Freight exchange and load board guides

Freight exchanges

• Freight exchanges·All markets4 min read
  Freight and trucking glossary

  Short definitions of freight and trucking terms: backhaul, cabotage, CMR, deadhead, drayage, FTL and LTL, HOS, MC number, reefer, Ro-Ro, TIR and more.

• Freight exchanges·All markets2 min read
  Freight exchange vs freight broker

  A freight broker arranges transport and takes a margin; a freight exchange is a marketplace where brokers, shippers and carriers meet. Compared.

• Freight exchanges·All markets3 min read
  What is a freight exchange?

  A freight exchange (load board) is an online marketplace where shippers and brokers post loads and carriers find them. How it works and who uses it.

Finding truck loads

• Finding truck loads·All markets3 min read
  How to find shippers as a carrier or freight broker

  How carriers and freight brokers find shippers: direct shipper freight versus broker loads, where shippers look for capacity, and how to approach them.

• Finding truck loads·United States2 min read
  How owner-operators find loads in the USA

  How owner-operators find trucking loads in the USA: load boards, broker relationships, backhauls and deadhead planning. Practical steps.

• Finding truck loads·Europe2 min read
  How to find truck loads in Europe

  How small carriers find truck loads in Europe: freight exchanges, forwarders, return loads and corridors such as Germany–Poland.

Finding carriers

• Finding carriers·All markets2 min read
  How to find carriers for your loads

  How brokers, dispatchers and shippers find truck carriers: posting loads, searching truck listings, and checking authority on FMCSA SAFER or EU licences.

Freight rates and costs

• Freight rates and costs·United States4 min read
  Accessorial charges in trucking: detention, layover, lumper fees and TONU

  Accessorial charges in trucking explained: detention, layover, lumper fees and TONU, and how to agree them in the rate confirmation.

• Freight rates and costs·United States4 min read
  Fuel surcharge: how trucking fuel surcharges are calculated

  How a trucking fuel surcharge is calculated from a base fuel price, fuel efficiency and a weekly diesel index, with a per-mile formula you can apply.

• Freight rates and costs·United Kingdom5 min read
  Haulage rates per mile: how to price a haulage job

  How to work out a haulage rate per mile in the UK from your fixed and running costs, empty miles and waiting time, for HGV and van work alike.

• Freight rates and costs·United States5 min read
  Owner-operator pay after expenses: how to work it out

  How to work out owner-operator take-home pay from revenue per mile, fixed costs, insurance, running costs and empty miles, using your own numbers.

• Freight rates and costs·Europe4 min read
  Road freight rates in Europe: how the public indexes work

  How European road freight rate indexes work, what spot and contract indexes measure, and how to use them next to your own cost per km when you price a load.

Return loads

• Return loads·United States2 min read
  Backhaul loads

  What backhaul freight is, why it pays differently from the headhaul, and how carriers find backhaul loads from the delivery area to cut deadhead miles.

Regulations and documents

• Regulations and documents·United States3 min read
  Bill of lading: meaning, contents and types

  What a bill of lading is in US trucking, what it must contain under 49 CFR 373.101, straight vs order bills, and who signs it at pickup and delivery.

• Regulations and documents·Europe3 min read
  EU cabotage rules for truck carriers

  EU road cabotage rules explained: three operations in seven days after an international delivery, the four-day cooling-off, posting rules and who may do it.

• Regulations and documents·Europe2 min read
  The CMR consignment note

  The CMR consignment note explained: when the CMR Convention applies, the three copies, carrier liability limits, claim deadlines and e-CMR.

• Regulations and documents·United Kingdom2 min read
  UK cabotage rules for EU hauliers

  UK cabotage rules for EU-registered trucks: two cabotage movements within seven days of a laden arrival, no cooling-off period, and empty arrivals.

• Regulations and documents·United States2 min read
  US hours-of-service rules for truck drivers

  FMCSA hours-of-service rules for property-carrying truck drivers: the 11-hour and 14-hour limits, 30-minute break, 60/70-hour week, 34-hour restart.

Owner-operators

• Owner-operators·United States4 min read
  Carrier packet: what brokers ask for and how to prepare one

  What a carrier packet is, the documents brokers ask owner-operators for before the first load, and how to keep one ready so you can book faster.

• Owner-operators·United States3 min read
  Freight factoring: what it is and how it works

  What freight factoring is, how carriers sell invoices for an advance, recourse vs non-recourse, the reserve and notice of assignment, and what to compare.

• Owner-operators·United States2 min read
  Load boards for carriers with new authority

  Finding loads with a new MC authority: the FMCSA new-entrant period, why some brokers ask for authority age, and how new carriers build a history.

• Owner-operators·United States2 min read
  What load boards are available for owner-operators?

  Load boards available to US owner-operators — DAT, Truckstop, 123Loadboard and GigFreight — compared on published prices, trials and free browsing.

Freight brokers

• Freight brokers·All markets2 min read
  How freight brokers post loads

  How freight brokers, forwarders and shippers post loads on a load board: what to include, how carriers find it, and how to choose a carrier safely.

• Freight brokers·United States3 min read
  How to become a freight broker in the USA

  What a US freight broker needs: FMCSA broker authority (MC number), $75,000 financial security (BMC-84 or BMC-85), a BOC-3 filing and UCR.

• Freight brokers·United States2 min read
  Rate confirmation: what it is and what to check

  What a rate confirmation is, what a broker’s rate con should include, and what carriers check before signing: rate, accessorials, times and payment.

Choosing a load board

• Choosing a load board·All markets2 min read
  How much does a load board cost?

  Published load board and freight exchange prices compared — GigFreight, DAT, Truckstop, 123Loadboard, Cargopedia, 123cargo, Trans.eu — with sources.

• Choosing a load board·All markets2 min read
  How to choose a freight exchange

  A checklist for choosing a freight exchange or load board: coverage, load relevance, contact access, verification, pricing and trial terms.

• Choosing a load board·Europe1 min read
  Which freight exchanges operate in Poland and Germany?

  Which freight exchanges operate in Poland and Germany: TIMOCOM, Trans.eu, Teleroute, Cargopedia and GigFreight compared on languages, pricing and access.

Technology and APIs

• Technology and APIs·All markets2 min read
  How to integrate loads through a load board API

  How logistics companies integrate load board data through an API: authentication, filtering, pagination, posting loads and what GigFreight’s API offers today.

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