Trucker Life · Georgia · October 27, 2026

Shaw Industries Fills Empty Backhauls With Old Carpet Tile, a Fix Truckers Know Well

By Big Rig Daily Staff

Truckers know that an empty trailer on the way home earns nothing. Georgia flooring maker Shaw Industries found a load to put in it: old carpet tile. FreightWaves reported Monday, Oct. 26, on how the Dalton, Ga., company runs its carpet tile returns.

Old floors, new freight

Shaw takes back its EcoWorx carpet tile, which usually comes off the floor seven to 10 years after delivery. Since changes worked out in 2022 and 2023, those returns have run through the regional distribution centers that handle Shaw's outbound deliveries, FreightWaves reported.

Local trucks from those centers pick up the reclaimed tile from customers. Once enough is collected, it goes back to Georgia.

"That allows us to consolidate different projects so that we have a larger footprint to then bring back to Georgia on a truck that was coming back empty anyways," said Candi Hampton, Shaw's vice president of global sustainability.

The fleet behind it

Shaw makes 2,700 customer deliveries a day, according to the company, as reported by FreightWaves. The company runs 689 tractors and 3,191 trailers and ranks No. 75 on Transport Topics' Top 100 Private Carriers list.

In a November 2023 release, Shaw cut the minimum for a no-charge pickup in the U.S. from 500 square yards to 100. Pickup sites still need room for a 53-foot trailer and a live load.

Back into new carpet

In Georgia, the tile is chopped, melted and turned into pellets that become backing for new carpet tile. Since 2006, Shaw has reclaimed and recycled almost 1 billion pounds of carpet, according to a company release cited by FreightWaves.

Hampton said returns come easiest where landfills charge high fees, such as California, New York, Massachusetts and Seattle, and are harder in places like Alabama and Mississippi.

Owner-operators pricing their own backhauls can use the trucking load rate calculator and the owner-operator profit calculator. Big Rig Daily also reported that truckload contract rates are resetting about 13% higher, and the Georgia truck stop and weigh station map covers stops in the state.

A question for readers

What is the strangest backhaul you have ever hauled home?

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