Use Empty Runs: Spare Transport Capacity on Planned Long-Distance Routes
If a vehicle is travelling the route anyway, its spare capacity can become visible for suitable shipments.
Enter a shipment for spare capacity
Enter the route and shipment details so suitable transport options or spare capacity along the route can be checked.
A trip that is already planned can offer additional capacity
An empty run occurs when a vehicle needs to travel a route anyway but carries no load or only a small load. iTranspo enables participating transport companies to make these planned long-distance trips visible. For shippers, this creates another way to search: instead of dispatching just any vehicle, they can check whether an already planned route fits their shipment.
The carrier keeps control of the trip rules
An empty run does not become an unrestricted consolidation route.
Route and timing
The published trip has a planned start, destination and, where applicable, existing stops.
Spare capacity
Vehicle type, available load space and relevant shipment limits determine what can be carried.
Stops and detour
The transport company decides whether additional stops are allowed and how much detour it will accept.
Why this can be useful for both sides
A long-distance trip that needs to happen anyway creates driving time and operating costs regardless of whether extra cargo is carried. If a compatible shipment can travel on the same route, spare capacity can be used economically. For the shipper, this creates an alternative to dispatching an entirely new trip. Whether a specific match makes sense depends on route, timing, cargo, capacity and the rules of the executing transport company.
From a published empty run to a matching shipment
1
Publish the trip
Route and capacity
The transport company describes the planned trip and available load space.
2
Match the shipment
Route and rules
Pickup and delivery are compared with the route, stops, detour limits and available capacity.
3
Book a compatible route leg
Only when the conditions fit
A booking is considered only for the route and capacity that are actually compatible with the shipment.
Questions about empty runs
Is every published empty run flexible about stops? No. The carrier can exclude additional stops completely or allow them only within its own detour limits. Can an empty run carry several shipments? That depends on spare capacity, the route legs used and the rules of the trip. The related model is explained under LTL & shared capacity. Is the price automatically always lower? Not automatically. The actual price depends on the individual offer and transport conditions, including additional stops and loading requirements.