DOCK 01NO LOADS
Can't find loads? Trucking weeks like this have a cause, and a fix
When you can't find loads, trucking feels personal. It usually is not. Empty days come from a few things you can see and change: authority age, deadhead limits, your rate floor, and how you look for freight. Tap through the diagnosis below, try the fixes, and if you would rather hand the phone to someone, we are here.
DOCK 02DIAGNOSIS
Why can't I find loads? A 30-second diagnosis
Answer five questions about your truck and how you work. You get the likely causes and what to change first.
DIAGNOSIS
- 1
Your deadhead limit is tight
At 50 miles you only see loads that start almost at your door. Widening it when the rate covers the empty miles opens more pickups.
- 2
You are only working the boards
Posted loads are the same ones every truck sees. Calling brokers who already moved freight on your lanes, and posting your truck, reaches loads you never see posted.
General guidance from your answers, not a promise of loads. Markets and lanes differ.
DOCK 03USUAL CAUSES
No loads, owner operator edition: the usual causes
- 01
A new MC
Some brokers will not tender to a carrier until the authority reaches their minimum age. New carriers who only call those brokers hear no all day.
- 02
A deadhead limit that is too tight
Refusing to drive more than a short distance empty rules out every pickup past that line, including ones that would pay for the drive. The right limit depends on the rate, not a fixed number.
- 03
Only working the load board
Every truck sees the same posts. The loads that move fastest often go to carriers the broker already knows.
- 04
The wrong place at the wrong time
Delivering into an area with little outbound freight, or running a lane that is seasonal, leaves the truck waiting.
- 05
Paperwork that slows setups
A missing certificate holder, an old W-9 or an NOA that does not match turns a yes into a delay.
DOCK 04TRY TODAY
How to find loads for my truck: five things to try today
1
Widen your search when the rate allows
Search 100 to 150 miles out and judge each load by rate per total mile, deadhead included.
2
Post your truck, not only search
Brokers search for available trucks too. Post your truck, location and equipment on the boards you use.
3
Call brokers who moved your lanes before
Brokers who already booked you, or who posted loads on your lanes last week, are more likely to call you back.
4
Plan the next load before you deliver
Look at outbound freight from your delivery city the day before you arrive, not after you are empty.
5
Get your packet ready to send
Authority letter, W-9, certificate of insurance and NOA in one file, so a broker setup never waits on you.
Where box truck loads come from · Working with brokers · Deadhead cost calculator · Break-even rate calculator
EXAMPLE: is the far load worth the empty miles?
A tight deadhead limit feels safe because empty miles cost money. Run the numbers before you rule a load out. These figures are an EXAMPLE, not market rates; use your own cost per mile.
| LOAD | LOADED | RATE | TOTAL | PER TOTAL MILE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Load A, 40 mi deadhead | 400 loaded mi | $1,000 | 440 total mi | $2.27 per total mile |
| Load B, 140 mi deadhead | 700 loaded mi | $1,900 | 840 total mi | $2.26 per total mile |
Load B means 100 more empty miles, yet it pays almost the same per total mile and nearly twice the dollars for the day. If your cost per mile is below that figure, both loads make money, and refusing B because of the deadhead leaves the truck parked. If Load A delivers somewhere with little outbound freight, B can be the better week. The deadhead calculator does this math with your numbers.
Mistakes that keep a truck parked
- Waiting until the truck is empty to look for the next load.
- Calling the same handful of brokers who already said no.
- Turning down every load under a fixed number without checking break-even.
- Letting insurance certificates or the W-9 go out of date, so setups stall.
- Running into areas with little freight going back out, then waiting for a reload.
- Not answering the phone fast enough when a broker calls back.
When a dispatcher is not the fix
If your authority is not active, your insurance has lapsed, or your truck cannot legally take the freight you want, no dispatcher can book around it. Fix those first. And if your costs are higher than what your lanes pay, more loads only means more losses; the break-even calculator shows where you stand. When the basics are in place and the problem is time, contacts and timing, that is where we help.
DOCK 05DISPATCH
What a dispatcher does differently
- Broker contacts beyond the board
- We search the major boards and call brokers and shippers directly, filtered by your equipment and lanes.
- Timing
- We start on your next load before this one delivers, so you are not searching from an empty truck.
- Backhaul planning
- We look at what moves out of the delivery area before booking the run in.
- Negotiation on every load
- Every posted rate gets a counter, so a busy week is also a paid week.
Dispatch costs a percentage of gross on loads you haul: 7% for a new MC or a single box truck or hotshot, 5% for a single truck of another kind, 4% for 2+ trucks (limited-time rate). No haul, no fee.
When it is the market, not you
Sometimes freight is simply slow: fewer loads, more trucks, lower rates. Then the fixes above still help, but the bigger moves are lane changes, contract freight and cost control. Our slow freight market page covers what we change when the market drops.
DOCK 06FAQ
Questions when the truck sits
Q-01Why can't I find loads for my truck?
The usual causes are a new MC that many brokers will not load yet, a deadhead limit that is too tight, working only the load board, being in an area with little outbound freight, or paperwork that slows broker setups. The diagnosis on this page points you to the most likely ones for your truck.
Q-02How do I find loads without a load board?
Call brokers who have moved freight on your lanes, post your truck so brokers can find you, ask shippers in your area directly, and keep a list of brokers who have paid well and on time. A dispatcher does this every day with contacts already built.
Q-03How long does it take a new MC to get loads?
There is no fixed timeline. Some brokers load new authorities once your insurance and packet check out; others wait for your authority to reach their minimum age. Focusing on the brokers that accept new MCs, with documents ready, is what shortens it.
Q-04Is it a slow freight market right now?
Markets move with seasons and the economy, and conditions differ by lane and equipment. Public load-to-truck and spot rate reports from the big load boards give a national picture. What matters for you is your lanes; we can tell you what we see on them on a call.
Q-05Can a dispatcher guarantee loads?
No, and be wary of anyone who does. A dispatcher controls how hard and how well your truck is marketed, not how much freight exists. What a good one can promise is that every day is spent finding, negotiating and planning your loads.
Let us work the phones. You pick the loads.
About 2 minutes to apply. You approve every load we find.