October 8, 2021
Trucking
We have talked in great detail before what a load board is in other blog posts. As a quick refresher, a load board is an online forum wherebrokers, and basically whoever needs a hauling job completed, will put uphauling requests that can be picked up by owner operator truck drivers.Basically, a load board is a great place for owner operator truck drivers to find work, and for freight brokers to find clients either short term or long term. In this blog we’ll be talking about the best load boards to find work on in 2022, and what makes them stand out from the other outlets available for owner operator truck drivers to find hauling work.
Though there are many load boards to choose from that are very reliable, and well-built websites, some stand much taller above the others. Going in 2022, here are the best load boards at the moment for both user ease, and capability.
Trucker Path is a smartphone app used by truckers everywhere. It comes with a variety of features such as having a large user base and allowing truckers to filter jobs by the weight of the cargo, and the route in which they need to be taken. Aside perk is that it lets you check out people’s credit scores to ensure that you’re working only with people who are reliable. The best part about Trucker Path? It’s completely free to use for truckers and brokers alike, making it an affordable option for owner operator truck drivers who are just starting out to get some fast cash without needing to pay for anything. With all of this and more, Trucker Path has made a name for itself as one of the best services out there.
Next, we have Truckstop.com, which was actually one of the first load boards to be created. Truckstop offers a number of benefits on their website including being home to over 600,000 brokers and allowing you to book loads right from their website to get the job on the move as fast as possible. However, unlike Trucker Path, Truckstop actually costs a monthly fee to use. You can decide how much you would prefer to pay by examining the three different payment tiers on their website. Each comes with a variety of benefits depending on how much you’re willing to pay. The first and cheapest tier costs$39 a month, the second is $125, and the third is $149. Depending on your needs, you may need to invest in a higher tier, but even the baseline option comes with more than enough benefits to take your business to the next level.
Now we’ll look at DirectFreight. Direct Freight is another load board similar to Truckstop as it costs a monthly fee to use, but it has some unique features that are worth checking out. The most unique thing about them is their notification system which will give a driver updates on the weather and other alerts along the scheduled route that they are transporting cargo on. Like Trucker Path, they also allow you to check out the credit score of any broker that you might be interested in working with. At $34.95 a month Direct Freight is a solid option for owner operators.
Each of these options would be good for any starting out owner operator, as each of them bring similar perks to the table with their own unique twist somewhere in between. Load boards are a great option for owner operator truck drivers to find work, and it’s interesting to look at how they have affected the freight brokering industry as a whole.
Load boards revolutionized freight brokering when they first came about, and they have continued to make the process of connecting a broker to a trucker easier than ever. Freight brokers get just as much use out of load boards that truckers do. It allows them to get a driver to haul whatever cargo they have waiting with ease. This could also endup being a road to a long-lasting partnership between a broker and a trucking service, which would only benefit both of them. Load boards have made it easy to find and negotiate with brokers, and they have overall improved the condition of the industry.
After reading this we hope you understand the importance of these load boards and are aware of how helpful they can be for a new owner operator, or a broker service. If you are interested in making use of any of these load boards, simply go to any of their websites and get a feel for how they work. We have no doubt that their user-friendly interface will take no time to learn to navigate. After that,start doing some jobs, and use the load boards to their full potential. We hope we provided some useful information and if you are looking for a Texas Based Freight Broker we are always happy to help.
An end dumps carry weight depends heavily on the specific road regulations, the power unit weight, and the composition of the trailer. A steel trailer, typically referred to as a Round Bottom, will be heavier and will have a payload of approximately 21 to 23 tons. By contrast, an aluminum end dump is much lighter and can carry anywhere from 23-28 tons, with some set-ups being able to approach 30-ton payloads.
End dumps are typically loaded by heavy machinery, such as a front-end loader or excavator, or by a series of conveyor belts. End dumps are top load trailers. An owner-operator with an end dump trailer will uncover the trailer via an electric tarp switch in the cab. With the trailer uncovered, the heavy machinery is free to load from the top of the trailer, being careful to evenly distribute the material. Once loaded, the owner-operator flips the tarp switch, covers the load, and continues their run.
There are several different types of hydraulic lifts that are usually part of dump trailers. These include telescopic, dual-piston, and scissor lifts, among others. Most dump trailers use hydraulics to automatically lift the dump box and unload the materials in a quick, seamless action.
An end dump is an excellent investment for owner operators or construction companies that transport bulk aggregate on a frequent basis. Depending on your needs, a steel or aluminum end dump will ensure that you are able to reliable keep your customers jobsites and stockpiles full.
Depending on market timing, a typical aluminum end dump will range between $15,000 to $70,000+, with steel round bottoms priced around $10,000-$50,000+. These trailers are also offered for rent or lease, with trailers available for around $850-$2,000 per month. When renting or leasing, it is typical for all repairs to be the responsibility of the renting owner operator.
Flex base can be an excellent choice for a driveway but is not often used as a primary input in TXDOT construction. Flex base is best suited for farm roads, driveways, RV pads, and for other foundations that will not receive heavy traffic. Flex base is cheaper than most alternative options, such as asphalt or base that meets TXDOT specifications. Additionally, once set and compacted, a flex base road or driveway is cheaper and easier to maintain.
Yes, road base and flex base are the same material family. That said, the differentiating factor is typically the testing results of each material. When shopping for material, it is important to identify exactly what type of material you are buying. Retailers will categorize Base as a broad category and can leave identification to consumers, which is challenging and confusing. In general, if a retailer is selling a Road Base it can be assumed that the material is of higher construction quality than flex base, meaning it will have a wider range of approved uses. However, some vendors will sell Flex Base as a Road Base; this makes it important to understand if the material you are purchasing is a true Flex Base, is ‘Spec 247’, or is TXDOT approved. With each increase in quality comes an increase in cost, so it is important to identify which material will best suit the needs of your project.
Flex Base is a mixture of loose aggregate and coarse aggregate, can be a wide range of color based on source location, and is composed of materials ranging from dirt to rock that are 1”-3” in size. Most Flex Base, particularly around Central Texas, will range from tan to brown, will consist of a dirt material and rocks that range from 1” to 2” in diameter. There are specialty materials that will include rocks up to 3” in size, but these are typically reserved for heavy construction projects.
Any driveway’s depth should be at least 5” to ensure structural integrity and better load capacity. For road base in particular, experts recommend a thickness of 6-8”.
Twisted Nail is here to help. If you need something hauled in central Texas, we can get your job done, safely, timely, and reliably.
