Load boards are an invaluable resource to the trucking community. They are a hub of information that is endlessly and easily accessible with an internet connection or even just a cell phone. First and foremost, they provide a place to list and find trucks and loads. But load boards are more than matchmakers. The wealth of resources that they provide can help a carrier maximize their opportunities, which is especially valuable in this economy.

The first thing that a load board can help you do is find a load. This is the easy part. In order to maximize profit, a carrier must plan ahead and consider their trip. Building a profitable career as a trucker now means planning for both the trip out and the return trip, being aware of your freight lanes, being aware of and making the most of your local opportunities, and diversifying your interests. It is no longer about finding the highest paying load and setting off. Because of this, a load board is an important tool for success. It’s the ultimate planning tool, providing technology that allows you to build multi-leg trucking routes, rate shipping lanes, and look for truck stops and support systems. It makes it possible to look at all of these factors, plan your trip, and then roll with the punches and change your plans from the road. The flexibility and comprehensive ability to plan that this information offers, are the key to success for a carrier in a challenging economy.

Times are hard for everyone, including the trucking industry. Despite it all there are a few bright spots. The first is that economists are saying that we have reached our lowest point and that the economy will now begin to recover slowly, but surely. That’s great news for the future, but how to hold on until then?

Unlike many other industries, shipping cannot be outsourced. Goods will always need to be moved from one location to another. The key is to be the one moving those goods and to make money doing it. Fortunately for the trucking industry, diesel prices continue to be low, helping to keep the costs of carrying low as well. What else can you do?

*Find as many ways as possible to cut costs. Be creative and efficient. One carrier keeps a coffeemaker on boards to reduce his need for stops.

*Use whatever sources necessary to secure a constant volume of work, in order to keep your gross income flowing. Load boards are a good source of postings.

*Diversify. Take on anything and everything you can to keep your truck full and moving.

Remember that although recent numbers say that industries outside of trucking are still losing position, truck-driving jobs remain in demand. This is despite furloughs and temporary hiring freezes. The key to success is to hold on and plan for the future.

A freight broker is the middleman of the freight shipping industry. He connects the shipper to the carrier, negotiating a percentage-based fee for his services. The key to his usefulness, for both parties, is his knowledge base. A good broker must know his area of the shipping industry, the technologies available to him to move freight, as well as the carriers best equipped to do it. Frequently this knowledge comes from having been a carrier himself at one time or another. By maintaining a large number and variety of contacts, the broker is able to connect a shipper and his specific needs with the right kind of carrier. The shipper moves his freight and the carrier fills his vehicle. Everyone saves time, aggravation, and money. Everyone wins.

Or do they? Because the broker represents his shipping clients in the transaction between shipper and carrier, the interests of carrier and broker can sometimes compete. A broker must protect the customer base that represents its income, but a carrier needs to know that it will be adequately compensated. He needs to know that his interests will be looked after if the is a dispute about payment.

So how to keep from getting burned? The key is communication. A properly structured agreement between broker and carrier will keep all three parties protected and their business relationship flourishing.