GlossaryEN1 min readUpdated: Jun 26, 2026
Empty Return
The empty return is the leg of a transport journey completed without cargo—after delivering goods, the vehicle, container, or rail car travels back to its origin, depot, or next loading point unloaded.
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Source: https://www.investopedia.com/terms/b/backhaul.asp
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Logistics Concept
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Definition & Explanation
The empty return is the leg of a transport journey completed without cargo—after delivering goods, the vehicle, container, or rail car travels back to its origin, depot, or next loading point unloaded. It arises wherever freight flows are directional: equipment follows the cargo but must be recovered for the next assignment. Empty runs generate costs—fuel, driver time, infrastructure fees—with no offsetting revenue, which is why carriers invest heavily in backhaul matching and load consolidation to reduce their share. In container shipping, the empty return is built into standard operations: once a box is stripped at a destination terminal, the carrier reclaims it and repositions it, sometimes across entire ocean basins, to meet demand elsewhere. The term is closely related to but distinct from repositioning, which implies a more deliberate, longer-distance strategic movement of empty equipment.
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