Best load boards for truckers: how to pick one, and what it really costs
Steve Woods · Lead Dispatcher, TruckSprint
Steve Woods leads the TruckSprint dispatch desk and reviews every guide we publish. How we research and update guides.
Updated October 2026
Quick answer
The best load board is the one with the most freight for your equipment and lanes, plus rate data and broker credit checks. DAT's own pricing page lists carrier plans from $59 to $339 a month, as of October 2026. Free boards exist, but they usually trade away rate data and broker credit. Your real cost is the subscription plus your search time, divided by the loads you book.
Source: DAT, Load board pricing · checked 2026-10
Every "best load boards" list ranks the same names in a different order, often with prices that don't match the board's own website. I'm Steve, lead dispatcher at TruckSprint, and our desk lives on load boards all day. This guide uses prices only from the boards' own pages, says plainly where we couldn't verify one, and helps you pick by what you haul, not by someone's ranking.
What a load board actually gives you
A load board is a marketplace where brokers and shippers post loads and carriers search, call and book. What you're paying for:
- Load volume for your equipment and lanes. This matters more than any feature.
- Rate data: average spot rates on a lane, so you know what a load should pay before you call.
- Broker credit and days-to-pay, so you don't haul for a broker who pays late or not at all.
- Search tools: alerts, multiple saved searches, filters for equipment and length.
- Truck posting: listing your truck so brokers can call you.
DAT carrier plans, from DAT's pricing page
| Plan | Price per month | DAT recommends it for | Rate data | Concurrent searches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | $59 | Partial-load operators | 15-day average spot rates | 2 |
| Enhanced | $149 | New owner-operators | 7-day average spot rates | 3 |
| Pro | $169 | Owner-operators with 1-3 trucks | Best available | 10 |
| Select | $259 | Small fleets with 3+ trucks | Best available | 10 |
| Office | $339 | Mid-large fleets with 10+ trucks | See DAT's page | See DAT's page |
Source: DAT, Load board pricing · checked 2026-10
DAT's page also lists broker credit data (average days to pay, credit scores and reviews) and the number of concurrent searches among plan features. Check which plan includes what before you pick; the cheapest plan rarely has the rate data you need to negotiate.
Other boards worth checking
Truckstop and 123Loadboard are the other names most carriers compare with DAT, and both sell several carrier plans. Their websites blocked our automated check in October 2026, so we're not quoting their prices here; the numbers on third-party lists disagree with each other. Go to truckstop.com and 123loadboard.com and read the current plan pages yourself before you compare.
Beyond general boards, many brokers post loads in their own carrier apps, and some programs (like Amazon Relay) run their own load board for their freight.
What a board really costs you
The subscription is the small part. The big part is the hours you spend searching, calling and negotiating. Put in your own numbers:
What your board really costs. EXAMPLE values
- Search time per month
- $1,299
- Board plus time
- $1,468
- Per booked load
- $122
Your search time costs $1,130 a month more than the board itself. That's the number to shrink. Months average 4.33 weeks.
If your search time costs more than the board, cutting search time is where the money is: better alerts, tighter lanes, direct broker relationships, or someone else doing the searching. Check every load's real pay with the rate per mile calculator.
Choosing a board by equipment
| You run | What to look for in a board |
|---|---|
| Dry van | Volume on your lanes, rate data, quick alerts |
| Reefer | Temperature-controlled filters, produce-season volume, broker credit |
| Flatbed and step deck | Filters for flatbed/step deck, tarps and securement notes in postings |
| Power only | Power-only postings and drop-trailer programs; some freight runs through dedicated programs |
| Hotshot | Partial and LTL-sized flatbed loads, filtering by length and weight |
| 26 ft box truck | Partial and LTL loads, liftgate and dock-height filters; local and regional freight |
| Car hauler | Specialized vehicle-transport boards often carry more of this freight than general boards; see car hauling business |
| Dump truck | Little on general boards; most work comes from contractors, quarries and local brokers |
| Oversize | Postings with dimensions and permit notes; often direct broker work |
| Hazmat and tanker | Endorsement and placard filters; much freight is direct or contracted |
If your equipment has thin volume on general boards (dump, car hauler, oversize, tanker), spend more on relationships and less on subscriptions. Our guide to how to get loads covers each source, and the box truck loads guide goes deeper on 26 ft freight.
Free load boards
Free boards and free tiers are useful for learning the market and checking what's posted on your lanes. What they usually give up:
- Rate data, or only old averages
- Broker credit scores and days-to-pay
- Full search features, such as many saved searches and instant alerts
- Truck posting or support, on some boards
DAT's pricing page links to a free account sign-up; check what it includes before you rely on it. For a new carrier, one paid plan with rate data and broker credit usually pays for itself the first time it keeps you off a bad load.
Board habits that win more loads
- Call fast. Good loads go in minutes. Set alerts on your lanes and have your MC, equipment and availability ready when you dial.
- Know the lane rate before you call. Use the board's rate data and your own cost per mile.
- Check broker credit on every load, even familiar names.
- Post your truck a day before you're empty, with exact availability.
- Search outbound from where you'll deliver, not where you are now.
- Treat "call for rate" as a negotiation, not a mystery.
- Keep a list of brokers who pay well and answer the phone. After a few months, that list matters more than the board.
A board is a tool, not a business plan. The carriers who do best use it to find brokers, then build those brokers into regular freight. If you'd rather hand the searching to someone, see how a dispatcher compares with a broker.