The trucking industry can be the pathway to a profitable business for an owner-operator. You have the opportunity to run your own business, earn a living, and you can arrange your schedule according to your lifestyle. Running your own trucking business also means finding your own loads. There are ways to find better paying loads that can help a new or established company gain traction, build relationships and yield a profit.
Here are a few ideas:
Using freight load boards
An online load board gives you access to your future customer database. Start frequenting popular load boards to find loads that meet your truck and destination requirements. Early on, it’s important to focus on the long-term success of your trucking business, and that starts with rates.
In order to better build recurring business with shippers and brokers, you should negotiate rates that are competitive among other truckers. You should always price your services to ensure you’re making money, but also with the strategy of getting to know brokers who could be sources of future business for you. Too high, and the phone doesn’t ring. Too low, and you might fall behind, making it even more difficult to grow your business.
The takeaway — make sure you are negotiating competitively so that you can start making money and build a customer list.
Another tip is scheduling your loads based on destination points to minimize dead head times. If you are able to consistently deliver quality service, then many of the companies you do business with will seek you out in future, which can turn a one-off load into a recurring client.
Find brokers and shippers that pay well
Instead of looking for high-paying loads, shift your focus to look for high-paying clients. When you have a client or a handful of clients to target, consider what a large, established broker or shipper would want from you. You will need to tailor your service to large retailers or auto dealerships, for example. You can get booked for loads from clients who consistently pay well and on time.
Make sure new clients don’t hamper your trucking company’s cash flow
Many established organizations that need goods moved from Point A to Point B have a reputation of taking 30, 60 or 90 days to pay. This can lead to cash flow problems in your business. Instead of turning away these high-paying loads and clients, consider financing your freight bills so that you get paid fast on your delivered loads.
FreeFreightSearch.com (FFS) is the world’s largest 100% FREE load board that’s changing the freight matching game. In addition to being the largest FREE loadboard, FFS provides members access to 10,000+ free freight broker credit reports, making FFS the world’s largest FREE transportation credit bureau. Register on our free load board today.