O/O with new authority: looking for freight companies that will accept my carrier packets ASAP.

Tql
Chr
Coyote

 

Landstar, Cheap N Heavy, Coyote, TQL... pretty much all the bad ones..

 

Is it tedious searching for your own loads as a solo owner operator with authority? Like using DAT and other loadboards?
I don't have any direct connections and am thinking about doing it but then again I want to have decent rates to make it.

 

Yes. Working off load boards can be tedious, especially when you are very picky and not knowing when to compromise with your desired rate. Many posters here or on Facebook will say how good rates they can get and how well they do. Regardless of whether it is true or not, it is better not to compare yourself to their claimed achievements and stick to your own reality and needs. It could save quite a bit of frustration. It is helpful to look at DAT 15 day or even 90 day rate average on given lanes to see what an approximate reality is and go with that.

Sometimes, it takes one call, sometimes, as many as 25 or more. If you post your truck, it may be before 1 minute when they call you or they may not even call you at all on a bad day.

If you take one load per day, then you look at loadboard listings all the time, also while eating and sleeping. If you do long distance, then it maybe a little less than that. It is a never ending hunt. Every now and then, for a change, I like to take a long distance load just not to be concerned about what there is on DAT for a few days.

Getting set up with brokers is a routine, however, one should read what's in a contract and sometimes there is a lot to read which could be a little distressing because you don't want to overlook anything crucial and the broker can become impatient while you do that and give that load to someone else.

Invoicing is a routine too - I do it while being unloaded or loaded.

It has been very difficult, if possible at all, to find good paying loads using DAT or any other loadboard in the last 3 months. This is the attrition time now, when everybody is waiting for many truck owners or even fleets to sink soon enough, while themselves trying to stay afloat so that demand for trucks will change in their favor. The only other solution or hope would be an increase in freight volume.

In the long run, it is best to omit load boards and find direct brokers. Following up and calling those who you worked for before is a good start. I was somewhat proud of myself to be given loads from brokers directly in the last two weeks. They were not listed on load boards.

 

So, go through the trouble of getting one's authority set up without having a game plan on how to get work?

Great, another one that will be accepting any rate offered because of desperation.

 

However, as many of them I see coming here, even before applying for MC#, trying to be awarded a tiny bit of encouragement, they are almost always sent to hell.

The plan is almost the same for everyone - quite common for prospective independents, be it never forgotten @DoubleYellow and his famous thread or myself - start with load boards and do the best you can before you find a niche - whatever the helll it is.

 

That is one thing that is keeping me. But, from a load board, I am sure you can find good relationships from some of the brokers on their and that can help alleviate some of the stress of searching when you can just call or he/she can call you.

 

how does the online bidding go? is it via email?

 

Do you remember how Double yellows trucking story ended?

Trying to run board freight with limited experience seems to generally be a race to the bottom during fairly good times for most; and swirling the bowl almost from the get go during down times for most.