Freight research for trucking companies
Freight research means finding the shippers and lanes that fit your equipment before the truck rolls, not after it is sitting empty. It is where every good load starts.
What freight research is
Freight research is the work of learning where the freight in your region comes from, who ships it, where it goes and what it pays, so your truck has somewhere to go and a way to get back loaded.
Too many new carriers do it in the wrong order. They buy a truck, buy a trailer, get their authority, and then go hunting for freight. That is exposure, not a plan. When the equipment doesn't match a freight market that repeats, the truck spends its weeks chasing whatever is left on the load board.
We teach freight research as the heart of logistics. In our founder's more than 25 years in freight, it is the step we have seen decide whether a small trucking company lives or dies. It is the first step of our operating circle, and every other step depends on it.
Capacity follows freight
Trucks are everywhere. Freight that pays, on lanes that repeat, is what's scarce. That is why we say capacity follows freight: when you know where the freight is, the trucks and the business grow around it. When you don't, no amount of trucks will fix it.
Freight also doesn't move at random. It moves in repeatable patterns between regions, called lanes. Learn the lanes in your region and you stop guessing. We explain the basics in How to Understand Trucking Traffic Lanes.
- The equipment chooses the industry, and the industry chooses the equipment
- Know what leaves your region and what arrives in it
- Judge a lane by the whole round trip, not the headhaul rate
How we research freight for your truck
Start with your equipment and home base
A 53-foot dry van, a reefer and a power only unit each serve different industries. We start with what you run and where you are.
Map the industries and shippers
We look at what is produced and shipped in your region, and who is receiving it at the other end.
Build lanes that come back loaded
We pair the outbound run (the headhaul) with a return load (the backhaul) so the truck isn't driving home empty.
Run the round-trip numbers
Each lane is judged on what it nets across the whole round trip, including deadhead miles, not on the best-looking rate.
Keep the research current
Freight changes with the seasons and the market. What we learn on each load makes the next round of research better.
Freight research with education behind it
Freight research is what Freight University students learn, and they apply it to real companies. Your trucks get a team searching, researching and finding freight.
What freight research gives you
- The industries and shippers in your region that use your type of equipment
- Lanes with return-load options, so you are not deadheading home
- Round-trip numbers for each lane, so you know what it really nets
- Seasonal patterns that affect your freight
- Brokers and shippers worth building a steady relationship with
Freight researcher or dispatcher?
A dispatcher finds today's load. A freight researcher builds the lanes and relationships that make good loads show up again next week. Small carriers need both, but research is the part most of them never get.
We make the case in Why Your Trucking Company Needs a Freight Researcher, Not a Dispatcher, and lay out how owner-operators can find freight through more than one channel in Freight Sourcing for Owner-Operators.
Freight research is also included in our dispatch service.
Want to learn freight research yourself?
Freight University, our education arm, teaches freight research as part of its training for freight brokers, agents and Professional Logistics Service Providers.
Questions and answers
Is freight research the same as dispatch?
No. Dispatch books the next load. Freight research finds the shippers and lanes that make good loads repeat. Our dispatch service includes freight research.
Do I need freight research before I buy a truck?
It is the best time to do it. Knowing your freight first tells you which equipment to buy and where to base it. See Start a trucking company.
What equipment do you research freight for?
53-foot dry van, refrigerated (reefer) and power only.
Related
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How to understand trucking traffic lanes
How trucking lanes work: deadhead, terrain, tolls and freight availability, and how each one shapes what a lane pays the carrier.
Freight researcher vs dispatcher: what your trucking company needs
Freight researcher vs dispatcher: why load booking alone drains small fleets, and how freight research plans lanes, vets brokers and cuts deadhead.
How we work: backed by education
Everything we do at Logistical Forwarding Solutions is backed by education. Your company is managed by LFS, and behind LFS is Freight University: students, interns and…
Ask about freight research for your truck
Tell us what you run and where you are based. We will reply with how we would research freight for you.
Prefer the phone? Call 901-205-9679.