Load boards provide carriers with the option of finding loads that keep their truck drivers busy.
While truck drivers haul goods all over the country, people have the option to buy them.
And considering that of all moveable freight in the US, 72,5% of it is moved by trucks, imagine how important the act of finding loads is for trucking companies and truck drivers.
Searching for loads through a load board is a core skill that fleet owner owning straight trucks such as box trucks or cargo vans or owning bigger tractor trailers must develop.
Below, find out what is a load board for truck drivers and a list of the most reliable load boards.
What is a load board?
Load boards are online platforms where shippers, brokers, and carriers help each other in sharing and finding loads.
Using load boards, shippers and brokers search for carriers or truck drivers who can do their jobs. While, on the other hand, truck drivers and carriers search for available loads matching their needs.
From within the load board, the shippers and carriers may access each other's contact information, which allows each other to connect and negotiate the cost of the haul.
Ultimately, for both sides, load boards simplify the process of finding and delivering loads by making it faster no matter whether a paid or a free subscription is used.
Top paid load boards
Full access subscription load boards allows you to access full information on the load post including business name, billing address, ability to bid, you can set up notification whenever there is a loading post match.
Also paid load boards provide short time free access or some kind of a free trial option to give a grasp of what the paid version of the load has to offer.
Paid load boards are useful for more established trucking businesses for which the subscription pay costs less than the benefit they get from finding and booking loads and keeping their trucks on the road.
1. DirectFreight
DirectFreight offers both free and paid plans.
The free plan allows you to post and search for trucks but with limitations on the number of posts and searches that you can make.
The paid plan offers more advanced features and provides a higher number of posts and searches.
2. TruckStop
Truckstop is known for its large number of registered brokers that post over 500,000 loads daily.
TruckStop is a paid load board that is designed for different groups of professionals. Because of that, there are differences in the subscription costs for carriers and shippers.
3. DAT
This is one of the most sophisticated solutions on the market posting over 800,000 new listings each day.
DAT load board is a paid tool as well.
It offers different price packages for carriers, shippers, and brokers.
4. 123Loadboard
123loadboard is an industry leader for load board solutions with 100,000 loads daily offering an opportunity for everyone.
123LoadBoard also is paid load board.
5. ComFreight
ComFreight load board is ideal for carriers, shippers, and brokers who want to simplify the process of freight matching by using innovative tools.
The ComFreight load board is another paid tool.
The paid version of the tool gives you access to a lot more functionality of the tool.
6. Sylectus
The Omnitracs Sylectus is another paid load board.
This load board has requirements based on the number of trucks in your fleet.
Free load boards
Free load boards allow you to post and search for loads in limited way.
Free load boards are useful up until your trucking business grows to a level where using paid load board is not a pain but it's actually a business wise decision.
If you find that working with a certain big trucking company makes you more money then it makes sense using their free load board.
7. Trucker Path
With more than 800 registered brokers and 150k+ loads per day, the Trucker Path load board provides an opportunity for everyone.
More than that Trucker Path is free and boasts a vast userbase.
This guarantees you the load that you want.
8. Flock Freight
Flock Freight is has LTL (less than a truckload), TL (full truckload), and partial loads.
Carriers can sign up for free and start booking right away.
9. Free Freight Search
Free Freight Search declares to have more than 138,000 carriers and brokers registered who post loads on their platform. At the same time, it is one of the most popular free load boards.
With the free version of the load board, carriers and brokers get unlimited searching and posting.
10. NextLOAD
The NextLOAD load board connects carriers with more than 65,000 loads per day.
This is a free load board.
11. FreightFinder
FreightFinder load board provides basic features and design.
However, it's still one of the best free-load boards out there.
12. Amazon Relay
For all carriers that work with Amazon, the Amazon Relay load board is free. And most of the Amazon loads are regional.
To be able to use the Amazon Relay free load board you have to meet the following requirements:
- need to have an active DOT.
- need to have a valid MC number.
- FMCSA Safety Rating of "Satisfactory", "None", "Not Rated".
- need an auto liability of at least $1 million per occurrence, including $50,000 in trailer replacement coverage.
- need commercial general liability of at least $1 million per occurrence and $2 millions in aggregate.
- need cargo coverage of at least $100,000 and employers liability of at least $100,000 per occurrence.
13. Coyote
Coyote, also known as a UPS company, works with a large network or carriers.
CoyoteGO freight platform is available for free for all carriers in Coyote’s network.
But the CoyoteGO platform has 14,000 shippers, while more than 10,000 loads are posted each day on the load board.
14. Motive
Motive is another free job board for truck drivers.
Motive is ensuring to collect thousands of loads from trusted partners that can’t be found elsewhere.
15. NextLoad
NextLoad is a free load board for truckers, carriers, dispatchers, brokers, and shippers.
