To find haulage work without giving a broker a cut, you need a steady feed of loads on your lanes and a direct line to the people posting them. Freight1 gives UK hauliers and owner-drivers both: live loads from shippers and forwarders, and their contact details, for a flat fee.
This page is for operators from one truck to fifty: owner-drivers, small fleets and container hauliers who want more paid miles and fewer empty ones. If return legs are your main headache, read our complete guide to backloads first.
Freight1 guideFill the empty legFelixstowe · Southampton · London GatewayWhy hauliers use Freight1
Three reasons come up again and again. First, you keep the full rate. Freight1 doesn’t sit in the middle of the job, so the price you agree is the price you invoice. Second, you can see what a job pays before you call, because shippers can show a budget on the load card. Third, you are not invisible. Your licence, insurance, completed jobs and ratings sit on your profile, so a shipper picking between three offers has a reason to pick you.
Empty running is the cost this attacks. The Department for Transport found that 30% of the distance driven by GB-registered HGVs in 2024 was empty, the same as in 2023. With diesel averaging 199p a litre in late September 2026 (RAC), every empty mile in an artic burns close to £0.90 of fuel before you count wages. See the real cost of empty running.
Loads by type
Work is split into eight categories so you only see what fits your kit:
| Category | Typical kit | Typical work |
|---|---|---|
| Containers | Skeletal, extendable skeletal, tipping skeletal | Import boxes from Felixstowe, Southampton and London Gateway to inland warehouses |
| Side-loader | Side-lifter / swinglift | Containers to sites with no forklift or crane |
| Full loads (FTL) | 13.6m curtainsider or box, 44t | 26 pallets, palletised retail and manufacturing |
| Part loads (LTL) | Rigid or artic with spare deck space | A few pallets on a lane you are already running |
| Refrigerated | Reefer trailer, temperature logging | Chilled and frozen food, pharma |
| Flatbed | Flat, step-frame, extendable | Steel, timber, machinery, building materials |
| Van | 3.5t van, Luton | Urgent same-day and small consignments |
| Car transporter | Single-car to 11-car transporter | Dealer moves, auctions, imports |
Ports we cover
Port container work is the backbone of the board. Felixstowe is the UK’s busiest container port, with about 3.6 million TEU in 2025. Work leaves via the A14 towards Cambridge and the A1/M1, and the busiest days bring queues at the Dock Spur roundabout. London Gateway and Tilbury, about 2.8 million TEU combined in 2025, feed the A13, M25 and the Midlands. Southampton (about 1.9 million TEU) runs north on the M3 and A34. Liverpool and Hull serve the north via the M62. Every port runs a booking system, so check slot availability before you accept a box.
Pricing for hauliers
Membership is £51 per vehicle per week, or £151 per vehicle per month, with no lock-in. To see whether that pays, look at recent container loads posted on the board: London Gateway to Manchester (165 miles) at £900, Felixstowe to Newport (186 miles) at £920, and Tilbury to Manchester (175 miles) at £940. That works out at about £4.95–£5.45 per loaded mile. The things that move the rate are distance, waiting time at the terminal, box weight, trailer type and how urgent the collection is. One backload that would otherwise be an empty run covers a week’s membership several times over. Compare plans on the pricing page.
Worked example
A 44t artic tips in Manchester and runs 210 miles home to Felixstowe empty. At 8.5 mpg and 199p/litre (166p ex-VAT), that is about £187 of fuel for nothing. A part-load or container backload paying even £450 on the same lane turns a loss into a profitable day.
What hauliers tell us
Owner-drivers want the shipper’s number, not another middleman, and they want to know a job pays before they ring. Freight1 shows the budget on the card and the contact once you are a member.
Small fleets need a steady flow of return legs on the same lanes. Posting trucks as available and getting to know the shippers who post on their lanes builds that flow week by week.
Container hauliers lose most money to waiting and failed slots. Clear load notes (“pin in hand”, “slot booked”) and direct messaging cut the back-and-forth before the truck leaves the yard.
Frequently asked questions
How can hauliers find more work in the UK without a broker?
Use a load board where shippers post directly, build a profile with licence and insurance details, and contact shippers quickly. Posting your truck's empty legs brings shippers to you.
What's a good website for hauliers to find direct loads?
Look for a board with work on your lanes, visible budgets and direct contact with shippers. Freight1 lists UK container, full and part loads with no commission on jobs.
How do I get more loads for my trucks?
Post your trucks as available, filter the board by your lanes every morning, reply fast with specifics, and ask satisfied shippers for repeat work on the same route.
How much does Freight1 cost for hauliers?
Membership is £51 per vehicle per week or £151 per vehicle per month, with no commission on the jobs you win and no lock-in. Start with the 7-day free trial.
Do I need an operator licence to use Freight1?
Any goods vehicle over 3.5 tonnes used for hire or reward needs an operator licence in Great Britain. Add yours to your profile so shippers can see it.
Start filling empty miles
Set up your profile, post your empty legs and check the board on your lanes each morning. The first 7 days are free, so you can see whether the work suits you before paying.
Sources
- Department for Transport: Domestic road freight statistics, United Kingdom 2024
- Container News: United Kingdom port throughput rises in 2025
- PetrolPrices / RAC Fuel Watch: UK diesel average, 28 September 2026
- GOV.UK: Goods vehicle operator licences
Facts last checked: 3 November 2026. Freight1 board examples are shippers' posted budgets, not quotes.