Tips, tricks, and perseverance

In this section, we've collected a few words of advice from the most successful drivers on the site that we've talked to so far.

Perseverance 

We talk to a lot of drivers, and one complaint that we often hear is that they'll have to message 20-30 potential customers at times before they get even a single response. 

We are aware of this issue and have been taking steps to increase customer responsiveness. 

In the meantime, don't lose heart - your bids and messages do get through to shippers eventually. Stick at it, there's gold in them hills! And follow up as if they were listening, even when they don't reply but they saw your message.

Communication

When placing a bid, it's always a good idea to send a message to the customer and introduce yourself. Try to be personable and professional at the same time. Ask questions about their shipments, making clear that you appreciate their business. Most shippers appreciate directness and honesty, so be yourself and pitch as convincingly as you can.

Also, see this article for a few useful tips on building a rapport with customers.

Route planning  

The most successful drivers invest a lot of time and effort into planning their routes ahead of time, then bid on all suitable shipments along those routes. If you have a 1,000-mile trip ahead of you, use our Ridesharing Tool to really make it count - delivering five shipments instead of just one will offset your expenses greatly.

Speaking of which...

Minimizing costs

Some trips may include one or more overnight stops. Factor this into your bids, and use sites like Priceline to find low-cost hotels and motels. As any experienced driver will tell you, poor planning is the number one cause of unexpected travel expenses.

What to read next

For more advice on getting your bearings, check out our articles on Setting up your routes (2-min read) and Talking to customers (2-min read).

For advice on managing your CitizenShipper profile, see Setting up your account.

For advice on winning shipments, see Bidding and payments.