I remember my first load. Advice Needed

Looking for thoughts from logistics minded individuals.

Also open to stories about how your first load worked or didn't work.


I like trucking and business, and I have some relationships that understand this. These relationships have a small book of freight and are going to give me 1 outbound 450 mile load that leaves every Tuesday. With the idea that if this works out I will get a 2nd load, and then a third and so on. I would love to, but cannot drive the truck due to my current workload of non trucking business. Therefore ill be hiring a driver.

This is not a situation where they are just looking for some sucker to haul the freight for a lower price. It’s legit and it’s a whole trade. They have incentive due to what non trucking business I am already providing to them.

I am currently getting my authority set up.

My driving experience is hay flatbed and ag hoppers.

I do NOT have experience with distribution centers, docks, load appointments, and have never been on a load board.

I am comfortable with my business sense in general, but do understand that trucking can be a brutal learning experience if gone about it the wrong way. I know that some dispatchers have phone systems set up to record every phone call, so that they can go back and argue the deal that was discussed or a circumstance that was agreed upon etc. This is hard to wrap my mind around because a broker who is lying in this circumstance most likely does not care about having recompense at some point. So what measures could really be taken against the broker other than not doing business again?

How should I be looking at this as someone who is looking for a backhaul with a brand new authority?

How far in advance is load board stuff booked ?

I could run this truck back and forth on that same 450 miles for 3 turns a week and give the driver Monday off….or I could drop at the 450 miles and run the truck further out down the lane and try to get it back into town to load Tuesday morning. I’m not looking for this question to be answered as it is impossible…..but I want to get some pointers as to how my thought process should be, because I know there are a lot of minds on this forum who are wired to think in these exact ways.

Thank you