Finding New Customers as a Freight Broker
How to find companies in need of freight brokers
The DAT load board is a great place to connect with carriers and to price freight competitively to win new business from shippers, all while enhancing your operations.
As a freight broker, building strong relationships and finding companies in need of freight brokerage services can be time-consuming. But the DAT One load board is here to help. Use DAT’s pricing tools to pitch and secure new companies looking to move their freight, and easily connect with carriers when the shipment is ready to be moved. Build your carrier network, increase profitability, and keep your loads on the road with ease.
- Streamline operations to boost shipper satisfaction
- Find shippers and build your carrier network
- Win more freight with smarter pricing
Find shippers and build your carrier network
A guide to getting your brokerage off the ground.
Everybody starts their broker journey from different places. Still, the first step for most is the same: You’ve got to find shippers. We’ll break down how the top brokerages find these shippers, but we won’t leave you high and dry there. After we outline how it’s done, we’ll show you a few practical next steps like growing and vetting your carrier network, setting up best practices for sustainable growth, and how to use data and analytics to supercharge your operation. Finding Shippers 101 is a quick distillation of a broker’s first steps, aimed at helping you chart your own path forward.
Win more freight with smarter pricing
Impress shippers and win freight and RFPs with DAT’s help.
As a freight broker, finding shippers looking for your services is only the first step. The next challenge is convincing them to work with you, which often involves winning Request for Proposal (RFP) bids. Traditionally, this process requires extensive research and analysis. However, with DAT, accessing the information you need to develop a winning strategy becomes effortless. Through the DAT platform, you can not only view current rates but also gain valuable insights and forecasts. This empowers you to make informed decisions and increases your chances of securing new business opportunities. Simplify your RFP process and drive success with DAT.
Streamline operations to boost shipper satisfaction
Simplify how you manage loads, documents, and carrier relationships to deliver reliable service that keeps shippers coming back.
Strong service builds lasting shipper relationships. As your brokerage grows, it becomes essential to stay organized and efficient. With DAT’s tools, you can manage everything from finding carriers to tracking paperwork in one place. Use DAT CarrierWatch to vet carriers quickly, and explore TMS and analytics solutions to improve response times and decision-making. Streamlined operations help you meet shipper expectations and create a strong foundation for long-term growth.
When it comes to companies that use freight brokers, the list is endless. All shipping companies, manufacturers, distributors, and growers need freight moved and could benefit from a freight broker’s help, but not all shippers use a freight broker. Instead, some companies that need freight hauled post directly to load boards to find carriers.
However, plenty of shippers are looking for freight brokers because they don’t have the time or expertise to find carriers. Everyone, from companies in the retail industry to those in the automobile industry, can benefit from freight brokers, so there are plenty of shippers out there that could use your services!
Finding companies that use freight brokers and are looking for new partners isn’t as easy as it sounds. Sometimes, it can involve endless cold calls. Other times, it means lots of networking. Referrals, targeted mailings or emails, scouting out the competition to see who they’re working with, and finding businesses in the same industry as current customers can also help freight brokers get clients. Check out our whitepaper — Finding Shippers 101 to learn the basics.
Load boards are one of the best places to connect with and build a strong network of carriers, but it is not the best place to find new shippers.
DAT is a true end-to-end solution for freight brokers. In addition to helping you source with the data needed to win RFPs, and connecting you to carriers looking to haul freight, the DAT load board allows you to view historic lane rate data and post shippers’ loads to find carrier matches to cover your loads effectively.
You can also check out some of DAT’s other offerings, such as our Broker TMS (Keypoint), and load tracking via Trucker Tools to further simplify your life.
"DAT has helped us grow exponentially over the last 20 years, I don't know where we would be without it.”
- Brian Sutton, Austin Freight Systems
“It’s a great load board. You have everything you need at your fingertips. You put something in, man, you better be ready to take the calls.”
- Shellie T. Greene, Agent for O & I Transport, Inc
Grow your brokerage with DAT’s tools and insights
The DAT load board gives you everything you need to scale — from quoting with confidence and winning business from shippers to managing carriers and streamlining operations. With powerful pricing tools, real-time capacity insights, and end-to-end freight solutions, DAT helps brokers build stronger networks and deliver the reliable service shippers expect. Start growing your brokerage with DAT today.