When it comes to finding a dedicated loyal friend to help through busy times or when you need to find a new carrier, the freight shipper need not look any further than a good load board.   

What is a Load Board?

A load board is a web-based system that allows shippers to list a load that needs to be transported somewhere.  The shipper gives details such as from and to locations, freight size, type and other details, and carriers who can meet the requirements can apply for the job.  

Even if you are a shipper with contracts with established carriers, load boards can be a useful tool if problems arise and you need to find a new carrier quickly, or if your number of shipments is growing faster than your carrier’s capacity is, a common occurrence in our improving economy.  A load board can help you find one that is reliable and has a good credit record, as well as a good driving record. With the right load board, you loads can be viewed by thousands of drivers across the country. By putting all of the information out there, on both shippers and carriers, a marketplace of moving goods is created, for everyone’s benefit.

Why Would Shippers Use Load Boards?

For shippers, load boards are a way to ship freight and save money on the middleman (or middlewoman), i.e. a freight broker.  Freight brokers take care of load postings and find carriers for you. You pay them a percentage, of course, and they take care of finding a reliable carrier to move your freight.  They may have their own, independent contracts, but they often use the same load boards to find truckers that you would.

So why, then, would you use a freight broker when you could do it yourself?

You will save money by doing it yourself and many do, but ask yourself this:  How much is my time worth? How much time would it take for you to find a carrier, negotiate a price, and track your shipment and payments?  Multiply that time by the number of loads you have to ship. While a good load board, like Direct Freight, will streamline the process, it will still take time that you may use for other aspects of your business.  

For some, it’s worth the savings.  For others, using a freight broker gets that part of the job off their proverbial plates so they can concentrate on other ways to make their businesses successful.  With all of the useful information included on them, load boards help shippers make decisions that are less risky and more efficient.

Load boards are win-win.  Shippers learn whether or not the carrier has a good driving record and has the proper licenses,  and the carrier learns whether or not the shipper is reputable and pays carriers in a timely manner.

If you’ve got freight to ship and you don’t have a way to ship it, are unsatisfied with your current carrier, or have more freight than your current carrier can handle, go to www.directfreight.com and try our free 15-day trial and start posting those loads today!

Freight brokers are master jugglers.  They have to juggle finding and dispatching loads, locating carriers, tracking shipments, processing payroll, sending out invoices, and the list goes on.  With all of that juggling, it’s not surprising that a ball or two will occasionally hit the ground. But they don’t have to.

In order to be successful in the fast-paced freight broker business, you need freight management software to do the juggling for you.  But which one do you choose? The answer depends on your individual needs and your available budget. An effective TMS (Transportation Management Software) will streamline the whole process, allowing your business to grow.

Fortunately for today’s freight broker, there are a lot of choices for a good TMS, each with their own various features and price points.  Gone are the days of expensive software that you load onto your possibly compatible computer only to have to endure costly upgrades every few months.  Most freight broker software today are web-based and cloud-based, allowing you to access the software and your information from any device at any location and because they’re subscription services, you’re not roped into a lengthy expensive commitment.  

Best Freight Software Today

Load Pilot

With this software you can quote, book, organize, invoice, and manage loads.  Its straightforward interface allows you to fax or email invoices, provides overviews of weekly and daily activities, search their Master Carrier Database of over 160,000 carriers across the country.  It has an accounting ledger, personal calendar, and more.

Strategy Systems

Strategy Systems software includes trucking dispatch, fuel tax, billing payroll, driver logs, mapping, shipment tracking and vehicle maintenance.  Its easy-to-use interface features a broker board, load info screen with pay tab, billing screen, and a settlement screen that integrates with Quickbooks.

Aljex & Descartes

From the dashboard, the broker can access a number of tools to automate daily tasks.  The software is scalable so it can be used whether your operation is big or small. Its simplified interface allows you to streamline your accounting activities and see all your shipments, has easy document management, and secure backups.

3PL Systems

This software has all of the usual tools that help you to increase the efficiency of your freight brokerage operation but also includes a handy customer portal that allows your customer to track and rate shipments as well as a sales portal that gives your sales reps the ability to create quotes, dispatch loads, and track shipments.

Rose Rocket

Rose Rocket’s freight software provides real-time shipment visibility, real-time invoices and settlement, real-time chat function, and has a handy mobile app.  It has a sleek interface and is easy to manage for any sized company. It’s easy to use, from the initial quote to the completed invoice.

Ascend TMS

This supply chain management software (SCM) is a good fit for any sized business.  It has many of the usual features of this kind of software and includes GPS tracking to track your carriers on an integrated map.  One of its key features is its driver payroll function which allows you to pay drivers using different payment structures (per mile, hour, pallet, ton).

Most freight broker software companies allow you to see a demo on their websites, and some have trial offers so you can get the feel of the software before you commit to using the service.  Look for one that has all of the features you need, doesn’t force you to sift through features you don’t and feels comfortable to use.

The competition in the freight broker industry is fierce.  For freight brokers to keep up, they must find the right software to simplify their work and give them an edge over the competition.  Automation is the key to success and will help keep those juggling balls in the air.

Do your homework and examine several TMSs to find one with the right features for you.  Most TMSs do not include load boards but rather are designed to integrate with top load boards like Direct Freight to make the entire shipping process smooth and efficient.     

At Direct Freight, we make it easy for freight brokers to find loads or to find trucks to carry loads and we are fully integrated with many of today’s most popular freight brokerage software.  You can even try us out free for 14 days. Call us today at (888)894-4198 or go to DirectFreight.com to find out more about our services.

The shipping industry is a constantly growing and changing industry.  As a consumer of trucking-related software, it becomes more and more important that you adapt to the latest technologies to run the most efficient operation possible.  Whether you’re a freight broker or a carrier, you want to provide a vital, superior service to your customers and to do this, you need high-quality load matching software that’s user-friendly, efficient, and won’t break the bank.

What to Look For in a Load Matching Software

All software is not created equal.   Good load matching software should be streamlined and efficient, and have features such as:

• Load and Truck Searching – on your computer or your phone so you can be connected wherever you are
• Load and Truck Posting – to show availability
• Email Alerts – information on your loads and trucks sent directly to your inbox
• Credit Reports and Scores – so you know who you’re trusting
• Customization – get only the information you need and none that you don’t
• Load and Truck Search Filters – for more efficient searches
• Weather Information – so you’re aware of any weather-related delays
• Mileage Calculator – including tolls and how to avoid them
• Organization – manage all your loads
• Cloud-based

Why Cloud-based is Better

Having software that is in the cloud offers benefits to shippers, vendors, and truckers alike.  Because it is managed in one central location, updates and changes can be done without disrupting user access.  It can be accessed from anywhere using any mobile device, whether a laptop, iPad, or phone.

Cyber security is a top priority for every business, and because your data is in the cloud, it is automatically backed up so you don’t have to worry about power outages or viruses infecting your work computers or servers and destroying your data.  And with no servers or software at your location, there’s no need to

Cloud-based software allows users to find and post freight from anywhere  For truckers and carriers looking for freight, searches will always include the most up-to-date information.  The streamlined process of a web-based system saves time and money. Such advantages are not merely for the large companies, however, web-based freight matching software can be accessed using an affordable monthly fee which allows it to be utilized by large companies or individuals, essentially leveling the playing field.

Direct Freight Services

The software offered by Direct Freight Services is your solution for finding freight whether your business is big or small.  It has all of the services you need without complicated applications that you’ll never use. A small monthly fee grants you access to the simple, streamlined system where you can search for trucks if you have a load to transport or search for loads if you have a truck.  Or, if you prefer, list your load or truck and let interested parties search for you. It couldn’t be easier. Its interface is direct and simple so your searches will be quick.

Our Direct Freight Software will make your operation more efficient, allowing you to move more freight with fewer people, and with the availability of credit information, you can minimize your risks and make informed decisions about who you’re working with.  

To find out more about how our direct freight software can improve your bottom line, call (888)894-4198 or go here to sign up for a free 15-day trial offer.  Start your search today!