Last week, we explored how TrueNorth’s AI and design principles work to solve traditional and long-running pain points in the trucking industry. Elements like smart load positioning with targeted matching, proactive communication, and built-in compliance and safety checks. We’re continuing this deep dive into our approach, starting with what our AI assistant, Loadie, can do for brokers in carrier outreach.

Loadie: Your AI Assistant for Carrier Outreach

TrueNorth’s emphasis on AI goes beyond algorithms working in the background – we’ve also introduced “Loadie,” the AI-powered dispatcher, as a hands-on helper for brokers. Loadie acts like a digital team member that can automate the outreach process to carriers, adding another layer of proactivity and efficiency.

• Automated Carrier Calls/Messages: Instead of a broker manually sending out a load offer or calling carriers, Loadie can handle that communication. A broker can instruct Loadie with something as simple as, “Find a flatbed for this 10 am pickup in Dallas going to Chicago.” Loadie will then automatically reach out to carriers (via phone call, text, or in-app message) that fit the criteria, essentially performing the task a human dispatcher or broker would do, but at machine speed.
  
  
• 24/7 Coverage: Because Loadie is AI, it can operate around the clock without tiring. Brokers can leverage this for after-hours or tight-deadline loads. For example, if a load comes in late in the evening for next-morning pickup, a broker can let Loadie work on it overnight – calling carriers in the target area to see who’s available. By morning, the broker might wake up to find a matched carrier, all arranged while they slept. It’s like having a night shift that never sleeps, focused solely on covering your loads.
  
  
• Interactive and Adaptive: Loadie doesn’t just blast messages; it engages in a simple dialogue. If a carrier responds, “Not available for that load,” Loadie can follow up: “When are you available next? Would you like to post your truck for the next time you’re free?” In this way, even a “no” can turn into useful information (updating the Trucklist for future opportunities). If a carrier says “Yes, I’m interested,” Loadie can guide them through confirming the details or direct them to place a formal bid through the platform.
  
  
• Scaling Broker Operations: For broker teams, Loadie can dramatically multiply their capacity. One human broker can only call one carrier at a time, but Loadie can contact many in parallel. It ensures no time is lost when speed matters most. Brokers can focus on strategic tasks – like problem-solving exceptions or negotiating tricky deals – while the AI does the repetitive legwork of finding who’s free and interested.

Building and Protecting a Strong Carrier Network

Success in freight isn’t just about single transactions; it’s about relationships. Many brokers have a list of tried-and-true carriers they trust, and carriers have brokers or shippers they prefer to haul for. Traditional loadboards don’t account for these relationships – every transaction is ad hoc. TrueNorth recognizes that both parties want to build lasting partnerships, so the platform includes features to nurture a digital carrier network for each broker (and conversely, a broker network for carriers).

For brokers, TrueNorth enables a kind of “carrier relationship management” that simplifies keeping track of and leveraging preferred partners:

• Visibility of Existing Partners: When a broker’s company onboards to TrueNorth, their existing carrier relationships can be reflected in the system. If a carrier in TrueNorth’s network is already set up and approved with that brokerage (outside the platform), TrueNorth will show them as such. This means as soon as that carrier interacts with the broker’s load, it’s clear they’re not a stranger but a known partner. No need to re-qualify or duplicate paperwork for carriers you already work with – TrueNorth effectively bridges your offline network with the online platform.
  
  
• Favorite Carriers List: Brokers can mark certain carriers as “Favorites” or designate priority status. These might be carriers who consistently provide great service, or those with whom the broker has high-volume lanes. The platform can highlight these favorite carriers for quick access. TrueNorth makes it easy to give first dibs on a load to your most trusted carriers, reinforcing those relationships with more opportunities.
  
  
• Blocklist for Unwanted Carriers: On the flip side, if a broker has had a bad experience with a carrier – late deliveries, claims, unreliability, etc. – they can block that carrier in TrueNorth. A blocked carrier will no longer see the broker’s posted loads. This prevents awkward situations where a carrier the broker prefers not to use keeps calling on their loads. It also saves time by filtering out known poor matches.
  
  
• Personalized Loadboard Experience: Over time, as brokers use these tools, their instance of the TrueNorth loadboard becomes increasingly tailored. Their loads tend to get covered by a subset of high-quality carriers they like, and the platform still offers access to the broader network when needed (say, in a new lane or surge capacity situation). It’s a hybrid approach – harness the scale of 50,000+ carriers when you need it, but also cultivate your own private network within that.

Empowering Carriers with a Modern Load Board

Much of what we’ve described so far highlights how TrueNorth helps brokers operate more efficiently. Equally important is how the platform empowers carriers – especially independent owner-operators and small fleets – by giving them modern tools to find and book loads without the usual hassle. TrueNorth’s LoadCentral for carriers was built by asking: if we were running our own trucking business (which the founders did), what features would we want to make finding good loads easier?

• High-Quality Load Marketplace: Carriers on TrueNorth get access to over 100,000+ load postings from a wide array of brokers. This instantly gives an owner-operator far more options than they might get from a single broker or a small loadboard. And because brokers on TrueNorth must vet carriers and often tailor who sees the load, carriers using the platform are typically seeing freight that they qualify for and that matches their profile (equipment type, lanes, etc.). This elevates the quality of opportunity.
  
  
• Flexible Search Tools: Unlike some old-school boards that force you to enter an exact city or a rigid “zone,” TrueNorth allows searching by state or region easily. If a driver delivers in Dallas and is open to anything heading back toward the Southeast, they can search broadly across Texas→Southeast loads, or simply see all loads out of Texas going east, without needing to input every single city or zip code. Nearly half of all searches on TrueNorth in 2025 used these broader state/region filters, which shows carriers value casting a wider net for options. The search results can then be filtered or sorted by criteria like rate per mile, earliest pickup, or relevance to the driver’s profile.
  
  
• Digital Booking and Bidding Options: TrueNorth supports digital bids and even instant booking on loads when enabled by the broker. What’s revolutionary is that TrueNorth achieved this without requiring complex integrations with every broker’s TMS. Brokers can post loads as they normally do, and carriers on TrueNorth can simply hit “Bid” and enter their offer rate, or accept a posted rate if the broker set the load up as bookable. The broker receives that information seamlessly on their side. In traditional settings, fully digital booking is rare because it requires special connections (APIs) – but TrueNorth’s system bypasses that, meaning more loads on TrueNorth are actually available for one-click bidding/booking than on many competing platforms.
  
  
• Manual Contact When Needed: Importantly, TrueNorth doesn’t eliminate personal communication; it just streamlines it. Carrier postings include broker contact info as well. So if a carrier prefers to call the broker for details or negotiation, they can. The platform is flexible: it enables faster digital transactions but doesn’t force a carrier into a workflow they’re uncomfortable with. This flexibility helps onboard carriers who might be new to digital tools, while still offering tech-savvy users the speed of automation.
  
  
• All-in-One Mobile App: Carriers (especially owner-operators) are often on the road, so the TrueNorth carrier app is designed to be a one-stop hub. They can find loads, bid or book them, dispatch themselves, get navigation, and handle paperwork all from their smartphone. It’s like having a mini TMS in your pocket. Features like personalized load recommendations and alerts (covered next) ensure that even when a carrier is busy driving, they don’t miss out on a great load that pops up.

Transparency in Rates and Carrier Profitability

One of the more innovative carrier-focused features of TrueNorth is the integration of profitability insights directly into the load board. It’s common knowledge in trucking that revenue is not the same as profit. A load might pay $2,000, but after fuel, tolls, and other operating costs, the actual profit could be a fraction of that. However, most loadboards and freight apps historically show only the gross rate, leaving it to the carrier to guess their net earnings. TrueNorth decided to tackle this by introducing TrueRate™ alongside every load.

TrueRate™ is an AI-driven calculation of a carrier’s estimated take-home profit for a given load. TrueNorth’s system factors in various cost inputs that the carrier can configure (or which can be estimated based on industry averages and the carrier’s past data): fuel efficiency of the truck, current fuel prices, toll routes, the driver’s wage or opportunity cost, fixed costs like insurance and truck payments allocated per mile, etc. When a carrier views a load, TrueRate crunches these numbers and displays, for example, “Estimated profit: $800” for that $2,000 load that goes 500 miles. This quick reality check helps carriers decide if a load truly meets their profitability targets.

In addition to TrueRate, carriers (and brokers) see the market rate for each lane in real time, thanks to TrueNorth’s partnership with GreenScreens. GreenScreens provides dynamic market pricing intelligence, so the app might show something like, “Market average for similar loads: $3.50/mile.” If the load the broker posted is significantly above or below that, the carrier knows immediately. This addresses another traditional pain point: rate transparency. Rather than running blind or relying on sometimes outdated historical rate charts, both parties have a live indicator of what the market deems a fair price for that lane. Carriers can use this to negotiate better, and brokers can use it to justify their offers.

AI Dispatch Assistance: Meet Loadie for Carriers

We discussed how Loadie helps brokers in part 1, but it’s equally transformative on the carrier side. For many owner-operators and small fleets, the tasks of a dispatcher – finding loads, coordinating timing, doing check calls, handling paperwork – often fall on the driver or a very small staff. This can be overwhelming, especially if you’re trying to drive and run a business simultaneously. TrueNorth’s AI dispatcher, Loadie, steps in as a virtual assistant for carriers to lighten that load.

Here’s what Loadie does for carriers today (and hints of what’s coming):

• Personal Outreach to Carriers: Loadie can actually call drivers or send a message (within the app) to ask about their needs. For example, “Hi, I see you’re delivering in Atlanta tomorrow. Do you need a load out of that area for the weekend?” This kind of prompt is like having someone watching your backhaul opportunities for you. The carrier can tell Loadie their preferences (“Yes, I’d like something heading towards Florida by Saturday”) and Loadie will note that.
  
  
• Automatic Truck Posting: Based on those conversations or the carrier’s set preferences, Loadie can automatically post the carrier’s truck on the Trucklist when it knows they will be available. If a driver typically updates their status or if Loadie learned they’ll be free on Friday in Dallas, it will ensure that, come Friday, the platform shows that availability to brokers. This proactive posting means carriers don’t have to remember to do it themselves – fewer missed opportunities due to oversight.
  
  
• Load Recommendations: Loadie continuously searches for loads that match the carrier’s preferences (equipment, lanes, timing, revenue goals). It then suggests loads to the carrier in the app, almost like a personalized feed of opportunities. Instead of scrolling through hundreds of listings, a carrier might get a shortlist of “top picks” that Loadie curated just for them. Each recommendation can consider multiple factors: “You often run Dallas to Chicago and fuel prices are high, but here’s a load to St. Louis that’s along your general route home and has a great net profit per mile – consider this one.”
  
  
• Broker Communication on Carrier’s Behalf: Perhaps one of the most convenient features is Loadie’s ability to contact brokers for carriers. Say a carrier sees a load on TrueNorth that looks perfect, but they want to double-check a detail or confirm it’s still available before committing. Instead of the carrier stopping their truck to make a call (or risking a call while driving, which isn’t safe), they can have Loadie reach out through the platform. Loadie might send a query to the broker like, “Is the 10 am pickup in Houston still open? Carrier XYZ is interested.” If yes, Loadie can facilitate the booking or let the carrier know to proceed.
  
  
• Voice and Chat Interaction (LoadieChat): TrueNorth has even demoed a new conversational interface called LoadieChat at MATS this year! Carriers can simply talk or text to the system in natural language. For instance, a driver could use voice commands on the road: “Hey Loadie, find me a load from Nashville to anywhere in Ohio for tomorrow,” and LoadieChat would parse that and return suggestions or even go ahead and reach out to brokers. This kind of hands-free assistance is designed with safety in mind (drivers can use it without taking eyes off the road) and convenience (it’s like having a human dispatcher riding along, ready to take instructions).

Conclusion: A New Era of Efficient, Intelligent Freight Matching

The freight industry has long been marked by hard work and thin margins, with brokers and carriers alike hustling to make things happen. TrueNorth’s platform demonstrates that it doesn’t have to be so hard. By rethinking freight matching with modern technology and a fresh perspective, we’re addressing the traditional pain points that have plagued brokers and carriers for decades:

• No more wasted time on random loadboards or endless cold calls.
  
  
• An integrated workflow from planning to payment.
  
  
• Data-driven trust and transparency.
  
  
• Empowering relationships over transactions.
  
  
• AI assistance leveling the playing field.

As we move further into the 2020s, the message is clear: the old way of matching freight – full of uncertainty, manual effort, and siloed information – is giving way to a smarter, faster, and more collaborative model. Platforms like TrueNorth are leading the charge by proving that what’s good for carriers can be great for brokers, and vice versa, when you align incentives and use technology as an enabler.

Interested in experiencing these solutions firsthand? TrueNorth invites brokers to post loads for free to its network of vetted carriers, and carriers to explore the LoadCentral app to find their next profitable haul.