Backhauls & Empty KM for Truckies/Truckers (2025): A Dispatch Checklist That Lifts Weekly Margin
Backhauls and empty kilometres for truckies and fleet operators – Switchboard Finance
🚚 Dispatch & utilisation · Cashflow · 2025
Empty kilometres aren’t “just part of trucking” — they’re usually a dispatch problem hiding in plain sight. This guide gives you a simple scorecard and a backhaul rule-set you can run weekly (without blowing up the schedule).
If you want the bigger picture on fleet upgrades and structures first, start here: What Is Fleet Finance and How Does It Work? Then come back and tighten the ops side so your numbers look cleaner.
This is especially useful for small fleets, owner-drivers, and farmers running trucks for grain/livestock where timing windows are tight and dead runs get expensive fast. For more truck-specific finance reading, the Truckie Hub is the home base.
1) The 15-minute empty KM audit (measure it weekly)
Most Heavy Vehicle businesses know they “do some dead running” — but don’t measure it consistently. Once you track it weekly, you’ll spot the two usual culprits: poor lane pairing and sloppy time windows (waiting wipes out the win).
You don’t need fancy systems to start, but even basic GPS Tracking reports make this easy. The goal is a simple trend line you can use in a weekly dispatch huddle.
Add one forward-looking line to your weekly plan: a Cash Flow Forecast for fuel + tyres + repairs. If you can’t predict those three, you’ll always feel “busy” while the bank account says otherwise.
- Track these 6 numbers: total km, paid km, empty km %, hours waiting/loading, revenue per paid km, fuel $ per km.
- Split by lane: “Depot → Site → Return” (not just the whole week blended together).
- Circle 2 pain jobs: the runs with the worst empty % and longest wait time.
- Pick 1 fix: change one pickup time or one lane pairing for next week (small changes win).
| Scorecard item | What “good” looks like | Fast fix this week | What to watch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empty KM % | Trending down month-on-month (even 2–3% is a win) | Pre-allocate 1 return load for your worst lane | Waiting time creeping up |
| Wait / load hours | Predictable windows you can plan around | Confirm load-ready times the day before | “Turn up and hope” jobs |
| Revenue per paid KM | Stable range per lane (not random) | Stop discounting “to keep them happy” | Short runs with big delays |
| Fuel $ per KM | Within your expected band per lane | Lock refuel plan + reduce dead detours | Unplanned metro traffic hits |
- Red flag: “We’re flat out” but the scorecard is getting worse.
- Green flag: fewer dead runs + less waiting, even if total jobs stayed the same.
2) Backhauls that don’t wreck your week (lane pairing rules)
The mistake with backhauls is chasing any “return load” and accidentally turning a clean run into a messy day. A backhaul only counts if it improves the whole day’s margin after waiting time, loading, and detours.
If you claim Fuel Tax Credit (where eligible), it can soften the fuel hit — but it doesn’t fix bad dispatch. For the official overview, start at the ATO site here: ATO.
For farm and ag haulage, the win is usually “seasonal certainty”: you know when grain/livestock peaks hit. The backhaul plan is about locking the return lane early, not scrambling at 4pm when everyone’s chasing the same work.
- Best backhaul sources (small fleets): packaging/warehousing, rural supplies, pallet networks, building materials, local manufacturing.
- Ask for consistency: one repeat backhaul beats five random spot loads.
- Pick a lane pair: treat it like a “route product” you sell, not a one-off favour.
- Price the wait: if a load-ready window isn’t real, it’s not a backhaul — it’s a time bomb.
- Rule #1: No backhaul that adds a second “unknown delay point”.
- Rule #2: If the return load forces a detour that creates an empty last-leg, you didn’t win.
- Rule #3: Backhauls must fit your maintenance and fatigue plan (schedule is part of margin).
3) The finance angle (cleaner utilisation = cleaner story)
When dispatch gets tighter, your weekly inflows usually look smoother — and that matters when you’re talking approvals. Lenders don’t “fund vibes”; they look at stability, cost control, and whether the upgrade is sensible for your current run-rate.
A cleaner utilisation story supports your Borrowing Capacity because it reduces the “random week” problem. If you can show a predictable pattern, you’re easier to assess (and you avoid over-promising).
The simplest proof is your Bank Statements plus a one-page explanation of the run plan. Think of it as packaging a clear Facility story: what changed, why it’s repeatable, and what the new truck will do.
- What helps the most: consistent weekly deposits (even if they’re not identical), fewer spikes, and fewer “mystery gaps”.
- What hurts: big fuel/repair blowouts with no explanation, and “we’ll be right” forecasts.
- What to write (4 lines): “Primary lanes, typical weekly km, typical paid km, backhaul agreement/timing.”
- Extra credit: show you understand repayments vs running costs (this guide helps: Truck Repayments vs Running Costs).
- Step 1: run the scorecard weekly for 4 weeks (trend beats opinions).
- Step 2: lock 1 repeat backhaul lane (consistency beats “spot luck”).
- Step 3: then talk upgrade options (truck + trailer + fit-out) — not before.
The fastest dispatch wins usually come from two moves: measure empty KM weekly and lock one repeatable backhaul. Example: one extra backhaul per fortnight can remove the “guaranteed loss” return leg without adding more trucks.
When you’re ready to act, keep the path to the core pages clean: Low Doc Asset Finance · Vehicle Finance · Business Line of Credit · Working Capital Loans · Invoice Finance · Truckie Hub.
FAQ
It depends on your work mix (metro vs linehaul, fixed routes vs ad-hoc). The practical target is simple: get it trending down month-on-month and keep waiting time under control — that’s where the margin comes back. If you want a simple way to sanity-check it, compare empty KM % to weekly Turnover per lane (not the blended week).
If it adds a second unknown delay point, creates a detour that forces an empty last leg, or turns a clean day into a fatigue/schedule mess — it’s usually not a win. Consistency beats random spot loads, and clear Trade Terms (load-ready windows, waiting rules) stop “cheap” backhauls becoming expensive.
Not always. The key is being able to explain your lanes, typical weekly pattern, and why the upgrade makes sense for your current work. Think in plain Approval Criteria: stability, clarity, and a sensible story — not perfect paperwork. If you want the foundational explainer, start with What Is Fleet Finance?.
Run the 15-minute scorecard weekly and pick one lane to “fix” for the next week. Small improvements compound quickly — and they’re easier to repeat than a massive systems overhaul. If you’re unsure what “better” looks like, treat it like a mini Cash Flow Assessment: fewer delays, fewer dead legs, smoother weekly inflows.
For transport businesses, a buffer is often about matching funding to timing gaps (fuel, repairs, slow-paying accounts). The starting points are the Business Line of Credit page and the Working Capital Loans page — and make sure you understand how a Drawdown actually hits repayments week-to-week.
