Get loads
How to get loads for your truck
Updated
Small carriers get loads five ways: brokers that set you up, load boards where brokers post, Amazon Relay, dispatchers who book for you and shippers that hire you directly. Each broker and program decides whether to take you from your authority age, your insurance and your safety record.
At a glance
- Liability most brokers ask for
- $1 million or more (20 of the 21 brokers that publish a minimum on their own pages)
- Shortest published wait
- 7 days at C.H. Robinson
- Amazon Relay wait
- 180 days
- Load boards
- DAT One $59 to $339 a month per user
Where small carriers get loads
| Channel | What it costs | Who it takes | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brokers | Broker apps from C.H. Robinson, Uber Freight and J.B. Hunt cost approved carriers nothing | Each broker's own age, insurance and safety rules | Brokers |
| Load boards | DAT One $59 to $339 a month per user. Direct Freight has a no-cost plan with three calls a day | Brokers set their own rules on each post. Direct Freight doesn't require an MC to use the site | Load boards and programs |
| Amazon Relay | No subscription fee | 180 days of authority, $1 million auto, $100,000 cargo, general liability and workers' comp | Amazon Relay |
| Dispatchers | One service publishes 5% to 12% of each load, or $275 to $400 a week per truck | The same broker rules, applied to your MC | Dispatchers |
| Direct shippers | Your time finding them | The shipper's own terms | Direct shippers |
| Leasing on | Agreed with the carrier you lease to | You run under that carrier's authority and insurance | Lease on or own authority |
What decides who will load you
Brokers look at three things on your public record: how long your authority has been active, the insurance on file and your safety rating. Their insurance bar is high: 20 of the 21 brokers publishing a liability minimum want $1 million or more.
C.H. Robinson's seven days is the shortest published wait, and the longest is 24 consecutive months for a rating on Emerge's marketplace. Amazon Relay wants 180 days and Mode Global a full year of continuous authority. The new authority guide has the full table.
Check your MC. The load-ready check shows which brokers and programs accept your authority and insurance today and which open up later. Load-ready check
How to choose
- New MC. How to get loads with a new MC authority covers who sets up new carriers, what they check and what to do while you wait.
- Help booking loads. Truck dispatcher services covers published fees, red flags and dispatching yourself.
- Steady box truck work. Box truck contracts and direct shippers covers Amazon Relay's rules and billing a shipper yourself.
- Your truck type. The equipment pages cover box truck loads, hotshot loads, cargo van loads and power only.
- Load boards. DAT One, Truckstop and 123Loadboard each have their own page.
- After delivery. How to get paid for loads covers pay terms, quick pay and factoring.
Frequently asked questions
How do small carriers get loads?
Small carriers get loads five ways: brokers that set you up, load boards where brokers post, Amazon Relay, dispatchers who book for you and shippers that hire you directly. Leasing on lets you run under another carrier's authority and insurance instead.
What do brokers check before they load you?
Brokers look at how long your authority has been active, the insurance on file and your safety rating. Most also want $1 million or more in liability.
Which broker has the shortest published wait for a new MC?
C.H. Robinson, at seven days. Amazon Relay wants 180 days and Mode Global a full year of continuous authority.
Do broker load apps cost anything?
The apps from C.H. Robinson, Uber Freight and J.B. Hunt cost approved carriers nothing. Amazon Relay has no subscription fee.