Can anyone explain just how the , I think called clearing houses, work. The companies who help you not run empty and find you loads to bring back. Am I correct to think that if you sub-contract for company say Maritime, then once you have dropped off their load you can use one of these firms to get a return load. Can anyone suggest any company names and where they are located and how much it costs to use them. Many thanks for any answers.
They existed for donkeys years, but been out of general haulage for so long i thought they’d deservedly gone the way of the Dodo.
Basically its like a drivers agency for loads, jack spot enterprises has 50 already underpriced loads to go to various destinations @ £200 a load, you the haulier will be offered as little of that 200 as jack spot thinks you are desperate enough to carry it for, hopefully a little more than the extra fuel you’ll burn with said return load, and hopefully enough to pay for the hours involved in getting said load on and delivering it.
Again hopefully after about 30/60/90 days jack spot will pay you the pittance, assuming he hasn’t gone bust in the meantime, and assuming you got the price in writing and he honours it.
Ok that’s painting a black picture, i’m sure the modern clearing house is as honest as the houses of parliament… 
If it suits you for convenient return loads and you can get a reasonable rate it can work out for you, but just as with driver agencies there are bad examples, and worse examples… 