How Reverse Auctions Cut Shipping Costs by up to 40%
Every day, thousands of trucks drive partially empty on return journeys. Industry studies put empty running at roughly 30% of all HGV miles. Reverse-auction marketplaces exist to sell that wasted space — and the savings go to you.
How it works
Instead of phoning three couriers for quotes, you post the job once: what you’re moving, where from, where to, and when. Carriers then bid against each other for the work. Because the lowest sensible bid usually wins, prices trend down instead of up — the opposite of a traditional quote process.
Why carriers love it too
A quote that looks cheap to you can still be profitable for a carrier if your job fills space on a route they were driving anyway. That’s the backload effect: you’re not paying for the journey, just the space. Everyone wins except the empty trailer.
Getting the best price
- Post early. Jobs with a week of lead time attract 2–3× more bids than same-day requests.
- Be precise. Exact dimensions, weight and access notes remove risk — and risk is what carriers price in.
- Stay flexible on dates. A ±2 day window lets carriers slot you into an existing route.
- Check ratings, not just prices. The second-cheapest bid from a 5-star carrier is usually the best value on the board.
Post your first job free and watch the bids come in — most shipments receive their first quote within hours.