The Load Board Goes Down, Now What?

When you’re a one-truck owner-operator or a small 3–5 truck fleet, your morning rhythm is clockwork: coffee, pre-trip, open the load board, refresh, refresh again, stare at the rates, call brokers, negotiate, roll.

But all it takes is one outage—DAT glitches, Truckstop freezes, the phone app crashes, or the entire system goes offline—and you’re stuck. Not moving, not booking, not earning.

The worst part? It always seems to happen at the exact wrong time:

• End of your reset

• You’re empty in a major market

• You’re trying to get home

• You’ve already turned down two loads because something better “should be coming”

A load board outage makes you feel powerless. Like your business disappeared in a single update. But this article is your map out of that panic. It’ll walk you through what to do in the moment, and then show you—step-by-step—how to build a freight pipeline where outages stop being emergencies.

Because the truth is simple:

If you rely on a load board for 100% of your freight, your business is always one outage away from a crisis.

Let’s fix that.

Part 1 — What To Do Immediately When the Load Board Goes Down

This is the survival section. The “what do I do right now?” moment.

Here’s your playbook.

1. Stop refreshing. Start calling.

You already know the brokers you’ve worked with in the last 60–90 days. Pull those rate cons up. Those email addresses. Those phone numbers. Those signatures at the bottom.

Pick up the phone and say:

“Hey, this is Adam from ABC Freight. Load boards are down and I’m in [CITY/STATE]. Do you have anything coming out of here today?”

No fancy speech. No script. Just direct, honest, and familiar.

Brokers are dealing with the outage too. They still have freight. They still need trucks moved. Some of them are in full panic mode because they can’t post their loads.

You calling them = you being early.

You’d be shocked how often you can snag a load before it ever hits the board because you’re the one who called.

2. Hit your “regular lanes first.”

Think of your most common routes:

• Chicago to Atlanta

• Dallas to Houston

• Charlotte to Philly

• Indy to Columbus

If you know those lanes well, start with the brokers who typically book you there.

Run through them in order:

1. The reliable ones

2. The ones who pay decently

3. The ones who know your MC by heart

This keeps your search tight, fast, and realistic.

3. Use your email as a second load board.

Search these words in your email inbox:

• “Rate con”

• “Load Confirmation”

• “Attention Carrier”

• “Carrier Packet”

• “Previously Booked”

• “Shipment ID”

• “Tendered”

You’ll instantly surface every broker you’ve worked with that is in your inbox/deleted box.

These are the people who already know you’re real, that your insurance clears, that you built some sort of rapport with.

Those relationships are more valuable during an outage than any load board.

4. Call the broker’s carrier rep, not the main number.

If you have saved contacts on your phone—dial direct.

Some carrier reps may panic during outages because their whole job depends on moving freight.

When you call them directly, without going through the operator, you jump the line.

5. If you’re near a popular shipper or DC—physically go there.

I know this feels “old school,” and is a very last resort, but old school still works in some instances:

Park, walk in (if allowed), and ask which brokers typically handle outbound loads.

Old-school networking works when the digital world breaks. Nothing like a real carrier talking to a real shipper about freight.

Part 2 — After the Outage: Fix the Real Problem

Load board dependence.

Many small carriers never build a predictable freight pipeline. They “survive the day,” but they never build a system that protects them from:

• Load board outages

• Slow freight days

• Predatory brokers

• Oversupply markets

• Post-holiday collapses

This is where your business either matures—or stays stuck.

Let’s build you a Broker Book of Business, step by step. This is for those who don’t feel comfortable going direct to shipper, but still want a sense of consistency.

Part 3 — How to Build a Broker Book of Business (With Scripts & Examples)

A broker book of business is simply:

A list of brokers who know you, trust you, and offer you freight consistently—even when the load board is down.

For some small carriers, four things keep them from building this:

• They don’t follow up.

• They don’t keep contact info organized.

• They think one load = relationship.

• They think brokers won’t care.

Wrong on all counts. Let’s fix it.

Step 1 — Build your Broker Master List (90 Days Look-Back)

Pull every rate confirmation from the last 90 days.

Record:

• Broker name

• Direct carrier rep

• Direct phone

• Email

• Freight type

• Lane/region

• Notes on load

This becomes your gold mine.

When the load board drops—you’ll use this list to survive. Organize this in a Google Sheet with formatted tabs so it is easy to sort.

Step 2 — After Every “Good Load,” Send This Email

This is how you plant seeds.

Subject: Great working with you on Load ###, here’s my info

Email body:

Thanks again for the smooth load yesterday from [Pickup] to [Delivery].

If you get freight in this lane or region again, please keep me in mind.

We run:

• [Regions you run]

• [Equipment type]

• [Preferred miles]

• [Availability windows]

Here’s all my info for quick booking:

• MC

• Office number

• Email

• Preferred lanes

Good working with you again.

Let’s do more business.

— [Your Name]

This email turns a one-off into a future.

Step 3 — After a “Hiccup Load,” Send THIS Email

This is where many small carriers get it wrong.

They disappear. Or get defensive. Or blame. Don’t.

You show professionalism. Brokers love professionalism. Be accountable, as things happen.

Subject: Thanks for yesterday — here’s a recap and how we’ll prevent future delays

Email body:

I appreciate you working with us on Load ### yesterday.

We did run into an issue with [brief explanation—50% shorter than you think].

Here’s what we’ve already done to avoid repeat issues:

We value the relationship.

If you get more freight in this area, please keep us on the list.

Thanks again.

— [Your Name]

This email instantly puts you in the “maturity” category with good brokers.

Step 4 — Monthly Touch-Base Message (Never Skip)

Every 30 days, send a simple note to your top 20 brokers.

“Hey [Name], just checking in. We’re running [Region] this month. If anything opens up, call me direct.”

Brokers love fast carriers. Be present. Be easy to reach. They’ll reward you for it when you need it most.

Step 5 — Become the “Go-To” Carrier in 2–3 Regions

You can’t be the favorite everywhere.

But you can be the favorite somewhere.

Pick 2–3 regions where:

Then tell every broker:

“We specialize in the Midwest. If you get these lanes, send them direct before posting.”

If you think brokers won’t do that— You’re wrong. They love going direct to trusted carriers in their network.

It saves time.

Step 6 — Only Build Relationships with the Good Ones

Not every broker is worth your time.

Look for:

• Clear communication

• Fast rate cons

• No surprise add-ons

• Timely detention

• Consistent loads

If a broker constantly:

• lies,

• ghost rates,

• changes times,

• nickel-and-dimes,

—they don’t belong in your book. Cut them. Fast. Simply move on.

Part 4 — The Long-Term Goal: Load Board Optional, Not Load Board Dependent

You’re not trying to “get off” the load board.

You’re trying to get to a point where:

• You use the board as a backup

• You don’t panic during outages

• Brokers know your name

• You have 5–7 consistent sources

• Your truck is moving even when the digital world glitches

Load boards are tools—nothing more. They were never meant to be your entire business.

Final Thought

When the load board goes down, some small carriers panic. But the ones who are prepared? They pick up the phone, call their people, and keep rolling. This business rewards preparedness, not panic. Build your broker book. Build your pipeline. Build your identity beyond a commodity truck on a board filled with thousands.

Because when you stop being “whoever calls first” and start being “the carrier they call,”

load board outages stop being emergencies…

…and start being opportunities.

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