Trucking company leads: where small carriers actually find freight

Every new carrier hears the same advice: "get direct shippers." It's good advice with a long timeline. A direct shipper relationship usually takes months of calls, a trial load and a record of good service. In the meantime, the trucks need to run.

The fleets that grow steadily work several lead sources at once: brokers and load boards to keep trucks loaded now, and direct shippers and RFPs to build steadier freight over time. This page covers where freight leads come from, what each source needs from you, and how long it takes to turn into revenue.

We don't sell lead lists, and we don't recommend buying them.

Five lead sources, as a roster

• SOURCE 1

  Brokers

  First load: days

  Needs: active authority, insurance on file, a complete carrier packet. Some brokers require a minimum authority age.

• SOURCE 2

  Load boards

  First load: days

  Needs: a subscription, a fast phone, the ability to check a broker's credit and pay history before booking.

• SOURCE 3

  Direct shippers

  First load: weeks to months

  Needs: a specific lane, reliable equipment, references, insurance limits the shipper requires, patience.

• SOURCE 4

  Shipper RFPs

  First load: months

  Needs: a record, lane pricing you can commit to for a year, capacity you can promise every week.

• SOURCE 5

  Networks and referrals

  First load: varies

  Needs: showing up. Associations, local business groups, other carriers sending overflow.

The lead source table

Brokers and load boards: freight this week

Brokers move a large share of the freight a small carrier will see, and load boards are where most brokers post it. A subscription costs money: DAT's carrier plans run $59 to $339 per monthDAT load board pricingDAT One carrier load board plans$59 to $339 per monthDAT's published carrier plans: One Standard $59, Enhanced $149, Pro $169, Select $259, Office $339 per month, as listed on DAT's pricing page.DAT load board pricing, 2026Checked Oct 2026Close, checked October 2026. What makes a load board work is speed and judgment: calling first, checking the broker's credit and pay record before you book, and knowing your floor rate per truck.

The best broker leads aren't on the board at all. They're the brokers you've already hauled for. After every good load, ask the broker what else they move on that lane and whether they'll call you first next time. Five brokers who know your trucks are worth more than five hundred posts.

Direct shippers: freight that repeats

Direct shippers pay better on average because there's no broker margin, and their freight repeats. They're also slower to win and slower to pay in some cases.

Pick your target from your lanes. A direct shipper wants a truck on its lane, on its schedule. Start with shippers located on the lanes you already run, moving the freight your equipment handles.

Find the person who books trucks. Often a shipping manager, logistics coordinator or plant manager, not the front desk. Local manufacturers, distributors, building suppliers and food processors are good places to start for small fleets.

Offer something specific. "I have a 53 ft reefer delivering in your area every Tuesday and can take a load back toward Atlanta" is a real offer. "We're a reliable trucking company" isn't.

Start with one load. Most shippers will try a carrier on one load before committing to more. Make that load perfect, then ask for the next one.

RFPs: steadier freight, later

Larger shippers bid their lanes through requests for proposals, often once a year. Winning even two or three lanes can steady a small fleet. But RFPs usually expect a record, rates you can hold for months, and capacity you'll provide every week. They're a goal for an established carrier, not a starting point for a new one.

Networks, associations and referrals

Trucking associations, chamber of commerce groups, and other carriers in your area are slow, cheap sources of leads. A larger carrier with too much freight on your lane may hand you overflow. A shipper you met at a local business event may call when its regular carrier falls through. These leads take time, but they cost little and tend to be good ones.

EXAMPLE A two-truck flatbed carrier in Indiana spends Fridays calling building suppliers within 150 miles. After three months, one supplier tries them on a load of trusses. Six months later, that supplier gives them two loads a week. Brokers still fill the rest of the week, but the direct freight covers a large part of the fixed costs.

What every lead source needs from you

• A complete carrier packet you can send in minutes: authority, W-9, certificate of insurance, references.
• A clear lane and equipment story. Shippers and brokers remember "the Tuesday reefer to Atlanta."
• A phone that's answered. Missed calls are lost loads.
• Accurate public records. Brokers check your authority, insurance and safety record before booking.
• A simple website. Our trucking website template covers the six pages shippers look for.

What to avoid

Paying for "guaranteed" leads. Promises of guaranteed shipper contracts for a fee are a common way new carriers lose money. Real shippers don't sign with a carrier because someone sold its name.

Calling everyone. A short list of shippers on your lanes beats a long list of shippers anywhere.

Underpricing to win. A direct shipper won at a rate below your cost per mile loses money on every load. Know your floor before you quote.

Check a lead before you book it

Not every lead is a good one. Before you take a load from a broker or shipper you haven't worked with, spend five minutes checking:

• Authority. A broker should have active broker authority and a surety bond or trust fund on file; look it up in FMCSA's public records.
• Pay history. Credit and days-to-pay services, often included with load board subscriptions or factoring accounts, show how fast a broker pays other carriers.
• The details match. The company name, phone number and email on the rate confirmation should match the authority record. A mismatch can be a sign of fraud or double brokering.
• The rate makes sense. A load paying far above the market on your lane deserves a closer look, not a quick yes.

For a direct shipper, ask for a credit application or references, and agree on payment terms in writing before the first load. Some carriers use a factoring company to check a new customer's credit before they haul.

Turning a one-time load into a lead

The best time to win the next load is right after a good one. When a delivery goes well, send the broker or shipper a short note: the POD, a thank-you, and when your truck will next be on that lane. Ask who else in their company books freight on lanes you run. Over a year, those small follow-ups turn one-time loads into a list of repeat customers.

Tracking your leads

Keep a simple list: who you called, when, what they ship, what they said, when to follow up. A spreadsheet is enough. After three months you'll see which sources turn into loads and which only use your time. Track loads and revenue by source too; it tells you where to spend next quarter's effort.

Brokers now, shippers next

Leads convert better once the basics are in place: your carrier profile, website and reputation, all covered in marketing for trucking companies. If you're still setting up the company, start with how to start a trucking company, and if you're still naming it, the trucking company name generator helps. Some owners buy an existing carrier for its customers instead; see buying a trucking company. For an outside review of your sales approach, a trucking consultant can help. And for how leads fit the bigger plan, read how to grow a trucking company.

Our view: brokers pay the bills while direct shippers build the business. Work both every week, and track which one each load came from.