Finding good-paying, worthwhile loads as an owner-operator in the long-haul trucking industry is always a number one priority. As a driver, however, and especially if you’re new to the business, keeping expenses to a minimum is a very close second. Using load board sites to connect with shippers and brokers is an optimal way to meet those two top priorities. Below are three key strategies for growing your long-haul trucking career with load boards:
1. Find Work Quickly by Registering and Logging into Load Board Sites
Long-haul truck driving isn’t a 9 to 5 job. If you’re looking for new jobs, you don’t have to wait for office hours to call up shippers or brokers to find out what they have to offer. Load boards allow you to quickly search and accept loads online 24/7.
Once on the site, you can filter your searches to zero in on the specific types of loads you need–such as where it needs to be picked up and delivered to, delivery deadlines, the type of rig required, pay rate, and more. You can grab the job then and there or, should you still need to talk to someone, you’ll also have the shipper or broker’s contact information online right in front of you. What’s more, you can use load boards to line up multiple jobs in a row, each new one at or near where you dropped the previous load.
2. Use Load Boards to Build Strong Relationships
Freight doesn’t just move quickly along our nation’s highways. It moves fast online, too. That’s why if you find a gig that fits with your location, the type of truck you have, and all or most of the other parameters you desire, make an offer or grab it quickly before another trucker takes it. This is your opportunity to develop your negotiation skills.
Then, do your utmost to pick up and deliver your loads on time and in good condition. It’s one of the best and easiest ways to turn new gigs into long-term relationships with repeat jobs. After you’ve done a few and established a rapport, you can even reach out to the brokers you’ve worked with outside the load board format and hopefully get direct assignments.
3. Take Advantage of Free Services
The basic premise of a load board is to connect carriers with shippers and brokers and vice versa. Some load boards provide their load-matching services to carriers free of charge. They don’t even require registration. Free load board sites are an excellent way to get started and try out load board services without them taking a bite out of your budget.
Other load boards may require carriers to pay a monthly or yearly subscription with varying rates depending on the extra features they provide. Such features may include better filtering capabilities for more refined searches. Some may also provide added services such as freight factoring where the broker will pay the carrier quickly and leave the handling of collecting payment from the shipper to them. If you’re considering paying a subscription for services, just be sure you factor the additional costs into your budget.
