Where to Find Sand and Gravel Work for Your Truck?
Sand and gravel trucking involves transporting these essential construction materials from quarries or pits to construction sites, factories, or distribution centers. This work requires truck drivers who can ensure timely and safe delivery as well as adhere to weight limits and safety regulations. Finding consistent work can sometimes be a challenge, even for the best drivers.
Sand and gravel load boards are designed to connect suppliers and transporters in this industry. These boards are supposed to streamline the logistics of hauling materials, facilitating efficient and timely delivery but can often miss the mark. Some common issues with these load boards are things like inconsistent opportunities, false loads posted by brokers to test the market, or only the lowest of the lowball rates. In this article, we explore your options and discuss why partnering with a company like Twisted Nail may be the best option for finding steady work with your dump trailers.
Why Load Boards May Be Unreliable for End Dump Trailers & Sand and Gravel
Load boards are commonly used in the trucking industry to connect shippers and carriers, but when it comes to sand and gravel hauling, they often fall short. Due to the larger demand for box and refrigerated trailers, it is easy to get lost scrolling past job after job, looking for what is right for your belly dump. Once you have done all of this narrowing down and filtering to jobs that only need your type of trailer, you will realize most of these load boards are not exactly target rich environments for material trailers. Reliable load boards for sand and gravel are scarce, and those that do exist have limited listings and are inconsistent. This means that truckers can face some intense competition for a small number of loads and finding work in local markets often requires alternate strategies.
WHERE TO FIND WORK AS AN OWNER OPERATOR TRUCK DRIVER?
If you do manage to get yourself off the ground and purchase the trucks, and the office space, you are still left with one glaring issue, how do you find work? There are a number of options available to new owner operator truck drivers.
One tactic to combat this, which most truckers look for, is finding work locally by building a strong network of local construction companies and suppliers that can lead to regular contracts. Direct marketing efforts, such as cold calling or site visits, can also be an effective strategy over watching a load board and bidding with hundreds of others when a job appears. Additionally, utilizing local classified ads and online marketplaces (such as Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace) can uncover jobs that might not be found on traditional load boards.
Twisted Nail offers a valuable solution to the challenges created by traditional load boards. Offering our connections to the sand and gravel industry and focusing on relevant and upcoming work, Twisted Nail fills the disconnect left by general load boards with our relationships to the local economy, providing haulers with consistent and trustworthy work opportunities. No more searching load boards!
The Top Online Load Boards for End Dump Trailers & Sand and Gravel
Here are some of the top online load boards that cater to end dump trailers transporting sand and gravel. These load boards help truckers find relevant and profitable loads:
1. BulkLoads.com
BulkLoads.com is the site you will most likely land on after your first search for a material based load board. For finding bulk freight opportunities, connecting carriers with shippers who need to move grain, feed, fertilizer, and aggregate, this site does get a fair amount of traffic and is worth looking into if you want to source your own loads. It’s packed with useful features like advanced load searching, instant load posting, and a comprehensive directory of shippers and carriers. Subscription plans range from $35 to $95 per month.
2. Truckstop.com
One of the most popular and comprehensive load boards available, Truckstop.com offers a wide range of freight opportunities. This load board provides various tools for route planning, rate benchmarking, and real-time load matching. Subscription pricing for access to tuckstop.com opportunities and tools range from $42 – $159 per month.
3. DAT Freight & Analytics
Known for its extensive database, DAT offers a powerful load board with numerous options for end dump trailers. This board features detailed search filters, real-time updates, and market rate insights to help drivers find and secure the best loads. Pricing for DAT ranges from $45 – $295 per month.
4. 123Loadboard
123Loadboard is a platform that provides access to a variety of loads, including those looking for sand and gravel transport opportunities. 123Loadboard offers user-friendly tools for load searching, freight matching, and credit reports to ensure that transactions are both secure and profitable. Carrier plans for this platform range from $39 – $79 per month.
5. Direct Freight Services
Direct Freight Services offers a robust load board with postings for end dump trailers and other specialized equipment. It includes load matching services with features like load filtering, route planning, saved searches, and text alerts. With the option to start off with a free account, Direct Freight comes across as the most affordable load board.
States with the Most Sand and Gravel Work
When it comes to the sand and gravel industry, where you live can also play a significant factor in work available to your truck. Certain states in the U.S. stand out due to their extensive construction projects and abundant natural resources. Here are the top five states with the most sand and gravel work:
1. Texas
Texas is the top state for sand and gravel work due to its vast size and booming construction projects. Major cities like Houston, Dallas, Austin, and San Antonio are constantly growing, which requires a significant amount of sand and gravel hauling for road construction, commercial buildings, and residential developments.
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2. California
California ranks high in sand and gravel trucking demand driven by its large population, urban development, and extensive highway network. The state’s constant need for infrastructure improvements, earthquake retrofitting, and new housing developments contribute to the consistent demand for these materials.
3. Florida
Florida’s rapid population growth, strong tourism industry, and coastal development projects create a substantial need for sand and gravel. The state’s ongoing efforts to develop and maintain its extensive road systems, bridges, and residential areas keeps the demand for sand and gravel high.
4. Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania has a robust sand and gravel industry due to its large rural areas, coal mining history, and continuous development in major cities like Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. Pennsylvania’s road maintenance, bridge repair, and industrial projects require significant amounts of sand and gravel hauling.
5. Illinois
Illinois’ demand for sand and gravel work is driven by the Chicago metropolitan area’s vast construction projects, urban development, road maintenance, and industrial activities.
Join Our Team
Our 100% Owner Operator fleet specializes in transporting aggregate, flatbed, step deck, heavy haul, pneumatic, water tanker, and power only freight. Our carriers are provided a direct contact to the person handling their dispatch. Our expert dispatchers have decades of experience and work hard to provide stress-free freight booking experience. Join our team of skilled truck owner operators and be part of the strongest construction trucking fleet in Central Texas.
These states not only lead in the volume of sand and gravel work but also offer numerous opportunities for haulers in the sand and gravel industry. Whether through direct contracts with construction companies or specialized platforms like Twisted Nail, haulers can find consistent and reliable work in these high-demand regions.
Keep Your Truck Running with Twisted Nail Sand & Gravel
Working with Twisted Nail can significantly increase your workload and hauling opportunities, especially when compared to looking for jobs locally or trying to independently search on traditional load boards. At Twisted Nail, our specialized focus on the sand and gravel industry means you gain access to a curated list of reliable and relevant job oppotunities, which reduces the time and effort spent on finding reliable jobs. Our team can connect you directly with consistent and trustworthy work in your local market, ensuring a steady stream of opportunities. By leveraging our network, you can maximize your hauling potential and become more profitable.