This was a fabricated example, actually: I work in tourism not in logistic (but I have friends in that field).
My point was that to the layman this does not make any sense while if you are managing a shipping company you soon realize that some destination are more profitable because your truck that was maybe taking specialized replacements parts from A to B can easily pick up some other stuff to send back to A, while travelling in the opposite direction your truck has a high chance to travel empty on retutning to base... but you still have to pay the drivers, the fuel, the maintenance and possibly tolls.
The point some of us are making in the replies is that, while true, this is not an appropriate comparison to airline travel rules.
Do you agree there is a difference between charging more for a return, vs charging more for a leg of a compound trip?