On average, it takes a broker 7 phone calls to find a qualified carrier, and each call typically takes two minutes, according to surveys by DAT. If you have 15 loads that need to be covered, that’s almost four hours on the phone.
What if you could cut the amount of time you spend on the phone down enough to cover an extra 6 loads per day? DAT Power gives you all the tools you need to make your processes more efficient.
Why does it take so many calls?
Include an Offer Rate When You Post a Load
Right off the bat, you can address some of the unnecessary calls with the information included when you post a load to the load board. Our surveys of carriers show that the number one thing they want to see in the details for load posts is an offer rate, followed by accurate origin and destination. Include as much info as you can to weed out some of those unsuccessful phone calls.
For rate guidance, DAT Power includes market rates for every lane, powered by DAT RateView. The daily Hot Market Map shows where capacity is tightest: the darker the color, the higher the load-to-truck ratio, and the harder it will be to find a truck in that market.
Search by “Preferred” Carriers
The DAT Network is the largest source of truckload capacity in the world, which allows you to build a sophisticated carrier network, so you’ll know who to call as soon as you get the load.
But if your first choice of carrier isn’t available, you can use the “preferred” and “blocked” features when you search for trucks. Now you’ll only see trucks from carriers you know you want to work with, cutting even more unnecessary phone calls.
Find Untapped Capacity
Another way to build your carrier network is with DAT LaneMakers, which lets you see which companies are most active in the lanes where you need trucks.
Just choose the LaneMakers from the toolbox in the top right corner, and do a simple lane search. You’ll see which carriers search for loads on that lane most often, even if they don’t post their trucks. You can even move the timeframe out to six months or a year if you need to find long term partners.
All of this is also connected to DAT CarrierWatch and the DAT Directory, so you can also qualify carriers in a fraction of the time.
Work More Efficiently as a Team
But what if those options are off the table? You’ve got a hot load and need to find a carrier fast before the shipper awards the freight to someone else. The Group Collaboration tools in DAT Power multiple members of a team search for carriers simultaneously while eliminating redundancy.
Bottom line: The more time you save, the more loads you can move, and the more money you make.
