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Guides for owner-operators going direct
Every question a driver asks before cutting out the broker, answered in plain words. The guides are free, start to finish. The list is the paid part.
How do I find shippers as a carrier?
Where shippers actually are, and how to hunt them down without spending your life on it.
How do I get a direct contract with a shipper?
From the first call to steady loads: the path a direct agreement really follows.
How do I get loads directly from shippers?
The whole road, step by step: authority, insurance, packet, calls, first load.
How do I find shippers that work direct with carriers?
The signs a shipper deals direct — and the signs of a broker wall instead.
What do I say when I call a shipper?
The first call, written out word for word, plus the voicemail version.
What does a shipper ask for before the first load?
Authority, insurance, W-9, references — and how to have it all ready before you call.
What goes in a carrier packet?
The full checklist for one clean packet you can send in a minute.
How much does a broker keep?
The plain math on one load: the rate, the broker's slice, and what going direct keeps in your pocket.
How do I price a lane when a shipper asks my rate?
Fuel, miles, deadhead and time — how to quote a number you can live on.
How do I keep a shipper once I have one?
On-time, straight talk, problems handled early: how to become the carrier they call first.
How do I find direct shippers near me?
Why the shippers in your own state matter most, and how to work them first.
What do I write in the first email to a shipper?
The first email and the follow-up, written out in full, with subject lines.
Do I need my own authority to haul direct?
Leased on versus your own authority, in plain words.
What insurance do shippers require?
Liability and cargo, the certificate, and keeping it all current.
How do shippers pick carriers?
From the shipper's side of the desk: what earns a yes, and what earns a no.
Direct shippers or load boards?
An honest comparison — and why many carriers run both.
How often do I follow up with a shipper?
A rhythm that keeps you remembered without making you a pest.
How do I get paid when I haul direct?
Invoicing, payment terms and load paperwork, in plain words.
Can box truck drivers use direct shippers too?
The honest answer for box trucks. This list is built semi-first.
What happens on the first load with a new shipper?
The checklist from booking to invoice that proves you belong.
What will a shipper ask me on the first call?
Their questions — lanes, equipment, insurance, rates — and strong plain answers.
How do I work a list of shippers?
Turning a list into loads: calls per day, tracking answers, and the weekly rhythm.
Guides tell you how. The list tells you who.
Every guide on this site is free, start to finish. The list is the paid part: shippers in all 50 states with the shipping person's name, email and phone — one payment, and every shipper added later is yours too.
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