Choosing next load board: Landstar/Mercer/Schneider/USA Truck

OK help a fella out here guys. I was at Interstate doing the load board, getting my feet wet with the owner op scene, got a truck and stacked some cash but my stay here got cut short unexpectedly when the new owners shut down the load board. I wanted to get a year in before moving up to a more advanced system with brokers and such, but I think the 6 months I got in could be good enough. So there's 4 top contenders right now: Schneider, USA Truck, Landstar and Mercer. Plus maybe some smaller companies that work off public load boards. I'm familiar with the main strengths and weaknesses of of how each of these companies operates but still having a tough time making the final cut. Yeah I know Schneider and USA don't have drivers dealing with agents but one possibility is hold off on the agent aspect for 6-12 months and stack some more quick cash first instead. So go ahead and drop some knowledge on a fledgling o/o here.

 

Maybe I should have made clear, I'm more into the dry van / reefer scene at this time.

 

As I continue to research and get feedback from people, those two are pulling away from the rest and turning into the top contenders. It's a tough choice between the two though. The others are more like fallback options in case something goes wrong somehow. I can afford to wait the 30+ days for the lengthy application times Landstar in particular is known for, but am anxious to keep driving anyway. The buyers of my current company only gave us 8 days notice that they were shuttering our load board. Funny thing is, in the new contract they want us to sign, we have to agree to give them 30 days notice if we decide to leave.

 

I looked at their website. Do they have self dispatch?

 

Thanks. I sent him a message.