How to Find Direct Shippers as a Trucking Company
Pick your lane, find shippers the big carriers ignore, prepare your packet, make the calls, and make sure your company checks out when they look you up.
Key points
- Large shippers usually have contracts with big carriers. Small and mid-size shippers are more open to a new carrier.
- Specialize by lane, equipment or commodity. Shippers want a carrier who knows their freight.
- Have your carrier packet ready before the first call: authority, insurance, W-9, references, equipment and lanes.
- Expect a lot of calls for a few conversations. Consistency matters more than any script.
- The shipper will look you up after the call. Your website and Google profile need to back you up.
Every carrier wants direct freight. You keep the full rate, you build a relationship that doesn't disappear when a broker finds a cheaper truck, and you can plan your trucks around freight you know is coming. When I ran my carrier, getting our first direct shippers changed how the whole business felt.
It's also slow, unglamorous work. Here's what actually works.
Which shippers will work with a small carrier?
Large shippers usually have contracts with large carriers and use brokers for the overflow. They're hard to crack as a small fleet. Small and mid-size shippers are different. A manufacturer shipping a few loads a week, a regional distributor, a grower or packer during the season: these companies often get less attention from the big carriers and brokers, and they value a carrier who picks up the phone.
Should you specialize?
Yes. Carriers who try to haul anything for anyone rarely get direct freight. Pick something you're good at and can cover consistently: a lane you run often, an equipment type, or a commodity like produce, building materials or food-grade. Then go find every shipper that moves that freight in that lane. You'll sound more credible on the phone, because you'll know their freight.
Where do you find direct shippers?
- Your own lanes. Look at where you deliver and pick up broker loads. The shippers and receivers on those bills of lading are prospects. So are their neighbors in the same industrial parks.
- Google Maps. Search for manufacturers, distributors and warehouses along your lanes. It's simple and it works.
- Import and export data. Public trade records show which companies import or export specific commodities. Importers need inland trucking.
- Trade shows and associations. Food, produce, building materials and manufacturing shows are full of logistics and purchasing managers, and few small carriers show up.
- Referrals. Ask every shipper and receiver you already work with who else they know who ships.
What should be in your carrier packet?
Have it ready to email before you make the first call:
- MC and DOT numbers and a copy of your authority
- Certificate of insurance with cargo and liability limits
- W-9
- Equipment list and the lanes or regions you cover
- Safety rating, and anything that shows a clean record
- Two or three references, if you have them
- Who to call for dispatch and after hours
Put it on your website as a download too. It saves the shipper an email.
How should you approach a shipper?
Call the shipping or logistics manager. Be short and specific: who you are, what you haul, which lane, and that you'd like to quote one load. Most calls won't get through, and most that do will be a "not right now." That's normal. The carriers who land direct shippers make a lot of calls, follow up politely for months, and are ready when a shipper's current carrier lets them down.
When you get a yes, the first load is the real sales pitch. Be on time, communicate before they have to ask, and send the paperwork fast.
What will the shipper find when they look you up?
After a good call, the shipper will search your company name. If they find nothing, or a website that hasn't been touched in years with no MC number, many will move on to the next carrier. What they want to see in a few minutes:
- A website with your MC and DOT numbers, equipment, lanes and a phone number
- A Google Business Profile with real photos and reviews
- A company name that matches your FMCSA record
- Real photos of your trucks
That's the part we help carriers with. See trucking websites and trucking SEO.
How long does it take to land direct shippers?
Expect months, not weeks. Treat it like a sales job with a weekly routine: a set number of calls, follow-ups and new prospects. Keep broker freight running while you build direct relationships, then shift the mix over time.
Frequently asked questions
How do small trucking companies find direct shippers?
Specialize in a lane, equipment type or commodity, then prospect small and mid-size shippers in that niche: businesses along your current lanes, companies on Google Maps, importers in trade data, and contacts from trade shows. Have a carrier packet ready and make consistent calls.
What does a shipper need from a new carrier?
Your MC and DOT numbers, certificate of insurance, W-9, equipment and lane coverage, safety information, references, and a dispatch contact who answers.
Is it better to work with brokers or direct shippers?
Most carriers do both. Broker freight keeps trucks moving while you build direct relationships, which usually pay better and are more stable once established.
Jimmy ran his own carrier and grew it to 60 trucks before founding Lone Crest Media in 2021. He leads growth and recruiting systems for the agency's trucking and freight clients. More about us.