How to Get Trucking Contracts: From Load Boards to Direct Shipper Freight

To get trucking contracts, a carrier needs three things: a compliance and safety profile that passes a shipper’s carrier vetting, a way into the shipper’s bid or routing guide process, and a price that covers the cost of the lane with margin. Load boards and brokers can keep trucks moving while you build that profile, but contract freight comes from shippers and 3PLs that have lanes they need covered every week.

This guide explains the types of trucking contracts, what shippers check before awarding freight, how to get into RFPs and routing guides, how to prospect shippers directly, how government freight works and how to price a contract lane.

What types of trucking contracts are there?

Trucking contracts fall into four main types: spot freight, contract (lane) freight, dedicated contracts and government contracts. Each one trades price flexibility for volume commitment in a different way.

Type	How it works	Rate	Best for
Spot	One load at a time, usually through a broker or load board	Market price on the day	Filling gaps, new carriers building history
Contract (lane)	Agreed rate on specific lanes for a period, often one year, awarded through an RFP or bid	Fixed or indexed, with fuel surcharge	Carriers with consistent capacity on defined lanes
Dedicated	Trucks and drivers committed to one customer for a fixed term	Fixed weekly or monthly fee plus per-mile or per-stop	Carriers with strong operations and capital
Government	Federal or state freight, including mail transport and military shipments	Set by solicitation or tariff	Carriers with compliance depth and patience

A common path is to start on spot freight, move into contracted capacity with brokers and 3PLs, and then win direct lanes from shippers. Each step needs more documentation and a stronger record.

What do shippers check before giving a carrier a contract?

Shippers check that a carrier is legal to operate, insured at adequate limits, safe, and reliable on service before awarding contract freight. These checks happen during carrier onboarding, and failing one usually ends the conversation without feedback.

The standard checklist:

• Operating authority. A USDOT number and MC number (motor carrier authority) active in the FMCSA system, and the BOC-3 process agent filing. Many shippers and brokers also want authority that has been active for a minimum period, often several months to a year.
• Insurance. A certificate of insurance (COI) naming the shipper as certificate holder. The federal minimum auto liability for general freight is $750,000 under 49 CFR 387.9, and many shippers require $1,000,000, plus cargo coverage (a common requirement is $100,000) and sometimes general liability and workers’ compensation.
• Safety record. FMCSA’s SAFER company snapshot and the CSA BASICs: Unsafe Driving, Hours-of-Service Compliance, Driver Fitness, Controlled Substances and Alcohol, Vehicle Maintenance, Hazardous Materials Compliance and Crash Indicator. A carrier’s safety rating (Satisfactory, Conditional or Unsatisfactory) matters when one has been assigned.
• Paperwork. A W-9, carrier agreement and, for many onboarding platforms, completed profiles on tools such as Highway, MyCarrierPackets or RMIS.
• Service data. On-time pickup and delivery rates, claims history, tracking capability and communication practices.
• Sustainability. The EPA SmartWay program is requested by many large shippers for their emissions reporting, and joining it can open some bids.

Before pursuing any contract, review your own record the way a shipper will: pull the SAFER snapshot, check your CSA percentiles, confirm the COI matches common limits and fix gaps first. A carrier with an Alert in the Unsafe Driving or Vehicle Maintenance BASIC will lose bids that a cleaner competitor wins.

How do you get into shipper RFPs and routing guides?

You get into shipper RFPs and routing guides by being known to the transportation team before the bid opens, being onboarded as an approved carrier, and bidding only on lanes you can cover consistently. Most contract freight is awarded through an annual or semi-annual bid, and invitations go to carriers the shipper already knows or has vetted.

A routing guide ranks carriers per lane: primary, secondary and backup. Loads are offered to the primary carrier first, then pass down the list if the primary rejects or cannot cover. Carriers earn contracted freight by accepting a high share of what they are offered (tender acceptance) and by performing on time.

Practical steps:

1. Get onboarded before the bid. Register through the shipper’s carrier portal or its onboarding platform so you are eligible when the RFP opens.
2. Ask to be added to the bid list. Contact the transportation or logistics manager, state the lanes you cover and your equipment, and ask about the next bid window.
3. Bid only on lanes you can run. Awarded lanes come with tender-acceptance expectations. Overcommitting leads to rejected loads and removal from the guide.
4. Bid on lanes with balance. A lane with freight in the return direction reduces empty miles and improves margin.
5. Start as a backup. A backup position on several lanes shows service and often turns into a primary spot when the incumbent slips.
6. Document performance. Share on-time and acceptance data with the shipper at quarterly reviews.

Many mid-size shippers do not run formal RFPs and instead work through a few trusted carriers and brokers. For those accounts the way in is a relationship with the person who tenders the loads.

How do you find and win loads directly from shippers?

You win loads directly from shippers by choosing lanes you run well, identifying shippers that move freight on them, and contacting the person who buys transportation with a specific offer. Direct freight pays better than spot freight because no broker takes a margin, but it demands more selling and more compliance.

The process in order:

1. Define your lanes and equipment. Dry van, reefer or flatbed, regional or long haul, and the origin and destination pairs where you have density and return loads.
2. Build a list of shippers on those lanes. Manufacturers, distributors, food processors and retailers with plants or warehouses in your corridor. Industrial directories, trade association lists and your own driver observations at docks are all sources.
3. Find the right contact. Transportation manager, logistics manager, plant traffic manager or procurement lead.
4. Make a lane-specific first contact. “We run reefer between the Central Valley and Phoenix three times a week, and we have capacity in March” is a stronger pitch than a company introduction.
5. Offer a trial. A set number of loads on one lane, with clear service commitments, lowers the risk for the shipper.
6. Deliver and report. Send the shipper pickup and delivery confirmations, and call before problems escalate.

Brokers prospect shippers in the same way, and our guide on how to find shippers as a freight broker covers the sourcing methods in more detail. The difference for a carrier is that your offer is your own capacity, so your pitch can be more specific and more reliable than a broker’s.

A carrier that is invisible online loses opportunities before the call. A shipper’s logistics manager will look up your company after the first contact, and a clear website with your equipment, lanes and safety record helps. See our post on a trucking company website for the pages that matter, and our trucking SEO guide for how carriers get found by shippers searching for capacity.

How do owner-operators get trucking contracts?

Owner-operators get contracts either by leasing on to a carrier that already has them, or by running their own authority and building relationships with brokers and shippers. Leasing on is the quicker route, and running under your own authority gives more control and more administrative work.

• Lease on to a carrier. The carrier provides the authority, freight and often fuel and insurance programs, and the owner-operator provides the truck and driver. Lease terms are governed in part by FMCSA’s truth-in-leasing regulations (49 CFR Part 376), and the details of settlement, deductions and escrow vary widely, so read the agreement carefully.
• Run your own authority. Obtain a USDOT number and MC authority, file the BOC-3, buy insurance, and start on spot freight through load boards such as DAT and Truckstop. Build a history of on-time deliveries and clean inspections.
• Move to contracted freight. After several months of record, sign carrier agreements with brokers and 3PLs that run recurring lanes. Then approach shippers whose lanes match yours.
• Join a small carrier group. Some owner-operators cooperate with other small fleets to bid on larger lanes.

Reliable communication and consistent availability on the same lanes are what turn a spot relationship into repeat loads.

How can brokers and 3PLs help you get to direct contracts?

Brokers and 3PLs give carriers contracted capacity, steady lanes and a record of performance that supports a later direct approach. Working with them is a practical stepping stone, not a permanent ceiling.

The useful way to work with brokers:

• Pick a few brokers with recurring lanes instead of chasing individual loads across many.
• Ask for a contract lane or a standing arrangement after you have covered their loads reliably.
• Keep service metrics. Record on-time pickups and deliveries, claims and responsiveness.
• Watch for shippers you meet through brokered loads. Do not break broker agreements: many carrier contracts include non-solicitation clauses, so read them before approaching a broker’s customer.
• Diversify. Avoid depending on one broker for most of your revenue.

Brokers that value carrier relationships often introduce reliable carriers to shippers that need dedicated or backup capacity. Treat the broker as a channel to better freight, within the terms you signed.

How does government freight work?

Government freight is awarded through formal solicitations and registrations, and the main entry points are SAM.gov, the USPS Highway Contract Routes program and Department of Defense freight programs. These contracts take paperwork and patience, and they offer stable volume.

• SAM.gov registration. Federal contracting requires registration in the System for Award Management (SAM.gov), which issues a Unique Entity ID. Registration is free and must be renewed annually. It is the starting point for most federal opportunities.
• USPS Highway Contract Routes (HCR). The United States Postal Service contracts with private carriers to move mail between facilities on defined routes. Routes are solicited and awarded under USPS procurement rules, so check the current process on the USPS supplier pages before bidding.
• Department of Defense freight. Military shipments move through carriers approved by the Surface Deployment and Distribution Command (SDDC), and many carriers reach DoD and GSA freight through brokers and 3PLs that hold those relationships.
• State and local freight. State agencies and universities post transportation solicitations on their own procurement portals.

Government work rewards carriers with clean compliance records and strong documentation. It suits carriers that value predictability over spot-market upside.

How do you price a trucking contract lane?

Price a contract lane by calculating the full cost per loaded mile, including empty miles, then adding margin and a fuel surcharge tied to a public index. A rate that looks competitive but ignores deadhead and accessorial costs can lose money across the year.

The elements to include:

• Cost per mile. Driver pay, fuel, maintenance, tires, insurance, equipment payments, permits and overhead.
• Deadhead. Empty miles to pick up and return, which a one-way lane makes expensive.
• Fuel surcharge. Contracts usually tie the surcharge to the US Department of Energy weekly retail diesel price, so the shipper shares fuel volatility.
• Accessorials. Detention after a set free time, layover, truck ordered not used (TONU), stop-off charges and lumper fees.
• Volume and consistency. Predictable weekly loads justify a lower rate than irregular ones.
• Target margin. After all costs, the rate should leave a margin that covers risk and growth.

Track the actual performance of each lane after the award: revenue per mile, empty miles, detention and rejections. Lanes that underperform should be re-priced at the next bid or dropped.

Where does marketing fit in winning contracts?

Marketing supports contract sales by making a carrier easy to find and easy to trust when a shipper vets it. A clear website, accurate Google Business Profile, and consistent safety and equipment information shorten the vetting step. The broader channels that help carriers get noticed are in our guide to trucking marketing, and the trucking industry page outlines what we work on for carriers.

If the gap is the number of shippers you reach on your lanes, our lead generation service builds that outreach.

Frequently asked questions

How do you get loads directly from shippers?

Pick lanes you run well, build a list of shippers with freight on them, and contact their transportation manager with a specific offer, such as a trial of several loads on one lane. Be onboarded and insured to the shipper’s requirements before the first call so you can start immediately.

How do owner-operators get contracts?

They either lease on to a carrier that already holds contract freight or run their own authority and build a record on spot loads. After several months of on-time performance, they can sign carrier agreements with brokers and 3PLs, and then approach shippers directly.

How long does a carrier need to be in business to get contracts?

There is no federal minimum, but many shippers and brokers require authority to be active for a period, often between several months and a year, plus a clean safety record. Newer carriers usually start with spot freight and smaller brokers while the record builds.

What insurance do you need for trucking contracts?

The federal minimum for general freight is $750,000 in auto liability under 49 CFR 387.9. Many shippers require $1,000,000 and a cargo policy, and some ask for general liability and workers’ compensation. Check the requirements in each shipper’s carrier packet.

Can a small carrier win government trucking contracts?

Yes, but it needs a SAM.gov registration, a clean compliance record and the patience to work through solicitations. Many small carriers start as subcontractors to brokers and larger carriers that already hold government freight, then bid directly as their record grows.