Questions on finding shippers

When my Dad did it, he would actually make a personal visit to shippers (after making an appointment), and have his services outlined and ready to be discussed... He had several shippers that, even though he refused to engage in the "race to the bottom" games, called him first...

I remember watching him take a set of loads from one shipper (12 loads, scheduled for a week later), post them up and email the M/C's he liked the best, and, within 30 minutes, had them all covered... one call, one truck... it sure made his life easy not haggling over rates, since he ALWAYS quoted a good rate to the M/C's...

Shippers want to reduce costs, no doubt, but the MOST important consideration is whether or not their product gets to their customer undamaged, on time, by a driver/MC that looks and acts professionally... And they'd rather pay extra for that added reassurance, than cheap freight it and hope for the best...

Deal with upright shippers, safe and reliable M/C's/OPs, and you'll do very well (my Dad is 75 now, so he's outta da game)... don't get greedy... 5%-8% of the shipper's rate is fair to you, and if you stick with that formula, you'll find plenty of shippers who want to do biz with you, and plenty of M/C's to haul the freight...

Last, but certainly not LEAST: PAY the M/C in 30 days or less... make it a habit, get a good reputation, and: "Live long and prosper!"

 

Can Owner operators work directly with shippers?

 

Sure they can, as long as they're licenced and insured.

 

Yes i am licensed and insured. We are a company from Indianapolis,IN sometimes i just hate working with brokers because the pay rate sucks Unless it is a very HOT load that they need to move. MY question is how can i talk to shippers into giving me lanes that run frequently. I have only one truck. Please message me or just give me some tips or information. I am really struggling to keep up with the competition because i don't pick up cheap freight.

 

That's a tough one, there driver... the primary reason Borkers exist is because most shippers have eliminated the part of their office staff that used to book outbounds with local M/C's... most shipper won't talk to an M/C unless they have several trucks they can guarantee on a daily/weekly basis... I've got some SMALL direct shippers that I deal with, but it's one of those things where I call them a week out and let them know I'm going to be in their area looking for a load... sometimes they have one for me, sometimes they don't... if you're lucky, you can set up a triangle type of dedicated run where you hit each shipper once a week or so...

 

Try shippermate it has better filtering and sales funnel. About $800-$1000 a year. If you use it right you should only need it for a year. Fyi load finding services & brokerage can not operate as the same business. They require separate cash flows. Possible double brokering fines may apply they can be $10k per load. Maybe I missed understood your statement.