Newbie looking for expedited freight loadboards
- Thread starter rookie313
- Start date
Daffyduck528
Expert Expediter
Talk to the fine people at panther, fedex, xpo, bolt, tristate, try hours, load one, ptl, etc... If your asking a question like this, you would be better off dropping your mc and insurance and leasing to one of these. Just my 2 cents.
I appreciate your advice... I was signed on with a couple of those companies before I noticed also I was only getting 58 percent of loads sometimes so, I started inquiring about getting own authority and the guys that had it was making double or triple the amount of money I was making signed on as a leased contractor to the big guys... Have to give it a shot ....and if I can't beat them I will join them again 
Getting your own authority is just part of the deal - you also need to get customers, either direct, or through load boards and/or brokers. It's not an easy thing, most customers and brokers have relationships with others, they don't need your trucks. Cold, but true.
As Daffy says, your best bet is to contract with a carrier who has the customers and relationships that get the loads, because the business of expediting is not kind to the inexperienced. You may be impressed by the double or triple money, but do you know how much investment it took [like insurance?] to earn it? How much time it took?
There are still some individuals who got loyal customers by knocking on doors and then impressing them, but it rarely works that way any more.
Rookie,
Like others have said - find a good, quality carrier on this site. The reason you received 58% is they were taking the risk of not getting paid from the shipper (you are protected by law to be paid within 15 days - they are not), paying for a legitimate safety department, dispatch, training, sales team, administration and overhead.
On the flip side - get some experience in this business, grow your fleet and if the grass still looks greener on the other side, do some research and take the plunge. Good luck!
My advice would be to take inventory of the businesses in relatively close proximity to your base of operation and try to ascertain the shipping needs of some of the small to medium sized companies. Being local is probably the most compelling value proposition you can bring to the table. Devise a marketing plan that emphasizes what differentiates you from competitors ... Knock on some doors, mail out some fliers, develop some personal relationships with warehouse / shipping managers, join a traffic or transportation club. I am a firm believer that the majority of small businesses prefer to work with other small businesses.
As to the load boards, the preponderance of the true expedite market is "owned" by the brand-name/well-established carriers. These entities primarily "exchange" capacity and loads through Sylectus, also commonly known as the "Alliance". Membership criteria is posted on their web-site (minimum fleet size reflects 5 trucks). DAT, Internet Truckstop, and others are really geared to the FTL sector, however, you can find some opportunities for smaller equipment. That said, finding anything worthwhile for your Sprinters will be a rare occurrence.
As to the load boards, the preponderance of the true expedite market is "owned" by the brand-name/well-established carriers. These entities primarily "exchange" capacity and loads through Sylectus, also commonly known as the "Alliance". Membership criteria is posted on their web-site (minimum fleet size reflects 5 trucks). DAT, Internet Truckstop, and others are really geared to the FTL sector, however, you can find some opportunities for smaller equipment. That said, finding anything worthwhile for your Sprinters will be a rare occurrence.
Yea getting into sylectus is like gettin into the illuminati I appreciate you and everyone's advice Im sure that there are other small fleet owners or soon to be small fleet owners that will take this info and run with it. Initially I was worried about asking this question because so many disgruntled truckers only have negative things to say but I'm happy to see there are still some good people out here still willing to help others with genuine advice thanx and I will continue checking this thread looking for as many ways as possible to get a slice of that pie the big boys are feasting on
I appreciate you and everyone's advice Im sure that there are other small fleet owners or soon to be small fleet owners that will take this info and run with it. Initially I was worried about asking this question because so many disgruntled truckers only have negative things to say but I'm happy to see there are still some good people out here still willing to help others with genuine advice thanx and I will continue checking this thread looking for as many ways as possible to get a slice of that pie the big boys are feasting on
depends on how long you have had your authority in some cases. are you set up on landstarbroker.com lots of landstar agents will use a new guy. courier exchange a lot of the sylectus carriers and brokers are on there also and they have an ap you can download on your smart phone them carriers and brokers will be able to see your trucks positions and will call you. freightquote.com I think its called freightview now or something like that. start reading www.inboundlogistics.com they have web_citecity that will give you an idea of who is who in logistics. www.chrwtrucks.com if your set up with ch but are not having any luck moving cv or straight call up Justin morris at the flint branch and he may add you to the email list for expedites 810-233-4222 either way you on the right path its mostly keeping trucks updated and being in the right place at the right time. as far as the carriers that advertise on here tri-state brokers out a lot v email request you will need an scac code to deal with them if you don't have one goto http://secure.nmfta.org panther has a bid board for outside carriers. fedex truckload brokerage may be able to help you. echo global logistics another top 10 3pl www.echo.com I try to stick to the top 3pls most have a quick pay program so you can keep cash rolling in every few days instead of using a factoring company. best of luck some make it some don't it all about service.