When you’re new to your own authority, load boards are how you eat. Here’s the playbook.
The Major Players
- DAT One — largest, most lanes, $45-150/mo
- Truckstop.com — strong on regional and partial loads
- 123Loadboard — budget option, decent coverage
- Convoy / Uber Freight — app-based, instant book
The Three Reads on Every Load
- Rate per mile — fuel + maintenance + truck payment + you
- Lane — where does it leave you for the next load?
- Broker — credit score, days-to-pay, do they fight detention?
Avoiding the Bottom
- Skip brokers under 90 credit score
- Skip “call for rate” listings unless you know the broker
- Skip lanes that leave you in a freight desert
Building Direct Customers
Load boards are step one, not the destination. Every shipper you haul direct for is one less broker margin. Ways to build direct:
- Ask the receiver if they ship out
- Cold-call shippers in lanes you run weekly
- Network at industry events
Red Flags
- Broker not on Carrier411 or with bad reviews
- Rate confirmation doesn’t match board posting
- Shipper or receiver requests you go off-paper
- “We pay in 60 days” — get factoring or skip
What boards are you running with?
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