Securing dedicated work for an Owner Operator?

Look for smaller companies, large companies like brokers, they hand them a list and a price is hashed out, then they dont have to deal with it beyond handing their broker another list.

Cold calls and sales is a pain, but how do you expect to find direct work?

Its not like youve gotten every job you put in an application for right? And buisnesses dont get all the work they bid on. Rejection is part of the game. At least if you call or drop in and leave a card, they have your number if they happen to remember you.

 

Put your sales pants on and learn to grease palms. No offense, but unless you're specialized you don't have much to offer as a single truck carrier doing general freight.

The best direct work I had during my time as a carrier was from literally paying the guy a percentage of the invoice to him directly. I billed however I saw fit and he got 20 percent of it (except for accessorials like tolls.)

Even with that deal, it was still incredibly difficult for me to secure. I took me years to get it and I learned it all from a former employer I drove for who was also one of my competitors once this arrangement was in place with the customer.

 

Gotta love good honest hard work. You should go into govt work....

 

May just be the way you written your post…. but if not, generally, you don’t ask a freight payer if they have anything dedicated for you. It’s about them, not you. What can you do for them? Can you tackle their lanes that they have a hard time getting covered? Sometimes the business will go through a broker to get loads covered, and I broke her with a hard time getting loads going to very bad areas where nobody wants to go Lane that you will be at a loss because there’s no good freight coming back. Those are the ones you should target. You should target for a loss from the get-go that your way in do that for a couple months or a few years and you’ll get almost all the freight you can handle. It sounds like a lot of sacrifice, it is. If you’re unable to do it you’re probably not gonna make it as a carrier. Why….that’s what I’m doing. I am your competition.

Can you do it cheaper? Do you have better communication? Sometimes you gotta eat a lot and a whole bunch of headache just to get your foot in the door. Do I mean like five loads no, maybe a couple years. Once you’ve been there, go to guy for their tough lanes. The easy ones will come your way as well. Earn the business. Earn the business….. Earn the business.

 

If you're picking up a load through a broker and then asking the shipper for freight, you may run into a back solicitation problem.
Then you'll have a tough time getting any loads from brokers.
Consider yourself lucky that the shippers just told you to go through the broker instead of telling them about your back solicitation.

 

Exactly what I was thinking. You sign a contract and then you go back on it as quick as you can. Not cool.

 

Who are they?

If they are large companies, then you have to find the decision makers and as one said grease some palms.

You are a single truck company, there is no guarantee of performance with just one truck. Five maybe but not one.

 

“Hey Bruh, here to see if you gots any dedi.. Dedicat…
Any steady work?”

 

One of the reasons as to why I froze my Authority & Leased onto a Carrier besides the Spot Market taking a dive in late 2022. The custom told me they need so much trucks for their loads not wanting to rely on a broker. So I started networking and the Manager connected me with the Owner of that company who kept telling me they have an abundance of product. I told then we can negotiate a direct Shipment contract through my lawyer for their overflow and they we happy. Then give me the Brokers contact to go through them!.

Right away I was thinking (a) they didn't understand what a direct shipping contract with a carrier was or (b) the Broker probably told them 'anytime small carrier approaches them send them my way ('to the Broker')'...I eventually threw their contact in the trash.