What are the main load boards for finding freight?

The largest load boards are DAT Freight and Analytics and Truckstop.com. Both charge monthly subscription fees and display loads from freight brokers alongside rate data for benchmarking lane pricing. 123Loadboard is a lower-cost alternative. Coverage is not identical across boards — some brokers post exclusively on one. Most new carriers subscribe to at least one major board to start, then add a second if they find gaps in coverage for their operating lanes.

What does a broker need from me before dispatching a load?

To complete carrier setup with a freight broker, you typically need: a W-9, a copy of your operating authority certificate, a certificate of insurance (COI) listing the broker as certificate holder, and a signed carrier agreement. Having these ready before calling on loads prevents delays when a broker has a load that needs to move. After hauling one load successfully and invoicing correctly, you are an approved carrier in that broker's system for future work.

Is a dispatch service worth the cost?

Dispatch services typically charge 5 to 10 percent of gross revenue per load. A carrier earning $10,000 per week paying 7 percent dispatch fees spends roughly $36,000 per year on dispatching. Self-dispatching takes more time but captures that margin entirely. Most experienced owner-operators with established broker relationships prefer self-dispatching. Newer carriers sometimes use a dispatch service while learning the business and building relationships, then phase it out as their broker network grows.

What is a lane strategy and why does it matter?

A lane strategy is a set of regular origin-destination pairs where you know the brokers, the typical going rates, and the available return freight. Hauling random loads wherever they appear creates inconsistent revenue and high deadhead miles. Carriers who identify profitable lanes they can run in both directions typically earn more per mile than those taking whatever is available. Most owner-operators develop their lane strategy over their first year by tracking which markets pay consistently and where return freight is reliable.

Guide

How to find loads as a new carrier

Getting your authority active is one thing. Finding consistent freight to haul is the next challenge — and for most new owner-operators, it takes longer and requires more active work than expected. This guide covers the main ways carriers find loads, how each channel works, and what new carriers should know before they start booking freight.

The main channels for finding freight

Most carriers use more than one channel to find loads, especially in the early months before they have established broker relationships or consistent lanes. Understanding how each channel works helps you choose where to focus your time and what to expect from each one.

Load boards

A load board is a marketplace where freight brokers and shippers post available loads and carriers search for freight that matches their truck type, location, and timeline. Load boards are the most accessible starting point for new carriers because they require no existing relationship and provide immediate access to available freight.

How load boards work

Brokers post load details — origin, destination, equipment type required, pickup date, and a rate or rate negotiation basis — and carriers search by location, equipment, and date. When a carrier finds a load that works, they contact the broker to negotiate and accept the load. The broker then issues a rate confirmation and the carrier is set up in the broker's system (if they are not already).

Most load boards charge a monthly subscription fee. The major boards include DAT Freight and Analytics, Truckstop.com (formerly Transcore), and 123Loadboard. Some carriers use multiple boards to access more freight. There is significant overlap in the loads posted across boards, but coverage is not identical — a broker may post on one board but not another.

Reading load board rates

Posted rates on load boards are rarely firm. Many loads show "call for rate" or a rate that the broker expects to negotiate down from. The spot market rate — what loads are actually paying on a given day — fluctuates with fuel prices, seasonal demand, and available truck capacity. Load boards like DAT and Truckstop display average rates for specific lanes, which gives carriers a benchmark for what similar loads have paid recently.

New carriers often take lower rates than experienced carriers in the same lane because they do not have rate history to negotiate from and need to move freight to build broker relationships. This is normal early on, but it should not become the permanent approach — know your cost per mile and do not haul loads that do not cover costs, regardless of rate comparisons.

Getting set up with brokers through load boards

When you book your first load with a broker, they will send you a carrier setup packet — a collection of forms and documents the broker needs before they can pay you. This includes a W-9, a copy of your operating authority, a certificate of insurance (COI) naming the broker as certificate holder, and usually a signed carrier agreement. Having these documents ready before you start calling on loads saves time and avoids delays when a broker has a load ready to dispatch immediately.

After you complete a load successfully and invoice the broker, you become an approved carrier in their system. Future loads can be booked much faster because the setup work is already done. Building a list of approved brokers — especially for the lanes you run regularly — is one of the key steps from relying on cold load board calls to running a more predictable business.

Freight brokers and direct relationships

Freight brokers are intermediaries who connect shippers with carriers. When you call on a load board posting, you are working with a broker. But carriers can also develop direct broker relationships beyond individual spot loads.

Building broker relationships

Brokers who dispatch consistent freight in specific lanes have preferred carrier lists. Getting onto those lists typically happens through a pattern of reliable performance: on-time pickups and deliveries, accurate check calls, good communication when problems arise, and no cargo claims. A carrier who hauled several loads for a broker without incident and communicated well is someone that broker will call directly when a load needs to move — before posting it to the load board.

After completing a load, some carriers ask the broker directly: "Do you have anything else coming out of this area this week?" or "Are you looking for covered capacity in this lane regularly?" This is not always going to produce more freight, but it costs nothing to ask, and it puts your name in the broker's head as someone who is actively looking for work in that lane.

Contracted rates vs. spot rates

Spot rates are individual load negotiations — each load is priced based on current market conditions. Contracted rates are pre-negotiated rates for specific lanes over a defined period (often 90 days or a year). Large carriers and fleets bid on contracts with shippers and brokers to lock in consistent freight at predictable rates. New single-truck owner-operators rarely qualify for formal contract programs, but some brokers offer informal rate agreements for carriers who consistently cover specific lanes — this is essentially a handshake contract where both parties agree on a rate for a recurring lane. These arrangements can provide more stability than pure spot market hauling.

Direct shipper relationships

A direct shipper is the company actually moving the freight — not a broker but the manufacturer, distributor, or retailer who owns what is being transported. Shipping direct cuts the broker out of the transaction and can mean higher rates for the carrier, because the broker's margin does not have to be factored in.

How carriers find direct shippers

Direct shipper relationships usually develop through one of three paths:

Geographic familiarity: A carrier who runs a specific region often learns which industrial parks, distribution centers, or manufacturing facilities generate consistent outbound freight. Showing up with a business card and asking to speak with the traffic or shipping manager is a low-tech approach that still works for smaller shippers who do not use formal carrier bid processes.
Referrals from other drivers: Drivers who work the same region often share information about which shippers pay well, load quickly, and are easy to work with. This informal network is valuable and builds up over time.
Load board patterns: If the same broker consistently posts freight from the same shipper location, the carrier can research who the shipper is and approach them directly. Not all shippers want to work directly with carriers — many prefer the buffer and administrative convenience of a broker — but some do.

Building direct shipper relationships takes time, and shippers with large freight volumes typically have established carrier programs that require insurance levels, safety ratings, and track records that new carriers may not yet have. Direct shipper freight is generally something to work toward over the first year or two, not something available immediately at authority activation.

Dispatch services

Some owner-operators use a third-party dispatch service to find and book loads on their behalf. A dispatcher searches load boards, negotiates rates, handles broker communication, and often manages invoicing — for a fee that is typically 5 to 10 percent of gross revenue per load.

Dispatch services can reduce the administrative burden for drivers who want to spend their time driving rather than negotiating on the phone. The tradeoff is cost — the dispatcher's fee comes out of revenue that would otherwise go to the carrier. A carrier paying 7% dispatch fees on $10,000 per week in revenue is spending $700 per week, or $36,000 per year, on dispatching. Whether that is a good use of money depends on the individual driver's preference for the administrative side of the business.

Not all dispatch services are equivalent. Some specialize in specific equipment types or regions. Some book loads without understanding a driver's cost structure, which can lead to recommended loads that do not actually make financial sense for that carrier. If you use a dispatch service, continue to track your cost per mile independently and review what the dispatcher is booking against that number.

Carrier-broker relationships and credit checks

Before a broker pays a carrier, they need to be confident the carrier is legitimate and insured. But carriers also need to be confident the broker will pay. The freight industry has a broker payment default problem — brokers who do not pay carriers are a real risk, especially for newer carriers who may not know which brokerage companies have poor payment histories.

Carriers can check broker credit ratings through the load boards. DAT and Truckstop both provide broker credit scores and payment history data for brokers in their systems. A broker with a history of slow payments or unresolved payment disputes is a yellow flag. A broker that does not appear in the system at all — with no MC number or unverifiable authority — is a red flag.

Before hauling a load for a new broker, verify their MC number and authority status through the FMCSA carrier search tool. A broker with an active property broker license and a clean credit history on the load board is a much lower-risk transaction than an unfamiliar company calling with a rate that sounds too good.

Building a lane strategy

Random load board hauling — taking whatever is available, wherever it is going — produces inconsistent results and high deadhead mileage. Most successful owner-operators eventually develop a lane strategy: a set of origin-destination pairs they run regularly, where they know the brokers, the shippers, the return freight, and the typical rates.

A lane strategy develops naturally over time as you learn which lanes pay well consistently, which brokers are reliable in those markets, and where you can realistically find return freight. The practical question at the end of every outbound load is: what can I find to bring me back, and how much deadhead will I have to run to find it? A lane where outbound rates are strong but inbound rates are poor, or where you consistently have to deadhead 200 miles to find a return load, may not be as profitable as it appears on the outbound rate alone.

What new carriers should know before starting

Have your setup documents ready before you start calling brokers. W-9, operating authority, COI, and a signed version of a standard carrier agreement. Brokers move fast, and delays in paperwork mean delays in dispatching.
Know your cost per mile before accepting any load. The rate on the load board is gross revenue, not profit. Know what you need per loaded mile to cover costs and generate income, and do not accept loads that do not clear that bar.
Rate negotiations are normal. The posted rate is almost always a starting point. A polite counteroffer is standard practice. What is not standard is threatening to walk away from a load over small differences when you are new and need the broker relationship more than the broker needs you.
Your safety rating matters. New carriers start under their initial FMCSA registration and build a safety history over time. A preventable accident or an out-of-service violation in the early months can affect your ability to work with certain brokers. Drive carefully, do pre-trip inspections properly, and stay compliant.
Payment terms are net-30 by default. Most brokers pay in 30 days from receipt of invoice and POD. Factoring is one way to get paid faster. Budget for the payment gap when you are first starting out — you will likely haul several loads before your first payment arrives.

Common questions

What are the main load boards for finding freight?: The largest load boards are DAT Freight and Analytics and Truckstop.com. Both charge monthly subscription fees and display loads from freight brokers alongside rate data for benchmarking lane pricing. 123Loadboard is a lower-cost alternative. Coverage is not identical across boards — some brokers post exclusively on one. Most new carriers subscribe to at least one major board to start, then add a second if they find gaps in coverage for their operating lanes.
What does a broker need from me before dispatching a load?: To complete carrier setup with a freight broker, you typically need: a W-9, a copy of your operating authority certificate, a certificate of insurance (COI) listing the broker as certificate holder, and a signed carrier agreement. Having these ready before calling on loads prevents delays when a broker has a load that needs to move. After hauling one load successfully and invoicing correctly, you are an approved carrier in that broker's system for future work.
Is a dispatch service worth the cost?: Dispatch services typically charge 5 to 10 percent of gross revenue per load. A carrier earning $10,000 per week paying 7 percent dispatch fees spends roughly $36,000 per year on dispatching. Self-dispatching takes more time but captures that margin entirely. Most experienced owner-operators with established broker relationships prefer self-dispatching. Newer carriers sometimes use a dispatch service while learning the business and building relationships, then phase it out as their broker network grows.
What is a lane strategy and why does it matter?: A lane strategy is a set of regular origin-destination pairs where you know the brokers, the typical going rates, and the available return freight. Hauling random loads wherever they appear creates inconsistent revenue and high deadhead miles. Carriers who identify profitable lanes they can run in both directions typically earn more per mile than those taking whatever is available. Most owner-operators develop their lane strategy over their first year by tracking which markets pay consistently and where return freight is reliable.