Load Boards

Lets talk Load Boards, which one do you use and why?

 

I am still of the same opinion of you.... spell check or not....hahaha
Your post was also removed, obviously you must have resorted to improper language, so don't act so almighty....

 

They're all pretty much the same, most brokers post the same loads on different boards. If I had to pick one I would go with ITS, I found there is usually more loads posted compared to the other ones. The key to getting good loads is to simply be smart and use demand and supply, always negotiate a fair rate and don't move stuff for cheap. I'm sure it's been said here before but once you start moving cheap freight for the bigger outfits (CHRobinson, Landstar, etc) you get tagged and it becomes quite hard to get good rates.

 

I must have been working, missed the whole thing. Being an O/O is almost as hard as being married.

 

Ryder, NLM, Expeditors, Panther plus some others. Mostly because they limit access and they give tariff rates.

 

Tariff is good enough sometimes. Actually it's great at times. Sometimes just not enough. For many it'd be way good every time. Everyone's opinion on that is different. Would be much better as an independent taking 100% . The problem with that though is there would be no access as those groups don't really mess with small companies never mind one truck shows. The only way as an independent to get that access would be to luck into a situation where someone has it, a good impression is made, and tosses a few bones now and then.

 

Thanks joker760
I read this thread in its entirety and have been taking notes, marking votes for or against specific load boards/brokers & shipper. ITS is one that keeps coming back positive.
Getting ready to buy a truck, I am researching as much as I can everywhere.
I agree with the "don't move for cheap"
Some guy previously had some really good example of this: it is better to dead head where there are good rates, in the end you will have made the same money or more for the same mileage and 1/2 or less the miles traveled will be without a load, better fuel mileage and less wear and tear.
From what I understand here, you pretty much have to call on each load you covet and negotiate the prices.

Isn't there any load boards with prices ? decent prices?

And I would like to know who has decent broker & shipper they can recommend once I start looking at load boards?

thanks

 

Thank you BigBadBill & rollin call. Great to know!

I would also like to know who has decent broker & shipper they can recommend once I start looking at load boards?
or some warning to stay away from such as TQL, CHR, Epes, DirectShipper2013.....

Feel free to vote on any of these below or add your own

Ryder
NLM
Expeditors
Panther
Tariff
ITS

 

Tariff is not a broker or loadboard. It's a standard set rate they will pay on any given load. You know tariff is $1,000 on a particular load you submit that as a bid, you win the load 9 out of 10 times. Most other carriers know what tariff is and they don't normally bid lower. You can bid higher and win sometimes but most times that will lose the load. Sometimes a lowered tiered or ranked carrier might underbid tariff and you'd still get it at tariff based on your ranking. Lower tiers might not have access to the freight. Generally you bid against other good carriers - not fly by night throat cutters.

 

It's how a customer protects themselves from costs getting way out of control. You get an established 3PL to handle logistics. Their job is to cover all the excess or even dedicated freight with carriers they know. I don't know if they're all this way but normally they just get a set fee for every load regardless if it pays $500 or $5,000. The most important thing is service and the customer just not having to deal with transport. The 3PL will rank and rate all approved carriers on every load. A carrier may have a 97 out of 100 rank and underbid tariff if another carrier with a 100 ranking bids at tariff that carrier will win the load based on service dependability. Service is not limited to showing up on time. It may also include macropoint tracking and or check calls. If your appointment is for 17:00 you call at 16:55 and get marked in as "arrival at shipper" if you're late more than 7 minutes with that check call it's service failure. Have to do it when loaded. Someone taking a big chance brokering this freight on open load boards will typically be calling and "bugging" the driver because most carriers don't do this and think it's not necessary. It is. If you have an aversion to regular check calls no-one would ever trust you with these loads. Basically just take care of business and the loads are no problem. I do this kind of thing on every brokered loads and it gets noticed, some say it's not necessary, the ones with access to good stuff will call you back and load you up with good stuff. No one does it in loadboard land it's how you set yourself apart from everyone else. Service isn't a tagline in your email it's a given when they hear your name they know how you operate. So if you luck into some decent freight like this on an open loadboard take advantage of it and do a good job. Chances are you'll never even realize it's what you're hauling but exceptional service from an open market operator will get noticed especially in a world where open market operators provide lackluster service (and that's partly a reflection of the overall low rates offered it's a given, what's expected)