The Load Board Goes Down, Now What?

These are the people who already know you’re real, that your insurance clears, that you built some sort of rapport with.

Those relationships are more valuable during an outage than any load board.

4. Call the broker’s carrier rep, not the main number.

If you have saved contacts on your phone—dial direct.

Some carrier reps may panic during outages because their whole job depends on moving freight.

When you call them directly, without going through the operator, you jump the line.

5. If you’re near a popular shipper or DC—physically go there.

I know this feels “old school,” and is a very last resort, but old school still works in some instances:

Big distribution centers
Major food warehouses
Beverage depots
Paper mills
Construction materials hubs

Park, walk in (if allowed), and ask which brokers typically handle outbound loads.

Old-school networking works when the digital world breaks. Nothing like a real carrier talking to a real shipper about freight.

Part 2 — After the Outage: Fix the Real Problem

Load board dependence.

Many small carriers never build a predictable freight pipeline. They “survive the day,” but they never build a system that protects them from:

Load board outages
Slow freight days
Predatory brokers
Oversupply markets
Post-holiday collapses

This is where your business either matures—or stays stuck.

Let’s build you a Broker Book of Business, step by step. This is for those who don’t feel comfortable going direct to shipper, but still want a sense of consistency.

Part 3 — How to Build a Broker Book of Business (With Scripts & Examples)

A broker book of business is simply:

A list of brokers who know you, trust you, and offer you freight consistently—even when the load board is down.

For some small carriers, four things keep them from building this:

They don’t follow up.
They don’t keep contact info organized.
They think one load = relationship.
They think brokers won’t care.

Wrong on all counts. Let’s fix it.

Step 1 — Build your Broker Master List (90 Days Look-Back)

Pull every rate confirmation from the last 90 days.

Record:

Broker name
Direct carrier rep
Direct phone
Email
Freight type
Lane/region
Notes on load

This becomes your gold mine.

When the load board drops—you’ll use this list to survive. Organize this in a Google Sheet with formatted tabs so it is easy to sort.

Step 2 — After Every “Good Load,” Send This Email

This is how you plant seeds.

Subject: Great working with you on Load ###, here’s my info

Email body:

Thanks again for the smooth load yesterday from [Pickup] to [Delivery].

If you get freight in this lane or region again, please keep me in mind.

We run:

[Regions you run]
[Equipment type]
[Preferred miles]
[Availability windows]

Here’s all my info for quick booking:

MC
Office number
Email
Preferred lanes

Good working with you again.

Let’s do more business.

— [Your Name]

This email turns a one-off into a future.

Step 3 — After a “Hiccup Load,” Send THIS Email

This is where many small carriers get it wrong.

They disappear. Or get defensive. Or blame. Don’t.

You show professionalism. Brokers love professionalism. Be accountable, as things happen.

Subject: Thanks for yesterday — here’s a recap and how we’ll prevent future delays

Email body:

I appreciate you working with us on Load ### yesterday.

We did run into an issue with [brief explanation—50% shorter than you think].

Here’s what we’ve already done to avoid repeat issues:

[Action you took]
[New communication step you’ll take]
[How you’ll handle this lane going forward]

We value the relationship.

If you get more freight in this area, please keep us on the list.

Thanks again.

— [Your Name]

This email instantly puts you in the “maturity” category with good brokers.

Step 4 — Monthly Touch-Base Message (Never Skip)

Every 30 days, send a simple note to your top 20 brokers.

“Hey [Name], just checking in. We’re running [Region] this month. If anything opens up, call me direct.”

Brokers love fast carriers. Be present. Be easy to reach. They’ll reward you for it when you need it most.

Step 5 — Become the “Go-To” Carrier in 2–3 Regions

You can’t be the favorite everywhere.

But you can be the favorite somewhere.

Pick 2–3 regions where:

You know the market
You know the backhauls
Your equipment matches the lanes
You know the dock rhythms

Then tell every broker:

“We specialize in the Midwest. If you get these lanes, send them direct before posting.”

If you think brokers won’t do that— You’re wrong. They love going direct to trusted carriers in their network.

It saves time.

Step 6 — Only Build Relationships with the Good Ones

Not every broker is worth your time.

Look for:

Clear communication
Fast rate cons
No surprise add-ons
Timely detention
Consistent loads

If a broker constantly:

lies,
ghost rates,
changes times,
nickel-and-dimes,

—they don’t belong in your book. Cut them. Fast. Simply move on.

Part 4 — The Long-Term Goal: Load Board Optional, Not Load Board Dependent

You’re not trying to “get off” the load board.

You’re trying to get to a point where:

You use the board as a backup
You don’t panic during outages
Brokers know your name
You have 5–7 consistent sources
Your truck is moving even when the digital world glitches

Load boards are tools—nothing more. They were never meant to be your entire business.

Final Thought

When the load board goes down, some small carriers panic. But the ones who are prepared? They pick up the phone, call their people, and keep rolling. This business rewards preparedness, not panic. Build your broker book. Build your pipeline. Build your identity beyond a commodity truck on a board filled with thousands.

Because when you stop being “whoever calls first” and start being “the carrier they call,”

load board outages stop being emergencies…

…and start being opportunities.

The post The Load Board Goes Down, Now What? appeared first on FreightWaves.

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Original Source At Yahoo Finance

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Original Source At Yahoo Finance