If you love being on the road, using specialized skills to get tangible results, and be useful, then becoming a truck driver is a career you should consider. There are many options for drivers across North America from having a regular long haul route to working for a small fleet with short hauls, to becoming an owner-operator and creating your own work schedule. The options are varied and promising.
When you’re new to the world of trucking, either as a customer using a load board or a new driver in the industry, you may not be familiar with the differences between being an independent owner-operator versus working for a fleet company. We will discuss the differences between the two career options and how load boards can benefit both in different ways. If you’re a veteran trucker, you can skip this brief introduction and dive into the next section for more information on how freight load boards can benefit you. However, you might want to read through it if you’ve ever wondered what it’s like in the other role.
Truckers Are the Backbone of Supply Chains
You don’t need to spend much time on any Canadian or American highway to notice numerous trucks pass by carrying everything from grocery deliveries to livestock to heavy machinery or raw supplies. You might not realize that some of those drivers are self-employed as owner-operators of their own trucks, while others work for shipping companies, and others work for major corporations. While the skills to drive a semi-truck largely overlap across the industry, there are key skills that each load entails. For example, drivers of heavy equipment must know how to securely chain down massive pieces of equipment to deliver their shipments to their destinations safely. Drivers of other loads, such as livestock or raw materials, will follow other safety measures and protocols to protect their loads and drive safely on the road.
Why Become an Owner-Operator?
An owner-operator is just how it sounds. It means the driver owns their semi-truck and is the sole driver. There are many benefits to owning your own truck. The primary reasons drivers choose to own and operate a truck include the freedom to make their own schedules, taking home a higher salary, and choosing the jobs to take.
Even with greater freedom and higher wages, there are also higher risks being an owner-operator. For starters, when you work for yourself, you are responsible for the maintenance of your truck. You’re also in charge of arranging shipments, collecting payments, and being accountable for customer relations. Being in charge means it’s up to you to turn off your work side to enjoy yourself and take a break.
Pros:
- Flexible schedules
- Higher salary
- Independence
- Be your own boss
Cons:
- Requires skill and experience
- Must own or pay off your semi-truck
- Long-term commitment
- Working solo with less support
Why Become a Fleet Driver?
Becoming a driver in a fleet is similar to working for a company. As the driver, you are the employee, and the truck is the equipment that the company provides you to drive. Depending on the company you work for, you don’t have the same amount of choice in choosing which loads you will transport or routes you’ll be driving.
The benefits of beginning as a fleet driver include the extra support and training at the beginning until you become more experienced. You’ll likely be less stressed since your primary role is to show up and drive the truck. At the end of your driving hours, you can park the truck and go home without the responsibility of collecting payments, arranging schedules, or interacting with customers.
Another perk of working for a company is that if you decide to move cities or want to switch companies, you can. Or, if you determine that driving is not the career for you, it’s easier to walk away and try something new without having to pay off your truck or find a buyer to sell it to. In some ways, being a fleet driver has more freedom. It all depends on where you are at in your career and what your goals are.
Pros:
- Great place to start as a new truck driver
- Stable wages
- Less stress
- Flexibility to change jobs or careers
Cons:
- Lower salary
- Less independence
- Less flexibility
- Not involved in decision-making processes
Owner-Operator Vs. Fleet Driver: Which to Choose?
As a newer driver, you might have an easier time starting as a fleet driver. Driving for a fleet gives you the opportunity to gain experience with guidance and more experienced mentors. There is also less of a barrier to beginning truck driving when you start with a fleet because you are not expected to buy your own truck.
Drivers who have spent a lot of time on the road for different companies may be better positioned to purchase their own trucks and start making their own schedules as independent drivers. While the temptation of more money and flexibility may make newer drivers dream of being owner-operators, it’s best to wait until the right time to make such a big commitment.
How Truckers Find Loads
Both fleet companies and independent truck drivers will have their regular clients or contracts that keep them busy with regular shipments, but when shipments get slow or they want extra work, both business types use load boards.
If you’ve never heard of a load board, imagine a classifieds section on your city’s website or the classifieds column in your community newspaper if you’re old school. The way people advertise items they want to sell, hoping to find a buyer, or perhaps a job they need someone to do is similar in principle to how a load board works.
Save Time With Digital Load Boards
Digital load boards for the trucking industry help both customers and drivers save time connecting. Rather than chasing down leads and spending hours getting details from a potential customer, a load board can help take care of that legwork. How it works at Trusted Dispatch goes like this:
Step one: Customers get a free instant quote by telling us the pick-up location of their shipment, the destination location, and the measurements of their equipment or machinery. We have a powerful Specs Tool that helps customers determine the dimensions and weight of their machine. If assistance is required, we’re available to help the customer.
Step two: When the customer accepts the quote and publishes their load to the board, our network of professional drivers can find the details and claim the shipment. Because we connect with professional drivers across North America, shipments can travel virtually anywhere in Canada and the United States.
Step three: When the driver confirms the load, the customer prepays Trusted Dispatch. We then pay the driver within seven days of successfully delivering the shipment. We ensure that you receive fair payment and that customers know their load will be delivered on time. We value your expertise and professionalism, which is why we created a model with reliable, timely payments.
The Benefits of a Load Board
Trusted Dispatch uses a leading-edge technology that makes it straightforward to connect experienced, professional drivers with loads that match their routes, schedules, and equipment. You can search for loads based on the type of equipment needing transport or by the locations. With the accurate details we collect from customers, the process of browsing published loads is clear and simple.
Types of Shipments
If you own your own truck and trailer or have access to trailers, you’ve likely received more than one request to help transport something for a friend, acquaintance, or even stranger. If you are looking for extra jobs, navigating the worthwhile loads from the casual inquiries can be difficult. Load boards can save you the time and headache involved in finding loads suited for your equipment and availability.
At Trusted Dispatch, we specialize in heavy equipment hauling, so the drivers that use our load board know they will be finding shipments of heavy equipment and machinery. We take care of the details involved in collecting the shipping locations, the size of the load, and the weight, giving you confidence when you choose a shipment that the details provided are accurate and will match the available equipment.
Payments / Cash flow
Another part of the business that many drivers dread is collecting payments. When trying to work with a professional driver one-on-one, customers may have a range of expectations or assumptions. From not understanding the true costs of a shipment to wanting extra time to make payments, drivers can encounter a full range of challenges.
With a load board, such as Trusted Dispatch, we take care of all the payment details for you. We make it clear up front that we calculate all shipments at a fair rate based on the size of the load and the distances the shipment travels, plus the time it will take to deliver the load. Our industry-leading software determines which category each shipment falls in, based on how many axels are required to haul the load and if any specialized equipment is needed. These details determine the base hourly rate. The estimated total includes a minimum of one hour each to load and unload the shipment plus the time it would take to travel the distance at the average speed, with a bit of extra time for deadheading.
Easy Calculations
We value the skills of our drivers and pay them fairly for their time and work, and our customers love this. When a customer uses our shipment calculator, they receive a free instant quote after they input their pick-up and drop-off locations and the machine’s measurements. Our powerful Specs Tool offers the dimensions of thousands of popular makes and models of heavy machinery and equipment to make the process smoother. Our dedicated customer support staff is also available to help with those hard-to-find details.
Drivers have peace of mind knowing they can find extra shipments at fair rates when using Trusted Dispatch. We ensure payments are made within seven days of the successful delivery, so you have reliable cash flow in your own business. This setup works well for both owner-operators and small fleet companies.
How Does a Free Load Board Work
The Trusted Dispatch system is easy and free to use. If you’re considering joining our driver network, you’re expected to be the professional you are. Drivers must have their own cargo insurance that covers the value of the freight shipments they accept from the load board. They must also have the appropriate skills, knowledge, and equipment to make the shipment safely and according to all laws and regulations. Our customers are relying on you for expert advice and a professional experience.
Peace of Mind
Using a load board creates peace of mind for both drivers and customers. Drivers know that the customer is serious about a shipment, has shared the relevant information required to plan the haul, and has prepaid for the delivery. Drivers know that when they use the Trusted Dispatch load board, they are guaranteed payment within seven days of successfully delivering a customer’s load to the destination. Customers also feel confident when using Trusted Dispatch because they know they will be working with a professional, fully vetted, and insured driver. When both parties have confidence, shipments that were viewed as a hassle become straightforward business transactions.
Trusted Dispatch Enterprise Program
Fleet companies who want to improve their operations but desire more stability with shipments can benefit from using our digital platform in their own systems. Our industry-leading load board system can help you grow your business with automated processes using innovative software and AI. Your shipping logistics become much easier when you know where your drivers are and when each load is delivered with real-time tracking and reporting.
We can help your company optimize your transportation management system (TMS) that helps you plan your shipments, track your progress, and grow your shipments. You can read more about our enterprise platform for fleet companies and contact us with any questions.
The Best Load Board for Truckers
Finding additional shipments that pay well and are reliable can be time-consuming. As a trucker, you want a more straightforward solution to finding available loads rather than the word of mouth of combing through message boards. The Trusted Dispatch digital load board is the best load board for drivers in Canada and the United States. You’ll find loads that match your equipment and routes with prepaid shipments and knowledgeable customer support. Learn more about becoming a Trusted Dispatch driver and earn more profits on the road every month. Our easy-to-use online platform is accessible through our website or throughout the mobile app, making picking up loads fast and easy no matter where you are.
