Quick answer
Shippers can post freight loads through their own carrier network, a freight broker, a load board or a freight bidding platform. A bidding platform such as FreightBidder lets you post a load once, have approved carriers bid on it, compare the offers and award the one you want, with no per-load commission. Which channel fits depends on how often you ship and how much sourcing you want to do yourself.
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Where can shippers post freight loads?
There are five common ways to get a load in front of carriers. Each trades time, cost and control differently, so the right one depends on what you ship and how often. Here is how they compare, and where FreightBidder fits.
The five ways to put a load in front of carriers
These describe the categories in general. Individual providers differ on who can post, what it costs and who they work with, so read a provider’s own terms before relying on any of this.
Your own carrier network
- How it works
- You tender freight directly to carriers you already know and have set up, often in a ranked list so the first choice gets the first offer.
- Fits best when
- Repeat lanes and steady volume. You know who is hauling and what they charge.
- What it costs you
- Little help on a lane you have never run, or when your usual carriers decline. Building the network takes time and onboarding paperwork.
A freight broker or 3PL
- How it works
- You hand the load to a broker, who finds a carrier and manages the move. You deal with one company.
- Fits best when
- One-off or irregular freight, hard-to-cover lanes, or when you have no time to source carriers yourself.
- What it costs you
- The broker earns a margin, which is built into the quoted rate. You may not see who actually hauls the load, so ask. See double brokering below.
A load board
- How it works
- You post a load to a directory; carriers or brokers who see it contact you, and you negotiate and check each one yourself.
- Fits best when
- A wide audience quickly, without a contract.
- What it costs you
- The vetting and phone work is yours. Whether a board accepts postings straight from shippers, and what that costs, varies by board, so read its own terms.
A freight bidding platform
- How it works
- You post a load once and carriers bid on it in one place. You compare the bids and award the one you want.
- Fits best when
- Loads where you want competing offers side by side without phoning around, and no broker in the middle.
- What it costs you
- You still do the choosing, and bids depend on who is active on your lane. A new or thin lane may draw few bids.
A carrier RFP or a transportation management system
- How it works
- You run a formal bid for a lane or a year of volume and award contract rates, usually tendered through software.
- Fits best when
- Large, predictable volume where contract rates beat spot pricing.
- What it costs you
- Overkill for occasional loads. It takes setup and enough freight to justify it.
How to choose
Most shippers use more than one. Match the channel to the situation:
| If… | Then consider |
|---|---|
| You ship the same lane every week | Build your own carrier network, and use a bidding platform or broker as the backup when your usual carriers decline. |
| You ship now and then and have no carrier relationships | A bidding platform or load board to get offers on a single load, or a broker if you want someone else to run the move. |
| The freight is time-critical | Decide who can commit a truck fastest. A set Buy Now price on a bidding platform, or a broker with capacity on that lane, can both book without a bid window. |
| The shipment is smaller than a truckload | It may not need a truck to itself. Compare less-than-truckload carriers before posting it as a full load. |
| You want to see exactly who hauls your freight | Tender it directly to carriers or use a platform that shows you each carrier before you award. |
Where FreightBidder fits
FreightBidder is a freight bidding platform. It is software, not a freight broker: carriers bid directly on your load, you award the one you choose, and FreightBidder charges a subscription rather than a commission on each load.
- Carriers are checked before they bid. Each is looked up against FMCSA records at signup and approved before it can bid. Unclear cases go to manual review. Insurance is shown only when FMCSA reports it, and nothing re-checks a carrier continuously. Exactly what is and is not checked.
- You can post openly or privately. Put a load on the open board, or send it only to carriers you name.
- You can book fast. A Buy Now price awards the load to the first carrier who accepts it.
- You can try it without paying. Shipper Free covers up to 3 loads a month.
What it is not: FreightBidder covers the 48 contiguous states, is built for loads that book a truck rather than parcel or pallet-rate LTL, and cannot promise that any particular load draws bids. Bids depend on the lane, the equipment and the rate.
How to post a load on FreightBidder
Create a shipper account
Register as a shipper and pick a plan. Shipper Free costs nothing.
Describe the load
Enter pickup and delivery locations, dates, equipment type, weight and any special handling. You can paste a plain-English description and let the AI assistant fill the fields in, on plans that include it.
Choose who sees it
Post it to the open board, or send it only to carriers you name. Optionally set a Buy Now price that books the first carrier to accept it.
Compare bids and award
Review each carrier’s offer, equipment and record in one feed, award the one you choose, and track the shipment to delivery.
Have this ready before you post a load, anywhere
- Pickup and delivery addresses, and the dates or windows for each
- What you are shipping, its weight and dimensions, and how many pieces or pallets
- The equipment type: dry van, reefer, flatbed, box truck and so on
- Special handling: temperature range, liftgate, tarping, hazmat, appointment times
- Whether you will name a rate, leave it open to bids, or want a Buy Now price
Posting freight loads — questions answered
Where can shippers post freight loads?
Shippers can put a load in front of carriers through their own carrier network, a freight broker or 3PL, a load board, or a freight bidding platform. FreightBidder is a bidding platform: you post a load and approved carriers bid on it. The right channel depends on how often you ship, how urgent the freight is, and whether you want to see who hauls it.
Can a shipper post a load directly to carriers without a broker?
Yes. A shipper can tender freight to carriers it already works with, or post a load to a load board or bidding platform and deal with carriers directly. Going direct removes a broker’s margin but moves the sourcing and vetting work to you.
How do I find a carrier for a one-time shipment?
Post the load somewhere carriers will see it and compare the offers you get, or ask a broker to cover it. For a one-off move, comparing several offers for the same load is usually more useful than a single quote. Check each carrier’s operating authority and safety record before you award.
Is it free for a shipper to post a load on FreightBidder?
Shipper Free allows up to 3 loads a month at no cost. Shipper Growth is $49 a month for up to 25 loads, and Shipper Pro is $99 a month for unlimited loads. FreightBidder charges a subscription, not a commission on each load. Other load boards and brokers price differently, so check their own terms.
What is the difference between a load board, a broker and a bidding platform?
A load board is a directory where loads are listed and carriers or brokers contact the poster. A broker is a company that finds a carrier for you and manages the move for a margin. A bidding platform has carriers submit priced bids on your load in one place, so you compare and award. FreightBidder is a bidding platform and is not a broker.
What do I need to have ready before I post a load?
Pickup and delivery locations and dates, what the freight is and how much it weighs, the equipment type, any special handling, and how you want to price it. The more complete the posting, the fewer questions carriers ask before they bid.
How do I know a carrier is legitimate before I give them a load?
Look up its operating authority and safety record on FMCSA, confirm its insurance with a current certificate, and check that the company that picks up your freight is the one you hired. FreightBidder checks carriers against FMCSA records at signup and approves them before they can bid, but FMCSA does not always report insurance and nothing re-checks continuously, so verify insurance yourself on higher-value freight.
Can I post a less-than-truckload shipment?
FreightBidder is built for loads that book a truck, such as full truckload and partial loads, not for parcel or pallet-rate LTL shipments. For smaller freight, compare less-than-truckload carriers first; our guide explains when each makes sense.
Can I send a load to only certain carriers?
Yes. On FreightBidder you can send a load to named carrier companies instead of the open board. Those carriers are notified, and the load is not broadcast to everyone else.
Related resources
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