The trucking industry plays a vital role in the US economy, and businesses of all sizes depend on it to deliver products safely all over the nation. Compared to other freight industries such as railroad or air freight, trucking moved 72.5% of domestic U.S. freight in 2020.

The reason for the success of the trucking industry is the progression of technology and engineering advancements throughout the years.

Load boards as technology products have contributed to the growth of the industry in recent years.

But first of all, what is a load board?

Let’s find out below.

What is a load board?

A load board is a digital platform that allows brokers and shippers to post publicly visible loads, so that carriers and owner-operators take the freight, and move it to its final destination.

A load board simplifies the processes of each side and saves valuable time and resources.

For brokers, it means easy access to fleets that have the capacity to haul their freight.

For carriers, it means maximizing earning potential and reducing empty miles.

Do you need a load board?

A load board is a good-to-have asset if you want to progress in the business by taking advantage of modern technology.

However, many companies can run their operations without a load board, especially if they run dedicated lanes.

Some companies love the use the old traditional way by picking up the phone or working with a freight broker.

They don’t necessarily need to have a load board if other ways work better for them.

Who should use a load board?

If you’re a carrier or owner-operator and struggle to cover backhauls or want to match loads with only a few clicks, a load board might be a good solution.

On the other side, if you’re a broker and want to expand your network of connections, consider using a load board.

Generally, if you’re new to trucking, and want to set up your business for success, a small investment in a quality load board can put you on top of your game.

Best Free and Paid Load Boards

There may be hundreds of load board solutions, and it’s difficult to say which load board solution is the best.

It depends on your needs, preferences, and type of business.

In the below section, we covered 26 load boards with the highest rating.

➤ 123Loadboard

123Loadboard is not just another load board out there, because it provides other useful tools which support truckers with everything they need to plan and execute their route trip successfully. This load board is designed for truckers who want to find loads easily, reduce miles, and increase revenue, and brokers who want to post loads, find carriers, and take advantage of the many tools.

With 100,000 loads daily there is an opportunity for everyone. The load board supports you with mechanisms to reduce empty miles, and make more profitable trips. Also, you can get paid fast with the Quick Pay option.

123Loadboard even provides fuel cards, accepted at 14,000 locations with discounts of 10-40 cents at the pump. iOS and Android apps are available at the marketplaces.

Price

This is a freemium load board. Users may try the software for 10 days, before signing up for one of the three available plans:

Standard plan – $35

Premium plan – $45

Premium Plus plan – $55

What differs are the tools in each plan and other benefits such as the fuel card and the number of users.

➤ Amazon Relay

If you want to work directly with Amazon and haul freight from the Amazon network, you should consider the Amazon Relay load board. It’s an in-house platform launched in 2017 by Amazon for carriers and owner-operators to quickly search, book, and execute loads by Amazon.

There are some basic requirements to meet in order to join the Amazon network including an active DOT number and valid MC number, (FMCSA) Safety Rating of “Satisfactory,” “None,” or “Not Rated”, an auto liability of at least $1 million per occurrence, including $50,000 in trailer replacement coverage, a commercial general liability of at least $1 million per occurrence and $2 million in aggregate, cargo coverage of at least $100,000 and employer liability of at least $100,000 per occurrence.

Most of the loads are regional meaning you will have more home time. The Relay mobile application for truck drivers is quite useful and provides quality navigation, notifications, history check, automatically generated invoices, PODs, and bills of lading.

Pricing.

Amazon Relay load board is free of charge as long as you get approval to enter the network.

➤ C.H. Robinson

C.H. Robinson is a third-party logistics provider offering freight transportation, brokerage, management, and warehousing. Its load board is branded under the name Navisphere.

The platform aims to reduce the time spend on phone calls or emails and instantly book loads thanks to the end-to-end technology.

Carriers have additional benefits by signing the Navisphere platform. They are automatically enrolled in the Carrier Advantage Program, and depending on the service they provide, can earn rewards, discounts, save on fuel, etc.

You need to sign up to take advantage of the load board. As a carrier, you will need #MC, and #DOT, proof of insurance minimum $25K cargo liability and minimum $750K automobile liability, as well as a US Tax Payer ID number.

Pricing.

C.H. Robinson Navisphere Platform is free of charge.

➤ Big Road Freight

Big Road Freight is a free and personalized load-matching platform for owner-operators.

The system uses artificial intelligence to recommend a load based on the location, preferred lanes, equipment, and other input parameters. It also takes historical selections to provide the best possible loads. They claim the more you use the app, the smarter it gets at matching loads for you. But also, users can search loads and request a load. This load board does not provide factoring and routing yet.

The loads are obtained from different sources such as 3PLs, digital brokers, aggregators, etc.

Most of the loads are Vans, Reefer, and Flatbeds, but you can also find Stepdeck, Low Boy, Auto Carrier, Container, Dump Trailer, Power Only, Tanker, Hopper Bottom, and other kinds of loads.

Pricing.

Big Road Freight is available to all owner-operators with BigRoad ELD.

➤ ComFreight

ComFreight is a load board aimed to make the load-matching process easier and smoother. This load board is ideal for carriers, shippers, and brokers who want to simplify the process of freight matching by using innovative tools offered by ComFreight.

The load board enables brokers to post loads, get automated email match alerts, use the radius tool for lanes, make real-time bidding on shipments, use HaulPay for quick pay, and post to public or group.

Carriers can search loads, post trucks, check market rates, and use the fast factoring service.

Finally, shippers can post loads to get bids, match loads to trucks, and get the best credit terms.

Pricing.

The prices start at $19. Users are given free access to the platform, and a free trial is also available.

➤ Convoy

This load board is designed to reduce hassle and maximize earnings by seamlessly bundling your head hauls and backhauls.

The platform also provides factoring and fuel cards so you can save an additional $35K per truck on a yearly basis.

It’s easy to bid on loads and get notified if your bid is accepted or not.

Also, the loads with upfront pricing are even easier to book by clicking Accept Now if you like the pricing.

The load board by Convoy is accessible through the mobile app on App Store and Google Play as well as through the web platform.

Pricing.

Convoy offers free access to its load board.

➤ Coyote

Coyote, a UPS company works with a network of 40,000 carriers.

There are opportunities for everyone because Coyote offers services for different equipment types including dry van, flatbed, hazmat, heavy haul, reefer, step-deck, over-dimensional and high-value freight.

This CoyoteGO platform opens the way for easy access to more than 14,000 shippers, while more than 10,000 loads are posted each day on the load board.

To find loads, the process is similar to other load boards. You have a search function to narrow down preferred loads. You can search for opportunities based on Origin and destination, pickup date range, equipment type, and load number.

With the advanced search option, you can further refine your search.

You can also get tailored loads by using the Smart Matches feature. This functionality takes a few input parameters such as origin, destination, equipment type, recurring or one-time shipment, day of the week to pick up, maximum length and weight for your equipment, and desired pickup and delivery times.

You can set up the Smart Matches to send you email notifications with your desired loads.

To view load details, click on the arrow and get important information about the load. You can also switch from list view to map view to change the visualization of the loads by map presentation.

For booking, just need to click the “Book It” button, but since not all carriers have access to this button, you may want to contact a Coyote representative and get more information.

Another way to book a load is by submitting an offer, even if the price is higher than your bit. If the offer is accepted, you just click on “Book” in the bottom-right widget and the load is yours.

At the same time, when you book a load, Coyote provides you with backhaul loads from the destination to keep your truck loaded and make more profits.

Pricing.

CoyoteGO freight platform is available for free for all carriers in Coyote’s network.

➤ Direct Freight

Direct Freight is a load board for owner-operators, carriers, freight brokers, and shippers to find loads and trucks online.

It’s simple to use and straightforward, as it lists available loads based on the filter setup, and carriers and O/O need to review details and book the load online or call the broker. With the free account, users are able to see important details for the load such as trailer type, load size, weight, pay rate, freight factoring, credit report, and some other useful information.

On the other side, shippers and brokers can search for truckload carriers, and filter them by weight, length, trailer type, origin, and destination.

Other useful services offered by the platform are the alert set up, profit calculator, Federal Motor Carrier Database, data about fuel prices, and mileage calculator.

Pricing.

This is a freemium load board. It costs $34.95 per month. Although you can see a lot of information with the free account, in order to book a load or see the company information having the load, you need to create a free account.

➤ Motive

Motive, formerly Keep Truckin is another job board backed by the power of AI.

Motive is ensuring to collect thousands of loads from trusted partners that can’t be found elsewhere. On the platform, you will get all the important information about the load such as weight, rate, commodity, and other details to make an easy decision.

The load board provides you with loads based on your experience and preferences. Also, you can filter loads by rate, destination, equipment, and other attributes.

Pricing.

To start booking loads, the user just needs to download the free mobile app or create a Fleet Dashboard account.

➤ NextLoad

NextLoad is a free load board for truckers, carriers, dispatchers, brokers, and shippers.

The platform is customizable and allows several useful features to get the job done seamlessly and fast.

Users can set up load alerts and perform customized searches. The load board automatically refreshes as new loads come in, and users can check credit on their prospects, and add as many users as they want from their team. The application allows finding the best fuel prices on the trucker’s route.

Pricing.

NextLoad is a free load board for all parties.

➤ Prime Inc

Prime Inc features a very basic load board, yet you can find quality loads and get the job done.

Users don’t need to create an account or log in. On the load board, there is a customizable filer to easily match your preferred type of load, origin, destination, type of trailer, etc.

Once you find a matching load, click on it and here you have the option to send a message including your email, phone, and MC number. A representative will contact you to negotiate the price. As simple as that.

Pricing.

Prime Inc load board is free for all users.

➤ Sylectus

What differentiates Sylectus from the competition is its full transparency, and the possibility to build relationships with people.

This job board allows one to get in communication with a person on the other side, thus enhancing trust. Also, double brokerage is strongly prohibited among other measures, and increases trust even more.

Sylectus load board is becoming popular as the company shared that they hit two milestones recently: the number of trips completed through the platform in a single day and the number of posted loads.

If we add other features to the platform such as dispatching, payroll, billing, and others, then Sylectus should be at the top of your priority for a reliable job board solution.

Pricing.

For a fleet of five trucks, which is a minimum requirement for carriers, it will cost you around $500. The price depends on the number of vehicles in your fleet.

➤ Truckstop

Truckstop is a complete solution for transportation companies that offers a variety of products and services to run your business.

One of the products is the load board with real-time loads and over 500,000 posted loads daily. The platform is designed for carriers, brokers, and shippers.

Most of the loads are flatbed, followed by dry vans, heavy haul, reefer, specialized, and LTL/partial. The application is intuitive and easy to use featuring sorting results by rate, deadhead, weight, length, origin, and destination. Also, an overview of credit scores and reviews is available as well as fuel pricing and locations. Another useful feature is document sharing and exchange.

Pricing.

Since the platform is designed for different groups of professionals, there are slight differences in the pricing. Regarding pricing, it does matter whether you carrier, broker, or shipper.

Pricing for carriers starts at $39 up to $149, while Shippers start at $99 up to $219.

➤ Truck Smarter

The company claims to have 100,000+ loads per day across 100+ brokers, and they support Van, reefer, flatbed, power only, step deck, conestoga, container, and box truck loads.

Truck Smarter aggregate loads from other sources.

The app features a powerful search filter, with all the necessary data for a load, including a map of the tour. Users can instantly book load, but also bid and negotiate offers. Users get paid within 24 hours with 1,5% factoring, no matter the size of your fleet.

And you can pay less for fuel with their zero-fee debit card, accepted anywhere. The load board app is available for iOS and Android devices.

Pricing.

The load board is free for all users.

➤ Trinity

Trinity is a proprietary company of Burris Logistics. They claim to rank among the top 20 freight brokerage companies in the U.S.

In the portal, there are some quality features, which help users get the job done easily. Once you log in, there is a nice-looking dashboard with multiple cards including shipments by status, open invoices by status, all invoices, and shipments by mode.

Users can get a quote on any shipment through the program.

Monitoring of shipments is just as easy as it gets, and visually appealing. There is also a filter to tune up search results for your shipments.

Another useful feature is the GPS map to easily track shipments.

Pricing.

Access to the load board is free although you need to be a registered carrier to use the platform. Minimum insurance of $50,000 in motor truck cargo and $750,000 in auto liability is required for carriers to join the load board.

➤ Trucker Path Truckloads

This is one of the highest-rated load boards, and definitely a top choice among brokers and carriers. With over 800 brokers, 150,000 daily loads, and some helpful tools to manage your fleet, Trucker Path will help you optimize operations and focus on other important aspects of your business.

The load board dashboard gives everything you need in a single place to make a proper decision.

At the top, there is the search functionality with basic fields including Pick Up Date, Drop Off Date, Pick Up and Delivery locations, trailer type, weight, length, and load size. On the right, you can see a map of the trip from location A to location B.

Loads are presented in a very visual way but some attributes such as DTP/CS, Market Average, Credit Score, BackHaul, and Estimated Driving Time are locked if you’re not a premium user. Pricing is shown on some loads with an option to book instantly, and you can bid and negotiate on others. A great feature is the given time when the load was published on the load board.

But Trucker Path is much more than a load board. It’s a complete solution to planning trips. It features a few apps including fuel prices, truck navigation for fleets, dispatch service, fleet management, and OTR maps with weigh stations, truck stops, etc.

Pricing.

Trucker Path is a premium load board. Although you have free access to the load board, with only a few load views just to get the feeling, in the end, you need to choose between three packages, which cost between $299,99 and $1099,99 yearly. For brokers, the free version allows only posting loads. However, to get all features brokers should sign up for one of the Premium packages.

➤ TQL Carrier Dashboard

TQL Carrier Dashboard is one of the most notable freight carrier platforms, and part of this digital solution is its load board.

The load board offers more than 65,000 loads weekly of all sizes and commodities, dispatch teams to manage fleets, flexible payment options, and much more.

The load board itself is pretty easy to navigate and intuitive with all the necessary elements to make a quality search. Regarding parameters, you can set up Pick and Drop location, Trailer Type, Trailer Size, Weight, and truck stops along the way.

The booking process is not as good as in other load boards because you need to call a number and enter the load id you want to proceed with. Some loads are showing the pricing, while others don’t.

Let’s not forget the apps for mobile you can download on the App Store and Google Play marketplaces.

Pricing.

The TQL load board is free to use.

➤ DAT Solutions

This is one of the most sophisticated solutions on the market. Many companies are preferring DAT to run their businesses. More than half a billion loads are posted annually on the load board. It’s the largest network to find loads and run your business seamlessly.

The load board is good at finding trusted and reliable brokers who make payments on time. Their credit scores and review are given, so carriers can easily decide on making business with some broker. With the Analytics subscription, carriers can get insights and 7-day forecasts of the market to properly plan future activities.

And with the TruckersEdge Pro subscription, carriers can take advantage of the TriHaul tool, which is basically a suggestion for triangular routes to avoid low-paying lanes and boost revenue even by 50%.

Other tools such as fuel prices, average market lane information, routing details, and others just make this solution a one-stop hub for your trucking business.

Shippers benefit from the load board in a way that it helps them to easily build a network of carriers and drivers, but also make strategic decisions thanks to the market insights, historical demand, and rates.

The mobile app DAT One is included in your subscription, and it’s more than a helpful tool because it unifies 15 other tools into a single app.

Pricing.

DAT is a premium load board with different price packages for carriers, shippers, and brokers. For carriers, pricing starts at $45/month up to $295/month. For brokers, three packages are available for $139, $235, and $365 a month. Shipper pricing is negotiated via direct communication.

➤ England Logistics

England Logistics is one of the top brokerage companies that offer a robust platform, which simplifies business processes, saves time, and empowers customers with self-service technology to run their businesses in a profitable way.

The Atlas Now is a modern web platform that features a load board and additional services to support operations.

The booking of loads is as easy as it could be. Just above the listing loads, there is a search tool to match loads on preferred lanes. And on the left is a powerful filter to narrow down the data. A useful feature is the Reloads one, where you can search for loads on delivery location.

Other supportive tools under the Atlas Now platform include fuel discounts, tire programs, and factoring.

Pricing.

The Atlas Now load board is free to use. Even you don’t need to have an active account to view loads. However, to interact, book loads, and take advantage of the various tools, you need to create a free account.

➤ J.B. Hunt

JB Hunt is a well-known name in the transportation industry, specializing in technology-driven freight shipping. Its load board, J.B Hunt 360 is a complete solution that gives you the freedom to search and book loads that work for your business.

The web-based platform features a modern and clean design adjusted for any screen and makes it easy to search, negotiate and book loads.

There is a huge map at the top of the load board that shows the number of loads per state, so if you click on a particular state, you will view the load in that state only. The loads view shows pickup, delivery, number of truck stops, weight, equipment, and a button to book a load.

The filter is just above the map with some basic search parameters such as origin, destination, equipment type, deadhead origin, and deadhead destination.

A useful feature of this job board is the option to write and read reviews about truck stops. This is a quite useful feature because you are well-informed about the state of a particular truck stop on your way.

Payment is made within 2 business days with the Quick Pay option, although some restrictions apply.

The platform allows you to submit load-specific documents as well, so you have everything you need under a single platform.

Pricing.

The load board is free to use as long as you have an account with J.B. Hunt. Whether you have one or one hundred trucks, you can create a free account and take advantage of J.B. Hunt’s capacity.

➤ Landstar

Landstar is a big name in the transport industry. They are quickly moving in the market and investing a lot in technology. The load board is a free online solution to quickly find and book loads from 1200 independent agents.

Although the load board looks dated, at first sight, its features are of the highest level. Once you log in, there is a powerful search where you can filter out desired loads. The loads contain all the necessary information for making a decision such as an origin, destination, company, contact, miles, rate per mile, trailer type, line haul, and additional payments.

A very useful option is to search loads at the destination, in order to keep deadhead to a minimum. This option searches loads from the place where you delivered the freight.

Besides the usual search and preview functions, the Landstar load board is providing other useful tools for owner-operators such as fuel savings and prices for multiple truckstop chains, card balances, fast pay, inspection status, state road conditions, and other.

Finally, users can take advantage of the mobile applications for Android and iOS and get things done on the go.

Pricing.

The load board is free, although companies must meet some requirements to get access. They should have a minimum of $100,000 coverage for motor cargo, a minimum of $1,000,000 of auto liability coverage, and the auto insurance provider must be AM.

➤ Doft

Doft is a carrier-centric load board, and the company claims to have 150,000 loads per day. There are all kinds of loads available including flatbed, dry van, reefer, and power only. The load board helps drivers to get loads fast. It’s easy to find and bid on loads, receive nearby loads from shippers, and reduce paperwork because the platform allows electronic document upload.

For shippers, the load board offers real-time tracking of shipments, booking a truck in minutes, getting the BOL and POD as soon as the load is delivered, and real-time quotation. The app saves valuable time as check calls are necessary with the GPS map, updated in real-time. And selecting the best offer and driver couldn’t be easier as well as posting a load on the load board.

Additional features include a fuel surcharge calculator, recent search history, calling brokers and shippers right from the app, rate check calculator, average market rate forecast, and upfront pricing for prepaid loads.

Pricing.

The main features are free, and this is a freemium load board. With a premium plan, users get some exclusive tools to filter loads by price, or rate per mile, find backhauls, instantly book loads, and show rates for eligible loads. The monthly individual app costs $9.99, while the business app costs $19.99. A yearly subscription is available too with 16% savings compared to the monthly subscription.

➤ XPO

Besides RXO, the brokerage platform, and XPO Connect, the company’s digital freight platform, Drive XPO is the name of the XPO Logistics load board and an integrated platform that helps shippers and carriers make better decisions. The software uses machine learning to calculate current and future capacity, prior to the load’s delivery date, and other data helping carriers reduce deadhead.

Carriers can perform normal activities with the app such as searching loads, seeing a price for almost all loads, placing bids, negotiating, instantly booking loads, and planning for their next move.

The app also uses a mandatory checklist before the load is picked up.

Users are getting priority loads based on the preferences they set up for preferred equipment and length of haul. The app also notifies drivers with push notifications prompting drivers to confirm a pickup four hours in advance.

Since XPO is an international company, the app is multilingual and offers multiple currencies, while following EU regulations and privacy policies.

Pricing.

Drive XPO is a free app for all users.

➤ Knight Swift

The load board of the merged companies Knight and Swift is named Select.

This load board is quite intuitive and up to the point, and users can book a load only with a few clicks.

The search functionality can help you filter out the loads you prefer.

Load listings have basic information such as origin, destination, pickup and delivery date, trailer type, total distance, and weight.

You can instantly check the basic details for a load or click on the Book button to take the load.

Pricing.

The load board is free of charge. Users need to create an account before using the platform.

➤ Schneider

Schneider is one of the biggest names in the industry and a trusted partner you can rely on to keep your trucks moving. Its load board, Schneider FreightPower is simple and free and gives you access to exclusive freight from Schneider’s network.

The AI-based platform will provide you with personalized load recommendations based on the number of trucks in your fleet, lanes, watched loads, and pending inbound shipments. Load detail information is given along with an option to book instantly. Booking loads is easy as Dispatchers can easily manage a fleet by assigning loads to truckers, and tracking the vehicles via GPS without the need to make check calls.

The app is available on App Store and Google Play as well as through the web application. You only need to create an account to use it.

Pricing.

The load board is free of charge.

➤ Load Board Network

Load Board Network is actually not a load board. It’s a load board aggregator for brokers and shippers that unifies your transportation management systems under a single application and simplifies the way you operate.

With one click, you can post a load on multiple networks and reach out to owner-operators and carriers quickly and efficiently.

The biggest benefit of this service is that it saves time. You only need one dashboard to manage all your loads and easily connect with shippers and brokers.

Pricing

Load Board Network is a premium service that offers a 30-day free trial. The price for brokers depends on the gross annual revenue and number of shipments per month and varies from $38 to $163 monthly. There is an option for an enterprise package, and the price is given upon call.

Are Load Boards Worth It?

If you’re a carrier that is looking to reduce empty miles, or maybe an owner-operator looking for a way to stay on the top of the market, or a broker who wants an easy connection with carriers, then a load board is worth the money invested.

Along with the load board, you might get additional tools to run your business and optimize processes and business operations with the help of technology.

On the other side, as a broker, you can immediately make an impact with a quality load board because you have access to a large network of carriers who can transport your goods.