I've been trying to research on the pro's and con's of being an 0/0 so any help with these questions would be much appreciated.

1) Is it as easy getting a load as just going on a load board, picking out a
load to the destination you want to go and calling and accepting the
load?

2) If you've newly obtained your authority are they reluctant to give you
a load or do they care?

3) I've noticed on the load boards I've looked at most of them don't show
how much the load pays, do you have to call to get the info?

4) Can you usually expect at a load to pay at least $1.50 a mile and I
Know some would or wouldn't accept a load for that, but I just wanting
a rough idea of what most loads pay that doesn't list a price on the
load boards.

5) From what i've read some like the load boards and others don't, but
if your starting out isn't that the easiest way to schedule loads and
backhuals?

I know thats alot of questions, but just trying to get informed. Thanks for any help.

If your business plan is to run load board frieght, you are destined to fail. I shouldn't say fail, but truth is that you could make just as much per mile leasing to a GOOD company and you wouldn't have the extra costs associated with having to get and maintain your authority.

If you think you will average 1.50 on that kind of frieght you are dreaming. You will see some loads that pay that but your long term average will be more like 1.20 to 1.30 when you first start out. When you develop a good network of brokers to work with and stop hauling the cheap #### on the boards, you may make close to that 1.50 average.

It really is NOT a simple way to do things. You need to know how supply and demand works, how to be a shrewd negotiator and be able to read people(so you can get them to pay you max money), and how frieght trends(which change weekly) will affect the lanes/commodities that you haul.

With all of the negative/realistic comments having been said, I will say this; It is a very tough way to go but it can be done. If you can survive the first two years and through the inevitable lean times, it does eventually get easier with experience. If you don't want to sacrifice financially for up to two years, you are much better off leasing to a company.(and you will have less stress to boot)

I do have my own authority and own and operate a small fleet and am successful at it. This didn't happen overnight and we still work harder than any human probably should, but we love what we do and we reap the financial rewards of our hard work. I work on average about 100 hours a week in some aspect of the business. In addition, my wife works about 80 hours a week.

I hope some realistic advice proves helpful.

Eskimo, so how did you start? Did you use the loadboards during your first 2 years? how did do to start growing your business? which loadboards do you consider the best?