Run power-only loads — no trailer needed

Power-only means you supply the tractor and the driver, and the customer (a primary hauler, transfer station operator or shipper) supplies the loaded trailer. You can start with a tractor you own or a rented day cab, with no trailer purchase. Find power-only loads in all 50 states plus D.C.

Who this is for

• Truckers & owner-operators: pull a primary hauler's transfer trailers from a transfer station to a landfill.
• Dispatchers: find power-only runs for your drivers and send the paperwork.
• Brokers & haulers with extra trailers: post power-only loads to the Ripingo board.

What equipment you need

• Phase 1 — tipper trailers: a day cab is enough and no wet kit is needed, because a tipper trailer is emptied by the receiving landfill's hydraulic tipping platform, not by your truck. Not every landfill has one, so call the facility to confirm it has a tipping platform before booking a tipper load.
• Walking floor and end dump trailers: your tractor needs a hydraulic wet kit (PTO, pump and lines) to unload them. Wet kit guide
• Pulling someone else's trailer: confirm your operating authority, auto liability and any trailer interchange coverage the trailer owner requires before your first load.

How to find power-only loads — step by step

1. 1Search the Ripingo Load Board for Power Only

   Open the Load Board & Dispatch Desk and tap the Power Only filter. Member PIN required.

   Open Power Only loads

2. 1bCheck outside power-only load boards with the same filter

   On each board set the equipment type to Power Only, then choose your own origin and destination (city, state or radius) for the lanes you want to run. Each program sets its own carrier requirements.

   DAT One — Power Only

   In DAT One load search, set Equipment to Power Only, then enter your own origin and destination.

   Truckstop — Power Only Load Board

   In Load Search open Advanced Search, choose Equipment Type: Power Only, then set your origin and destination.

   123Loadboard — How to find power-only loads

   Start a new load search, enter Power-Only (PO) as the trailer type, and choose your origin and destination.

   Uber Freight — Powerloop power-only program

   Powerloop drop-and-hook loads use Uber Freight trailers. In the Uber Freight app, filter for power-only loads and set your pickup and drop-off areas.

   Amazon Relay — Power-only loads

   Most Relay loads are power-only. On the Relay load board, filter by origin and destination cities. Check Relay carrier requirements first.

   J.B. Hunt 360 — Power Only

   Power-only freight with J.B. Hunt trailers. In Carrier 360, search loads by your origin and destination.

   Schneider FreightPower — Power Only

   Schneider power-only loads with Schneider trailers. In FreightPower, search by your origin and destination.

3. 2Pair a transfer station with a landfill

   Open the state directory and pick any of the 50 states or D.C. to see its transfer stations and landfills. Members can use the Facility Locator: choose a state or search a city or ZIP, tick Transfer Station to find pickups, then tick MSW Landfill or C&D Landfill to find drop points nearby.

   State facility directory (50 states + D.C.)Facility Locator (members)

4. 3Pitch primary haulers to pull their trailers

   In the Contract Assistant Scripts tab, pick a transfer station and set the trailer type. Use the Scale House Cold Call to learn who hauls the trailers out, then the Transfer Station Overflow Pitch (phone and email) to offer power-only capacity on that run. Dispatchers can use Owner-Operator Recruiting to line up drivers.

   Open Contract Assistant Scripts

5. 4Send the Letter of Intent & Rate Confirmation

   The Dedicated Lane LOI in the same Scripts tab is a Letter of Intent & Rate Confirmation written for a power-only tractor pulling customer-supplied trailers. Enter the landfill as the destination, fill in rate, volume and payment terms, then print or copy it for signature.

   Open the LOI & Rate Confirmation