Why you can't live off the load board...

Time and time again I call Carriers asking them, "How do you plan on finding your loads?" and 99% of brand new Carriers say "Oh, I'm just going to sign up with the DAT load board and get loads (jobs) that way." Well... if that is your business model to find work, you're going to have a tough time.

I used to work for one of the top 10 Brokers in the united states, Nolan Transportation Group (NTG), and that experience was a baptism by fire into the Fright Game. I sold over 500 truckloads a month to Carriers and I was pretty good at my job. So I know a thing or two about moving freight. One of the most important things I learned at NTG was Brokers telling me that they HATE posting loads on DAT. Posting loads is the final and last resort from a Broker's perspective to sell loads, so as a Carrier you need to know that and plan accordingly. The good-paying loads... They're not going to be posted on DAT, 123, or TruckStop. You are going to have to use different methods for finding loads, and that's what I'm going to share with you today.

Let's paint a picture with an analogy... Imagine you're sat at your dinner table. The chair you’re sat on has four legs that support you and hold you up so you can sit comfortably. Now imagine you're sitting on a chair with two legs. That would not hold you up very well, and it would be rather uncomfortable. You're sitting unstably, rocking back and forth. This is not relaxing and not comfortable. Now imagine your Trucking Business is the chair. You are sitting on your business and the business holds you up and supports you and your family. As a business, you need to create multiple legs to hold you up. So, let's go over the Four Legs you need to properly support your business so you're not trying to live off of just one chair leg, this being the load boards.

The first Leg is a load board. This could be DAT, TruckStop, 123LoadBoard, Etc. Yes, when you’re getting started you really only need to signup for DAT. Yes, the other load boards work, but to really get some bang for your buck signup for the DAT load board and get yourself off the starting line. I used to book over 500 loads a month and over 50% of the Carriers I found to run those loads I found using DAT. 

The second Leg is Dispatchers. Find yourself a Dispatcher that can help you find loads. This will be a person who has personally created a business to help Carriers like yourself find loads. This is their job. They are a head hunter or recruiter to help you find work. For their services, they will charge anywhere from 5% -to- 12%. We have all heard the phrase "it's who you know not what you know" and Dispatchers know tons of Brokers, warehouses, and Direct Shippers and they will get you connected with their network to help find you loads. I recommend you find yourself a Dispatcher because this will create that second chair leg that will keep your truck rolling and earning.

The third Leg is Brokers and Carrier Sales Reps. When you book a load in your local area or an area that you're in often, you need to make a "Lane History Log Book" You need to create a list of the Brokers that you've ran good loads for. This way when you know you'll be in the area again, you can call the Broker back because you saved their contact info and load details and say "Hey TQL Broker, I ran a load with you last Friday from Atlanta, GA to Jacksonville, FL with delivery Monday paying $1,125. Today is Wednesday, but I wanted to call you and ask you if you have that load again this Friday. If so, I'll be in the area and I'd be happy to take it again for you." This is what you need to be doing. Building yourself a database of your lane history allows you to keep track of the loads you're running from A to B, what they are paying and who gave them to you. Keep their name, phone and email on file and call them beforehand, not day of when they have it posted for the whole world to see. Build relationships with Brokers and Carrier Sales Reps and find your loads using this method. If you do this, you're going to get first dibs on loads before they are offered to the public.

The fourth and final Leg is Direct Shippers. This is the easiest one and yet no one does it. Let's say you get a load and the pickup is 30 minutes from your home. It's close by and that's awesome because you're not having to deal with a huge deadhead. The load is paying really well and you check in at the shipper, and they're polite and professional. You're loaded and ready to depart the shipper, but before you do... Walk over to whoever you checked in with that gave you the BOL and ask them, "Hey, can I talk to the Warehouse Manager?" The Forman will come over and you will shake hands and introduce yourself. Give them your business card and say, “This is a great facility. I live 30 mins away and wanted to ask, how often do you get this load? Because I got it from a Broker and they paid me $X. But if you have this load 2 or 3 days a week, how about I run it directly for you and you don't need to deal with the Broker. You can work directly with me, the Carrier, instead." Boom! You have now gotten yourself a direct shipper from whom you're moving dedicated freight consistently. Call your Factor and tell them the name of the Direct Shipper and the Factor Can process those POD's for payment too. 

So again going back to my analogy, the chair you're sitting on is your Business. The Business holds you up. Do you want to be sitting on a Business that isn't diversified and only has one leg (Load boards)? Or, do you want four legs holding you up comfortably? You need to diversify to keep your truck on the road, earning you money.