In trucking, Filling Empty Miles is the key to saving money and boosting efficiency. Empty trips waste fuel, time, and profits, but RouteAlign helps carriers turn them into income. By connecting shippers directly with available trucks, it cuts broker fees, lowers costs, and creates a smarter, greener way to move goods.
This is where RouteAlign comes in. RouteAlign is a platform designed to connect carriers with
shippers directly, allowing truckers to advertise their empty trucks on specific dates and routes.
Shippers benefit by accessing discounted rates—sometimes up to 50% off—because they’re only
paying for a one-way trip. Carriers, on the other hand, maximize their revenue by filling otherwise
wasted miles.
Below are the top five benefits of filling empty miles with RouteAlign while avoiding broker
fees, and why this approach is transforming logistics for both carriers and shippers.
Maximizing Revenue for Carriers
Empty miles are a silent profit killer in the trucking industry. Every mile driven without cargo
represents lost revenue potential, wasted fuel, and unnecessary wear and tear on equipment.
According to industry estimates, empty miles can account for up to 20–30% of total miles driven by
carriers.
By using RouteAlign, carriers can turn these empty trips into revenue-generating opportunities.
Instead of driving back empty after a delivery, carriers can advertise their available truck space and
schedule on the platform. Shippers looking for cost-effective transport can then book that space,
ensuring the truck is carrying cargo both ways.
This creates a win-win scenario:
- Carriers earn additional income on trips that would otherwise be unprofitable.
- Shippers gain access to discounted rates since they’re only paying for one leg of the journey.
- Over time, this consistent revenue boost can significantly improve a carrier’s bottom line, making
- operations more sustainable and profitable.
Cost Savings for Shippers
For shippers, transportation costs are a major factor in overall supply chain expenses. Traditional
freight brokers often charge fees or commissions that increase the cost of moving goods. These fees
can range anywhere from 10% to 30% of the total shipping cost, depending on the broker and the
complexity of the shipment.
By connecting directly with carriers through RouteAlign, shippers avoid these broker fees entirely.
Instead, they pay only for the transport service itself, often at a discounted rate. Because carriers are
motivated to fill their empty miles, they’re willing to offer rates up to 50% lower than standard oneway shipping costs.
This cost efficiency allows businesses to:
- Reduce logistics expenses.
- Pass savings on to customers.
- Improve competitiveness in their markets.
- For small and medium-sized businesses especially, these savings can make a significant difference in
- profitability and growth.
Greater Transparency and Control
One of the frustrations many shippers face when working with brokers is the lack of transparency.
Brokers act as intermediaries, and shippers often have limited visibility into which carrier is handling
their freight, what the actual costs are, or how much of their payment goes to the broker versus the
carrier.
RouteAlign eliminates this opacity by creating a direct connection between shippers and carriers.
Shippers can see:
- Which carriers are available.
- The routes they’re traveling.
- The dates and times of departure.
- The rates being offered.
This transparency empowers shippers to make informed decisions, negotiate directly if needed, and build long-term relationships with carriers they trust. Carriers also benefit by having direct communication with shippers, reducing misunderstandings and ensuring smoother transactions.
Environmental Sustainability
Sustainability is no longer just a buzzword—it’s a necessity. The transportation sector is one of the
largest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions, and empty miles exacerbate the problem by
burning fuel without delivering value.
By filling empty miles, RouteAlign helps reduce the environmental footprint of trucking operations.
Every load that fills an otherwise empty truck means:
- Fewer unnecessary trips on the road.
- Lower fuel consumption per unit of cargo.
- Reduced carbon emissions.
For shippers, this also provides an opportunity to align with sustainability goals and demonstrate
environmental responsibility to customers. Many consumers today prefer to support businesses that
prioritize eco-friendly practices, and reducing transportation waste is a tangible way to achieve that.
Efficiency and Flexibility in Logistics
In logistics, timing and flexibility are everything. Traditional freight arrangements often involve rigid
schedules, long lead times, and reliance on brokers to find available trucks. This can slow down
operations and create bottlenecks in supply chains.
RouteAlign introduces a more dynamic and flexible system. Carriers can post their available routes
and schedules in real time, and shippers can quickly match their needs to those opportunities. This
reduces downtime, speeds up decision-making, and ensures goods move faster.
Key advantages include:
- Faster booking processes without waiting for broker negotiations.
- Greater flexibility for last-minute or unexpected shipments.
- Improved utilization of trucking capacity across the industry.
For both carriers and shippers, this efficiency translates into smoother operations, fewer delays, and
better customer satisfaction.
Why Avoiding Broker Fees Matters
While brokers have traditionally played an important role in logistics, their fees often create
unnecessary costs for both carriers and shippers. For carriers, broker commissions reduce the
revenue they earn per load. For shippers, broker markups increase the cost of transportation.
By cutting out the middleman, RouteAlign ensures that:
- Carriers keep more of their earnings.
- Shippers pay less for the same service.
- Both parties benefit from a direct, transparent relationship.
This shift not only improves financial outcomes but also fosters stronger partnerships between
carriers and shippers, leading to more reliable and consistent service.
Real-World Example
Consider a carrier delivering goods from Chicago to Dallas. After completing the delivery, the truck is
scheduled to return to Chicago empty. Without RouteAlign, this return trip generates no revenue, yet
still incurs fuel, labor, and maintenance costs.
With RouteAlign, the carrier can advertise the empty truck space for the Dallas-to-Chicago route. A
shipper in Dallas looking to send goods to Chicago can book the truck at a discounted rate. The
carrier earns revenue on the return trip, the shipper saves money compared to traditional rates, and
both parties avoid broker fees.
Multiply this scenario across thousands of routes and carriers, and the potential savings and
efficiencies become enormous.
The Future of Freight with RouteAlign
The logistics industry is evolving rapidly, driven by technology, sustainability goals, and the need for
greater efficiency. Platforms like RouteAlign represent the future of freight by addressing longstanding challenges such as empty miles and high broker fees.
By leveraging RouteAlign, carriers and shippers can:
- Optimize resources.
- Reduce costs.
- Improve transparency.
- Enhance sustainability.
- Streamline logistics operations.
As more businesses adopt this model, the industry as a whole will benefit from reduced waste, lower
costs, and a more collaborative approach to transportation.
Conclusion
Empty miles no longer need to drain profits. With RouteAlign, carriers turn wasted trips into revenue while shippers enjoy lower costs and no broker fees. By boosting revenue, cutting expenses, and promoting sustainability, RouteAlign delivers a smarter, more efficient future for freight
Visit routealign.com to learn more and start optimizing your routes today.