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Level 3: Top of the field · Lesson 15 of 17

Thinking in networks

The best people on the desk don't just plan one load. They think about where each truck will be in three days, and what freight is there.

Every market has a direction. Some places ship far more than they receive, so trucks leaving pay well: these are strong outbound markets, like much of the Midwest, Texas and parts of the Southeast. Others receive far more than they ship, like Florida for most of the year: trucks go in loaded at good rates and come out at poor ones or empty. A lane that pays well is a headhaul; the cheaper return trip is the backhaul.

Carriers price this in. A load into a weak market should pay more to cover the hard trip out. When you choose between loads, ask where each one leaves the truck, not just what it pays.

Freight is either contract or spot. Contract freight is agreed with shippers in advance, at a set rate for months; it's steady. Spot freight is booked load by load, often through brokers and load boards, at whatever the market pays that day. Load boards show how many loads are posted for each truck available, a quick read on how tight capacity is.

Freight has seasons. Produce season runs from late spring into summer, starting in Florida, California and Texas and moving north. Retail peak builds from late summer to the holidays. The end of each month and quarter brings rushes as shippers hit targets. Holidays and the yearly CVSA inspection blitz (Roadcheck, usually in May) pull trucks off the road and tighten capacity. Plan for them before they arrive.

On the desk

Two loads deliver Friday. One goes into central Florida, the other into the Dallas area. Both pay the same. Which usually sets the truck up better for next week?

More info

Terms in this lesson

HeadhaulThe strong direction of a lane, with more freight and better rates.
BackhaulThe return direction, with less freight and lower rates.
Outbound marketA place that ships more than it receives.
Contract freightVolume agreed in advance at a set rate.
Spot freightLoads priced one at a time at the day's market rate.
Load boardWhere brokers and shippers post loads for carriers.
Load-to-truck ratioLoads posted per truck available: a read on capacity.
Produce seasonSpring and summer harvest freight, moving north from the South and West.
RoadcheckThe CVSA's yearly 72-hour inspection blitz, usually in May.

The scenario answers

  1. Two loads deliver Friday. One goes into central Florida, the other into the Dallas area. Both pay the same. Which usually sets the truck up better for next week? Dallas. Dallas is a strong outbound market with lots of freight. Central Florida takes in far more than it ships, so outbound loads are scarcer and pay less outside produce season.
  2. What's a backhaul? The cheaper return load after a high-paying headhaul. A headhaul is the strong, well-paying direction; the backhaul is the return, which often pays less because there's less freight going that way.
  3. A load board shows 6 loads posted for every truck in a region, up from 2 last month. What does that tell you? Capacity is tight and rates there are likely rising. More loads per truck means shippers are competing for trucks, which pushes spot rates up.
  4. It's April. Which season should you be planning for on reefer freight out of the South? Produce season. Produce season ramps up in spring from Florida, Texas and California and moves north through summer, tightening reefer capacity.
  5. What's the main difference between contract and spot freight? Contract rates are agreed in advance for months; spot is priced load by load. Contract freight gives steady volume at a set rate. Spot freight floats with the market, which can be great when capacity is tight and painful when it's loose.

General training, not legal or compliance advice. Rules are the US federal ones (FMCSA) as of 2026; check the current text and your company’s policies.