Loadboard premium packages

I could care less about most of the reports and features of the premium load boards. For me, it is all about the "live" boards vs. having to wait for a system refresh. That's what sold me. Knowing the averages for the lanes is a nice perk for negotiating, though not worth the extra fee alone.

 

Several years ago experiencing my first spot downturn me and some buddies were really aggravated that every time we'd call on any given load, and these were "new" loads that just hit the board, the answer to our question 9 times out of 10 always seemed to be "already covered!". And you're thinking to yourself "on a load that just posted????"

So we moved up from the $40 version of DAT to the $150 version and that problem went away. The loadboard is a tool and if you're gonna depend on it you need to buy the best one possible. If a $150 a month is too rich for you I dunno what to say. You can cover the annual cost of that with one stellar load is how I always viewed it.

The average rates numbers is just a rough guide. It's not an absolute one way or another. Really you just have to learn negotiating. Or we should probably call it haggling truthfully because that's what it is. You have to dive in and learn. You can read about it but really the only way to learn is do it.

 

I took it that he was just explaining to you the way that package works and how it could help.

I am glad he did because it's good to know that.

You sound like you are frustrated in the negotiations.

My opinion of that is because you have to be home every night there's a limited number of loads that you can take so you really can't call on as many loads. So it sounds like you more or less have to take what you get. That's what it sounds like to me anyway.

My load board gives a 15-day average. I do use that average as a very general Mark just to have an idea about the load. I've called on loads that were less than half of what the average is (didn't take it), and I have had times I've gotten paid double what the average is.

My own opinion is for you the number of the average would probably help.

If you do have a limited number of loads that you can call on at least the average lets you know what those loads went for recently. It makes no difference whatsoever if you try to use that as a negotiation tactic. The broker is going to pay what he wants to pay whether it's half or whether it's the average or whatever.

But at least you would know if you are at the average rate or below it or above it.

And you may know what you've been getting the last few months but that rate is going to change.