Have you ever found yourself in a situation to use free Load boards? Further, are there free Load Boards that are helpful for your business?

To begin with, the trucking industry is a tricky one. Having said this, there are lots of factors involved in running a successful trucking business.

For example, there are decisions on what to haul, whether to lease or buy a truck, as well as finding clients and loads.

In order to run a business that is not financially capable at the beginning, you find a way to make a profit.

Consequently, there is a system offering free load boards and paid load boards. The free boards are for those that started their business.

However, we will cover only the free load boards, and where to find them.

What are Free Load Boards?

A free load board is an online matching system which allows the shippers and freight brokers to post types of loads.

Continually, the system with free load boards also allows carriers to post the free equipment.

The main purpose of the online load boards system is to allow shippers, as well as carriers, find each other to make transportation easier.

Moreover, together they enter agreements crucial for moving their freight. Most of the boards are sophisticated and not only allow you to post loads but search for the types you need as well.

In addition, they provide multiple services to freight brokers and the carriers. Depending on the type of board, the services you can find are the following:

• Matching loads
• Credit and days to pay information
• Message boards
• Making notes on shippers and carriers
• Verification of FMCSA
• Finance information on a pre-approved load with factoring
• Mobile access

Benefits of Using Free Load Boards

One of the pros about using load boards is the fact that neither carriers nor shippers are tied into contracts.

This flexibility that load boards offer allows shippers and carriers to find and select the load board that works best for them without being tied to something that is not a good fit.

Generally, memberships occur on a month to month basis and shippers and carriers are able to end their membership with the load board at any time.

The load board owners, post sign up, will simply charge the account on a monthly basis until they are notified by the customer that they would like the account to be canceled.

Following the cancellation, the customer is free to sign up for a membership with the load board at any time.

Knowing about the free load boards is one thing but being familiar with the purpose of using them is another.

Many truckers, carriers, and owner-operators are using this online system in order to get their new business going.

However, the question is: Are there any benefits of using free load boards?

The Most Significant Advantages of Using Load Boards

Using free load boards gives you various advantages of profit. As an illustration, boards are considered as an easy way of connecting shippers and carriers.

As shown above, the key reason for the online board is to help small transportation companies and start-ups.

In this way, non-financed companies are able to find free load boards and start making a profit instead. Having said this, here are the most significant advantages of using free load boards:

• Ease of Use – The system easily displays all the information you need in the simple to use the table.
• Up To Date – The boards contain the latest information about the freight. As a matter of fact, the table is updated every 5 minutes.
• Boards Without Payment – some of these loads are free to use and the rest is inexpensive. In order to use these boards, you do not have to pay for them and they do not require a high sum of investment.
• Online Availability for 24/7 – the good thing about the online free load boards is that the shippers and carriers can find or post loads any time and easily access it via mobile or web.
• Shippers Advantages – when moving overloaded freight
• Carrier Benefits – keeping the fleet full. When an unloaded truck is available, finding a suitable free load for transportation keeps companies profit ongoing.

Are Free Load Boards Worth it?

Most of the owner-operators and small transportation companies are wondering if they should use free load boards.

The use of these boards is apparent if you want to lead your trucking company to success. Moreover, as the trucking industry goes through changes, the online use of finding loads is inevitable.

It’s common for owner-operators and small fleet owners to run low on money, especially if they are new to the business and pulling their first loads.

In this case, consider using freight bill factoring. It’s a type of financing that provides advances for slow-paying freight bills.

For instance, it is a fact that a trucking company needs to obey the OSHA, SAFER, BBB, or BLS regulations.

Likewise, a non-funded business or an owner-operator who is at the beginning of its career needs to use free load boards as well.

Why am I saying this? For the reason that their importance is equal.

One alternative to consider is signing up for free trials on a few paid boards. Compare them to the value that you get from free boards and determine which one is best for you and your business.

Same as respecting rules and regulations, free load boards represent a valuable tool which helps businesses and owner-operators to start and get their business going.

Sometimes it happens an overlap because there are boards with the same loads. To illustrate, you can find popular, competitive and loads boards paying very little.

As an explanation, the benefits of free load boards depend on two factors:

• Starting a Trucking Business
• Being an Owner Operator

Depending on the company’s financial status, you can choose to work with a factoring company which offers fuel advances.

They may be expensive but probably the best way to get paid on time if the business is financially unstable.

Having said this, there are a lot of different types of boards which you can use according to the company’s needs:

As an illustration, there are:

• Free load boards
• Load boards that offer free trial membership
• Paid load boards

Starting a Trucking Business

The trucking business is very profitable, very competitive and rather confusing.

If you are a company owner who is at the very beginning of the trucking journey then using a load board is a must.

However, it should never be considered as a long-term solution. Same as the trucking business, the free load boards are also competitive.

The smartest way of running a trucking business should be to play smart which is using them only when you desperately need to find free load boards.

On the other hand, there is a possible way of making $100,000 per month. However, you need to have secured contracts to use them to find the best free load boards.

The bottom line is you need to play smart about the free load boards. If you do not have other sources to transport loads, use the boards’ system.

Owner Operator

If you are an owner operator then using free load boards is definitely the best solution for discovering loads.

Once you dive into the process of load boards, consequently, the trucking industry will become more than familiar to you.

Furthermore, with the help of the free load boards, you will gain experience. In this way, you will know the difference between new and professional truck drivers.

More importantly, you will be familiar with the process of finding free load boards.

List of Free Load Boards

Using the free load boards is a good way to find freight to transport when you are starting your business.

Everyone involved in this business has been there and knows the struggle. What is more difficult is finding good load boards and actually soaks up time and in the worst case, money.

The free load boards are free options to easily find freight and start making a profit.

The thing is, there are a lot of free load boards there but a lot of them are competitive. Looking on the positive side, there are still those kinds that can help you find freight quickly.

To put it in another way, there are owner operators or companies who do not have time to find freight online and this is the main reason why I made lists.

By using the free load boards, a company and independent owner are able to find free load boards without pressure or extra fees:

• Trulos
• DSSLN
• Trucking Planet
• USA Canada Loup
• Freight Finder
• Landstar
• Freight Search
• Trucker Path

Load Boards That Offer Free Trial Memberships

The load boards are considered as a large online source for freight. By using the boards’ services, independent operators and businesses search for all types of cargo.

On the other hand, there are the brokers and shippers which upload the cargo and add general and additional contact information on the loads.

Consequently, both the uploaders and searchers of freight are able to conduct business.

Some owner-operators say that not using these online tools means missing out on a great opportunity for profit.

Having access to more loads will eventually get your business going. In addition, there are all types of load boards.

As shown above, you can get access to boards that offer free trial membership and they are the following:

• 123 Load Board
• Direct Freight
• Get Loaded
• Truckers Edge
• DAT
• Load Solutions

List of Hot Shot Load Boards

Considered as online tools, free load boards are the best way to find loads that motor carriers need.

In addition, it is also a great way for supply chain and the shipping professionals to use it.

More importantly, it is one of the most modern ways for transportation companies to find suitable shipments.

Each day, the shippers and motor carriers are using the online free hot shot load boards in order to fill a transportation gap and save their newborn companies.

Before the existence of free load boards tool online, the companies were using the services of freight brokers.

This not only soaks some time until the brokers find load boards according to the companies’ preferences but also wastes the transportation business money.

In particular, losing money is not the most practical way of the companies who are at their very inception.

With regards to this, there are freight brokerage companies which charge a large sum of money or extra fees for their services.

On the other hand, with the help of the free boards, owner-operators, trucking companies, and shippers can mutually help themselves to find what they need.

Having said this, the free hot shot load boards for the transportation industry are the following:

• Hot Shot Carrier
• Expedite Loads
• Load Match
• Right Now Loads
• Quick Transport Solutions

In addition to the above-mentioned, using the online sources has a good side and a bad side of it.

As an illustration, one bad thing about the load boards is the following:

Many Loads Pay in 30 – 60 Days

If trucking businesses which are at the very beginning of their career need quick cash, sometimes they can experience the road of uncertainties.

Having said this, there are shippers which actually pay from 30 to 60 days. Generally speaking, these delays can create a cash-flow gap in the owner operator’s or company’s profile.

Looking on the positive side, there are shippers which pay 4 to 8 weeks maximum and you can get the best of it by using a freight factoring program.

Thus, we transfer to the good part of using the free load boards:

Improve Cash Flow by Factoring Freight Bills

Even though factoring companies soak up your pocket money, you can use their services in order to cover the company financially for some time.

In this way, your company will be able to finance the slow-paying bills where you get immediate funds.

However, you need to be very careful with the factoring companies because they all have different programs.

Although it is considered the quickest way to fund the company’s expenses there are different percentage programs. You may want to check this out before you sign any agreement.

List of Car-Hauling Load Boards

In particular, anyone who wants to increase their number of freight can search for loads online.

Additionally, in order to be able to search these kinds of freight, you need to open an account first.

Same as in the above-mentioned, if you need a list of car hauling load boards you need to search for those kinds of cargo.

Regarding the type of loads posted on the free load boards, usually, shippers add loads meant for full-size trailers.

In addition, you can still find partial or an LTL type of cargo posted.

Having said this, you can see a varying freight size, starting from very small to full loads which are 30,000 pounds or above.

This is probably the main reason why small trucking companies and new truckers use free load boards to start their business.

It simply makes it easier for you to get your business going and hopefully, get you enough cash to move on with your business in a much professional way.

Most of the truckers using the free load boards as a source use it only at the very beginning. This is mostly due to the high competition that prevails online.

There are high possibilities of struggle when searching for high-paying load boards. However, every beginning is tough, and not giving up will get you through.

In addition, some of the best sources to find online free load boards are the following:

• Central Dispatch
• Uship
• Carload USA
• Ship My Car 123
• Car Hauler Dispatch
• Car Load Boards

Conclusion

As a conclusion, finding load boards might not be quite hard, but finding free loads boards that are actually good to use, it is.

However, fueling yourself with additional information is never in vain even though it soaks up some time.

In the end, what is important is to get your business going and eventually lead it to success.