Claim, book and cover a load
Click a load on the board to open it. Click Claim to work it, Book when you have a carrier, then Cover… and enter the Confirmed Rate. Booked and covered loads move to the Booked and Covered tabs.
A load moves from open to claimed, booked and covered. A person books and covers. To ask a customer if a load is still available, claim it, click Confirm Email and then Send email. Their answer shows on the load, and you still click Book. SmartLoads' super intelligence (SI) never books or covers.
Brokers and admins work loads on the board. Dispatchers can claim, book and close loads as covered from the dispatch page.
Claim a load
- In the left menu, click Smart Loads.
- Click a load on the Active Loads tab to open it.
- Click Claim.
The load moves to the Claimed tab, and your teammates see your name under Claimed by. To give it back, click More, then Release claim.
Book it
- Open the claimed load.
- To note the carrier first, click More, then Driver details.
- Click Book.
The load moves to the Booked tab. If you can't take it after all, click More, then Release booked load….
Cover it
- Open the booked load and click Cover….
- In Cover Load, check the Confirmed Rate. SmartLoads fills it in from the load when it can. Add Notes (optional) if you like.
- Click Confirm & Cover.
The load moves to the Covered tab. For some loads, SmartLoads then asks if you want to add another copy back to the open board for rebooking.
If your agency turned on Automatically request driver photos, clicking Confirm & Cover opens Driver verification before cover. Check who gets the photo links, then click Continue to cover.
Book from the dispatch page
- On the dispatch page, click Book load.
- Click Book existing load to pick a load from the board, or Manual book for a lane that isn't on it.
- Fill in the carrier: Dispatcher name, Dispatcher phone, Company name, MC#, Equipment, Equipment length and Rate agreed. Pick at least one name under Brokers to notify. The driver's name and email are optional. For Manual book, also enter the lane: From city, ST, To city and ST.
- Click Confirm Booking.
Once the MC# has five digits, a Carrier check box appears. See Check a carrier.
Cover from a rate con
When the carrier's rate con comes in, you can cover from it with Mark covered. See Rate cons and the Delivery tab. Covering is always a person's click.
Frequently asked questions
Who can claim, book and cover?
Brokers and admins, on the board. Dispatchers can claim, book and close loads as covered from the dispatch page. A customer's answer to Confirm Email doesn't book the load: you click Book. SI never books or covers a load.
Do load boards ever show what the customer pays?
No. DAT and Truckstop get a carrier pay figure, and only when the customer's Show rate on load boards switch is on.