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Load Boards for Owner-Operators: How They Work and How to Use Them Well
For most new owner-operators, load boards are the first place to find freight. They're online marketplaces where brokers and shippers post loads and carriers search for them. Used well, they can keep a truck moving. Used carelessly, they're where carriers end up hauling cheap freight that barely covers fuel.
How load boards work
A broker posts a load with the pickup and delivery cities, dates, equipment type, weight, and sometimes a rate. You search by your location, equipment, and how far you're willing to deadhead. When you find a load, you call or message the broker, negotiate the rate, and if you agree, the broker sends a rate confirmation to sign.
The major load boards
- DAT: one of the largest load boards, widely used by brokers, with rate tools that show recent lane averages on higher plans.
- Truckstop: another large board with broker credit and payment information that helps you avoid slow payers.
- 123Loadboard: a lower-cost option popular with small carriers and hotshots.
Most boards charge a monthly subscription, and pricing changes often, so compare current plans before you sign up. Many carriers start with one board and add a second once they know which lanes they run.
Tips for getting better loads
- Know your cost per mile before you call. If you don't know your number, you can't tell a good load from a bad one.
- Look at the reload, not just the load. A high-paying load into an area with no outbound freight can cost you a day of sitting or a long deadhead.
- Call early. The best loads go fast. Being on the phone early in the morning makes a difference.
- Negotiate. The posted rate is a starting point. Ask for more, especially on tight deadlines, extra stops, or hard-to-cover lanes.
- Check the broker. Use credit scores and days-to-pay on the board, and verify the broker's authority before you haul.
- Get every detail in the rate con. Detention, layover, lumper, and TONU (truck ordered not used) terms should be written down.
The downside of load boards
Load boards are crowded. Thousands of carriers see the same posts, which pushes rates down, and searching and calling takes hours every day. That's time you could spend driving or resting.
That's where a dispatcher helps. A dispatcher spends the day on the boards and the phone for you, negotiates rates, and builds relationships with brokers who offer freight that never gets posted publicly.