Any clues on how to get loads other than load boards?

Start on the load boards. As you book loads and pickup/deliver. Open your mouth and talk to them. There are no short cuts to this, you just have to keep asking around.

Sometimes listening is even better. Listen to company drivers. Many of them will give a way company secrets to you if you let them talk long enough. Buddy up, and offer to buy them lunch if they seem to have knowledge of load rates from a prospective job. Its amazing what buying some blabber mouth a $10 steak dinner can gain you.

 

A $10 dollar steak! Are you crazy!

Go look for the guys doing their LAUNDRY. Those guys have been on the road awhile and they'll talk for hours about anything and it won't cost a dime. They overhear every converstaion in the TV room and will tell tomorrows news before it happens.

Hell,I don't even make eye contact with those guys when passing by to use the washroom. They're always standing there like a chicken hawk on a fence post looking for someone to talk to.
You could be a deaf mute but if you make eye contact,look out. They won't know either way because you wouldn't get a word in edgewise.

You want to know WTF is going on?......head to the laundry room!

 

This is very good advice and works.!

Smaller shippers are always looking for direct contacts to trucking companies.

 

I started 22 years ago just calling companys i knew of in the area i wanted to run and the freight i wanted to haul. Got some right away some took awile but it happened. Even had companys ask me when i've picked up a broker load if i wanted to haul direct and found quite a few on the load boards. Believe it or not there alot of direct shippers out there that would rather use the little guy than the mega fleets. Get out there and sell your self and cold call and if there not interested leave your name and number anyway.

 

One thing that has worked for me is getting to know the towns around where you live and keep a search going on the boards for those towns. If the town is small with only a couple businesses then when it shows up you have a good idea of what company it is. And if not, call on it and you will learn what it is. You can't come out and ask "who is the shipper?" but learning the product during the conversation is easy. You can even find out if this broker does a lot of business with this customer.

Then when for one reason or another this load won't work for you, you do some prospecting when you are home.

It is not easy and plan on it to be a long term process. For me, the bigger outfits have been a bust. I am on a list for when something goes sideways with their broker but always seem to get the call the day before the load when I'm not in town.

Also by talking with the broker and getting a rate, when you talk to the customer you have an idea on bottom end of rates. And you would be amazed when the shipper learns how much the broker is trying to keep how it will open a door. I got one account that way and hope to have another when the contract is up with the broker in June.

Again, not easy. I dedicate 3-days a month to this and look at the boards in my area daily and make a list and do some research.

Here is something else that I learned in the past month that you can use as leverage. The shipper is getting push back from the broker on rates. I can't count how many times a shipper has told me they have seen a 20-30% increase because of fuel. My response is usually something like "Yeah, my fuel cost have gone up but wish the brokers would pass that on." This has lead to rate discussions and jaws hitting the floor when I tell them the rates I have been offered. This has lead to one load a month firm, one on the line for 3-loads a month, the opportunity to big on some seasonal business next year in the seed business and 3 other accounts because of volume I could not touch.

And I have called on over 100 companies. And in a week or so I will call on 40 new prospects I have on my list and follow-up with 10+ others I have already talked to.

Would love to hear what others are doing to add or make this easier.

 

Ain't that the truth.

And the counter at the Petro's. Just ask who is in the area a lot or watch for the guys who know the waitresses.