Why Do Brokers Post Loads When They Aren’t Available Until a Future Date?

This is a common question we hear from carriers searching for loads, and it can be frustrating when you need a load immediately but see ones posted for a later date. I’ll try to explain this from both sides, but I’ll lean more toward the shipper’s perspective—because I’ve been in that role myself.

Years ago, when I worked at Bartlett Grain overseeing truck freight, I’d get requests from our grain merchandisers to secure rates for moving grain during harvest time. I’d call trucking companies I knew who ran in those areas and ask for a rate. Without fail, the response I’d get over and over was: “Well, what are you thinking?” I’d ask a question and get one back in return! I was trying to figure out rates so we could lock in purchase contracts for wheat, corn, or whatever grain we needed to move, but I quickly realized I’d have to make the first move in negotiating the rate.

Carriers didn’t want to underbid themselves, and understandably so. Even after we agreed on a rate, I’d ask, “Can I count on you for this load?” The response would often be, “Well, get ahold of me when the time comes, and we’ll see what we can do.” That wasn’t exactly reassuring—especially when we’d purchased 500,000 bushels, hoping we’d have enough trucks available during the busiest time of the year (harvest).

Through these experiences, I learned two things: 1) there aren’t many long-term, binding agreements in freight, especially for future shipments, and 2) many carriers want to keep their options open to protect themselves in case they aren’t available when the time comes.

As a shipper, my job was to get the best "pulse" on the market so we could make informed decisions about rates. Often, these decisions came down to mere pennies, with very tight margins. It wasn’t as simple as just “paying up”—we were constantly balancing rates to make deals happen.

To gauge market interest and lane availability, I turned to load boards. Posting loads allowed me to see how many responses I’d get and how strong the lane was for trucks. This was much more efficient than calling every trucking company listed in the phone book (yes, back in my day). When trucking companies reached out, I knew there was at least some interest.

I hope this sheds some light on why you might see loads posted for future dates. We also created a tool here at BulkLoads called “Load Projects,” designed specifically to post future loads or ongoing projects with multiple shipments in the same region. I encourage you to check it out, both from a load-posting and searching perspective.

Ultimately, the key is finding the right carrier at the right time, and in trucking, that’s a moving target due to the seasonality of shipments, pricing, and other factors. I hope this helps clarify why future load postings exist—and how they can benefit both shippers and carriers alike.

God Bless,

Jared