a shipper on the right lane can buy capacity cheaply. In the EU, foreign trucks' domestic return loads are limited by cabotage rules.

Also called backhaul load, return load, backhaul freightUpdated 12 October 2026

Headhaul and backhaul

The headhaul is the leg a truck was dispatched for; the backhaul is the return from the original destination toward the origin — full or partly loaded, in the Federal Highway Administration's definition. Freight does not flow evenly: a region that ships out more than it takes in leaves carriers with trucks to bring back, and those trucks are the backhaul market.

Worked example: what a backhaul is worth

A carrier delivers in Atlanta and must get the truck 720 miles back to Chicago. At ATRI's 2025 average cost of USD 2.336 a mile, the trip home costs about USD 1,682 whether the trailer is full or empty. Suppose a shipper in Atlanta offers a Chicago load at USD 1.90 a mile.

Carrier: 720 × 1.90 = USD 1,368 earned on miles it was driving anyway · Shipper: (2.52 − 1.90) × 720 = USD 446.40 saved against DAT's March 2026 national spot van average

Both gain because the alternative for the truck was zero revenue — the backhaul price only has to beat empty, not cover the trip.

Backhauls in the EU: cabotage

A foreign haulier picking up a domestic load on its way home is doing cabotage, which EU rules limit: up to 3 cabotage operations within 7 days after an international carriage into the country, followed by a 4-day cooling-off period before more cabotage in the same member state.

The mistake people make

Counting on backhaul rates as if they were contract rates. They exist because of an imbalance in someone else's network; when that shifts — a new customer, a season — the cheap truck goes elsewhere. Treat backhaul capacity as a saving to take, not a rate to plan the year on.

FAQ

Backhaul: common questions

What is the difference between headhaul and backhaul?: The headhaul is the leg a truck was dispatched to run, usually the stronger-demand direction. The backhaul is the return leg toward its origin, which carriers price lower to avoid driving empty.
Why are backhaul rates cheaper?: Because the carrier has to drive the truck home anyway. Any rate above zero improves on an empty return, so backhaul prices only need to beat deadhead, not cover the full cost of the trip.
Can a foreign truck carry a return load inside the EU?: Within limits. EU cabotage rules allow up to 3 domestic operations within 7 days after an international delivery into a member state, then a 4-day cooling-off period before more cabotage there.