STUCK? START HERE
Can't find loads? Trucking weeks like this are fixable.
When you can't find loads, trucking turns into refreshing a board in a truck stop parking lot. Here is why the board goes quiet, what you can try today on your own, and what a dispatch desk changes, step by step.
AN EXAMPLE STUCK WEEK
Two days in a dead market
An example, not a client story. A dry van owner-operator delivers in south Florida on Tuesday. Florida takes in far more freight than it ships out, and the board shows a handful of loads north, all paying under the carrier's floor.
Wednesday is spent refreshing the board and calling brokers who don't call back. Thursday the carrier takes a cheap load to Atlanta just to get out, and loses money on the miles.
What a desk would have done: started booking the reload before the Florida delivery, priced a short move to Orlando or Tampa where more freight ships out, checked the drop and hook programs that run out of those markets, and shown the carrier the options with the all-in numbers. The carrier still picks. But the choice is made Tuesday morning, not Thursday night.
THE FALLBACK LADDER
Four rungs before you sit
When a lane goes quiet, we don't panic and we don't book you on junk. We climb this ladder, one rung at a time, and stop at the first one that pays. Tap a rung to see what it takes.
RUNG 1Same lane, better timing
Many lanes have days and hours when freight posts heavier and rates firm up. Booking a day earlier, or waiting out a soft afternoon, can be the whole fix.
What it takes: Watching the board at the right times, or someone doing it for you
RUNG 2Adjacent lane
When your lane is dead, the one next to it often isn't. A short move into a stronger market, then out again, can beat sitting or taking a cheap load straight home.
What it takes: Knowing which nearby markets ship more than they receive this week
RUNG 3Drop and hook programs
Shippers with preloaded trailers want carriers who show up on time, every time. Getting into those programs takes a clean record and a broker who will vouch for you.
What it takes: Program approvals and an on-time history
RUNG 4Power only while the trailer sits
If van freight is thin, park your trailer and pull program trailers with your tractor. Lower rate per mile, but no dead days and no trailer wear.
What it takes: Non-owned trailer coverage and program approval in your area
More on rung 4 in power only dispatch and where power only loads come from.
WHAT TO TRY TODAY
How to find loads for my truck, on your own
You don't need us to try these. They work for anyone, today.
- 01
Search wider, then narrow
Widen your origin radius and destination to whole regions, see what is moving, then narrow down to the best options.
- 02
Post your truck
Post your truck on the boards with where you are and where you want to go. Brokers covering last-minute freight search trucks, not just loads.
- 03
Call, don't just click
Phone the brokers whose loads you have hauled before. Repeat brokers often have freight that never hits the board.
- 04
Price the all-in rate
Add the empty miles to the pickup to the loaded miles before you judge the rate. A short deadhead can make a cheaper load the better one.
- 05
Check your packet
If brokers aren't booking you, check that your insurance, W-9 and contact details match your FMCSA record exactly.
- 06
Think one move ahead
Before you take a load into a weak market, look at what ships out of it. The second load decides whether the first one paid.
More on the boards themselves in dry van loads and load boards. Weighing a board subscription against a dispatcher? See dispatcher or load board.
NO LOADS, OWNER OPERATOR?
What a desk actually changes
A dispatcher doesn't have secret freight. What a desk has is time and contacts: someone watching the market while you drive, calling the brokers who have booked carriers like you before, and planning the next load before you need it.
That changes the timing of every decision. The reload is booked while you are still loaded. The weak market is spotted before you deliver into it. And when a broker offers less than your floor, someone counters while you keep driving.
You still decide. Every load we find comes to you as a rate con to sign or decline, at 5% of gross for one truck with an MC at least 6 months old.
THE MARKET, FOR REFERENCE
Slow is local
National averages hide the spread. DAT's dry van spot rate averaged $2.17 to $2.21 per mile, before fuel, through September 2026. At the same time, some outbound markets paid well above that and some inbound markets paid far below it.
So when someone says the market is slow, the useful question is: slow where, and slow for what? Your truck might be in the wrong place, not the wrong business.
SOURCE: DAT Freight & Analytics, CHECKED OCTOBER 2026.
01Why can't I find loads for my truck?
Usually one of four things: your lane is a weak market this week, you are searching at the wrong times, brokers aren't booking your MC yet, or your rate floor is above what the lane pays right now. Each has a different fix. Working out which one it is comes first.
02Is the freight market slow right now?
It depends on your equipment and lane, and it changes week to week. For a national reference, DAT's dry van spot rate averaged $2.17 to $2.21 per mile before fuel through September 2026. Your lane can be well above or below that.
03How far should I deadhead for a load?
As far as the numbers say, not a set distance. Count the empty miles in the all-in rate per mile. A load 150 miles away that pays well and lands you in a strong market can beat a close one that strands you. Your floor rate decides.
04Can I run power only when van loads are slow?
Yes, if your insurance covers non-owned trailers and you can get into a program in your area. Your trailer sits in the yard while your tractor pulls preloaded program trailers. It is a fallback worth setting up before you need it.
05Should I take a cheap load just to get out of a bad market?
Sometimes it is the right call, but only after you have priced the alternatives. Compare the cheap load with a short move into a stronger market nearby, and with waiting a day. Count the empty miles and where each option leaves you for the next load. Then pick the one that pays best over two loads, not one.
06Do new MCs have a harder time finding loads?
Yes. Many brokers won't book an authority under a certain age, so a new MC sees fewer of the loads on the board. The fix is working the brokers that do book new authorities and building a record that opens the rest. See new authority dispatch.
NO CONTRACT / YOU SIGN EVERY RATE CON
Stop refreshing. Start rolling.
Apply in two minutes. We plan your next load before this one delivers, and every rate con comes to you to sign.