Best Load Boards for Truckers, Shippers, and Brokers in 2023

Overview

DAT Freight and Analytics was an early pioneer in load boards, launching its Dial-a-Truck monitors in 1978. This was among the first digital devices offering information to owner operators about available loads. Today, DAT offers separate load boards for shippers and brokers, but the DAT One (formerly known as TruckersEdge) load board–with 887,000 loads posted every business day–is a favorite among carrier and owner operators.

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Cost

Standard access to the load board for truckers starts at $45 per month while a broker account starts at $139 per month. The enhanced membership tiers, which includes more data on rates and route planning, range from $135 to $365 a month.

Overview

Truckstop.com offers a range of products and services to shippers, brokers and trucking companies. The company’s load board for owner operators includes loads for flatbed trucks, refrigerated trucks, vans and other vehicles. Truckstop was another early pioneer in bringing load boards online, and today offers additional tools to help factor invoices, negotiate rates and find routes. TruckStop also has separate load boards for shippers and brokers.

Cost

A basic $39 per month subscription lets owner operators search loads and post their own material. A $125 per month subscription adds broker credit information and information on how long brokers take to pay for a job. Truckstop’s Pro membership tier, which costs $149 per month, offers more information on rates, best paying loads and route planning.

Overview

123Loadboard is among the most used load boards in the industry, with more than 625,000 users and more than 68 million loads matched and hauled each year. Brokers can post loads for free.

Cost

123Loadboard offers a $35 per month plan that gives operators 24/7 access to the load board, real-time alerts and access via computer or mobile device. Its $45 per month plan adds maps and mileage information and document storage, and its $55 per month plan adds detailed information on freight rates.

Overview

Trucker Path advertises more than 150,000 new, available loads every day. Two million loads–some of them for refrigerated trucks and other specialized trucks–are added to the load board every month. Around 800 brokers use the site to match shippers with carriers.

Cost

Trucker Path has three subscription tiers, with the Essential tier costing $16.67 per month. The Preferred tier is $33.33 per month, while the Ultimate tier is $74.99 monthly.

Overview

Established in 1997, Direct Freight offers 300,000 new loads per day and access to its network through a popular mobile app. Its load board is considered a favorite among shippers and brokers, in part because of a range of specialized tools and services that come along with a subscription.

Cost

A subscription to Direct Freight costs $34.95 per month but a 15-day free trial is available.

Overview

Comfreight offers load boards for owner operators, shippers, and brokers. For trucking companies, Comfreight adds next-day payment through invoice factoring, a rate comparison tool and other features under a subscription plan.

Cost

While comfreight does not make its subscription rates public, it does offer a 15-day free trial.

Overview

CloudTrucks is a venture capital-backed software company that functions as a “virtual carrier,” and has created an application that helps trucking businesses reduce their operating costs and maximize revenue. Among the features of its platform are an app-based load board used by 200 brokers and shippers, access to other load boards, instant payment upon delivery and cost-effective insurance options.

Cost

For owner operators without their own authority, signing on with CloudTrucks’ Virtual Carrier program means operating under the company’s authority and getting access to multiple load boards and scheduling optimization tools in exchange for paying CloudTrucks 15% per load. For independent owner operators that want to keep their authority, joining the company’s Flex program–which includes access to the company’s load board as well as 13 other load boards, instant payment and other amenities–costs an owner operator 6% of each load.

Overview

A product of invoice factoring company Apex Financial, NextLOAD is a free load board app. It requires a credit-card check for shippers, brokers and carriers using its platform to ensure that all parties have good credit. NextLOAD also offers factoring and a fuel card that offers discounts at gas stations.

Cost

NextLOAD is a free load board that any carrier, broker, or shipper can use.

Overview

Convoy is a popular digital broker among brokers, shippers, and truckers because it is free and features an easy, intuitive user interface. It offers next-day pay for completed jobs, and its mobile app features an integration with maps featuring truck stops and fuel prices. Convoy is used by 300,000 truckers and by shippers like Home Depot, Dollar Shave Club, and Land O’ Lakes.

Cost

Convoy is a free service for both shippers and carriers. Like a traditional broker, Convoy makes money by charging shippers  more than they pay carriers.

Overview

As a digital broker, Uber Freight matches shippers and carriers the way Uber matches local travelers with drivers. Uber Freight has been recognized by Procter & Gamble, Anheuser-Busch, and other companies as a reliable broker. For carriers, Uber Freight offers upfront pricing, instant booking, free quick pay, and facility ratings.

Cost

Uber Freight is a free service for both shippers and carriers. Like a traditional broker, Uber Freight makes money by charging shippers  more than they pay carriers.

Overview

Freight brokerage Total Quality Logistics (TQL) works with 130,000 carriers, and moved three million loads in 2021. The company’s online portal, called the Carrier Dashboard, includes a free load board with more than 65,000 loads added every week. The app has a rating of 4.9 stars in Apple’s App Store, based on more than 6,500 ratings.

Cost

TQL Load Board is a free service for both shippers and carriers. Like a traditional broker, TQL Load Board makes money by charging shippers  more than they pay carriers.

Overview

A startup technology company valued at over $1 billion, Loadsmart offers a range of services to shippers and to carriers, including a load board mobile app. The board includes loads for flatbeds, reefers, and dry vans, and includes drayage, FTL, and LTL. Loadsmart says its load board taps a network of 46,000 carriers and 730,000 trucks. The company’s customers include Halliburton, Accenture, and Alcoa.

Cost

Loadsmart’s technology is free to use for carriers and owner operators. The app displays the prices of individual jobs with real-time market rates and 500 data points, including weather, fuel costs, and other information.

Overview

Free Freight Search, with more than 131,000 registered members, is the world’s largest free load board for brokers and carriers. A product of factoring company Triumph Business Capital, Free Freight Search helps its members find freight, get an advance for fuel and get paid within hours of completing a job.

Cost

As the name suggests, Free Freight Search is a free load board that any carrier, broker, or shipper can use.

Overview

Serving brokers, shippers and carriers since 2000, LoadUp is a no-frills website that lets shippers and brokers advertise loads and carriers advertise their trucks and upcoming deadhead runs. The board is free to all parties, and does not publicize its number of users or available loads.

Cost

LoadUp is a free load board that any carrier, broker, or shipper can use.