Crescent Carriers owner-operator Rico Muhammad, based in Atlanta, knows that when it comes to better rates, the old slogan “Say no to cheap freight” is all well and good, but it doesn’t always cut it in the real world. One man’s “cheap” freight can be another’s gold if it gets him to a place where the demand is high and the potential for good rates is better.
The host of the relatively new “Rates and Lanes” podcast, Muhammad’s on a mission to “really even the playing field” between owner-operators and brokers by smarter use of market data.
Muhammad says he might be something of a tortoise in his approach to using the data. He runs with a roughly $600 monthly subscription to DAT’s premium 3Sixty load board. This includes the RateView product, offering real-time data in granularity far and above what’s available at the lower-tier board subscriptions most used by owner-operators.
More than 60 percent of owner-operators who use online load-matching services most frequently use either Internet Truckstop or DAT, as evidenced above. Both boards provide data that can help in negotiation. In addition to the various demand/rate assessment tools packaged with board subscriptions, both services publish routine market fluctuation reports, delivered via email and in part available online. IT’s Trans4Cast (Trans4Cast.com), says the company’s Thayne Boren, is available for a $60 yearly subscription and delivered via email. A recent partnership with the FTR freight-forecasting firm will allow it to include spot market forecasts in addition to historical data. DAT’s long-running Trendlines report is accessible via Dat.com/resources/trendlines.aspx.
“Instead of shooting from the hip, now you’ve got a sniper’s rifle,” Muhammad says of 3Sixty and RateView. “For someone that’s new to the business who’s not up on what the rates should be, it shortens your learning curve tremendously.”
