Best Load Boards Every Trucker Should Know
Load boards are a quick and easy way for a trucker to find a delivery that needs to be done. Whereas our grandfathers had to work with a broker to find loads, the power of the Internet allows us to find deliveries to do on our own. Here is our list of the best load boards.
- DAT
- TruckStop.com
- 123Loadboard
- Direct Freight
- Trucker Path
5. Trucker Path
Trucker Path offers 150K daily loads posted by over 800 brokers in North America. It is free to use, and has an app for easy access while not driving a truck.
If you try it out and find out you are a huge fan of Trucker Path, there is also a premium version for $299.99 per year or $29.99 each month. Features in the premium version include the “HOS Trip Planner”, which will notify you what rest stops along your route are the best places to park to stay within hours-of-service regulations.
4. Direct Freight
Direct Freight not only allows you to search for loads, it gives you the option to post the general location of your truck and allow load offers to come to you! The only downside is the limited functionality of the free account, while the premium version is filled with additional features such as exclusive loads and how many days after fulfillment you will be paid.
3. 123Loadboard
123Loadboard posts over 50,000,000 loads annually and is partnered with some of the largest transportation companies in the United States, so you know they have to be good! That legacy does come at a cost, however, as it is the first on our list that does not have a free version. If, however, you were to get the best package, you get a free fuel card that saves you 10-40 per gallon on diesel, which depending on how far you drive can make the service pay for itself.
2. TruckStop.com
TruckStop.com practically pioneered the idea of the online load board, connecting truckers with jobs since 1995 back when Netscape was the premier browser. This is not to say the company is outdated, they have transitioned to the modern smartphone era without trouble.
Beyond the standard service of finding loads for your business to ship, the more expensive packages also help make some of the back-end work of a trucking business easier, such as automatically tracking IFTA and scoring brokers based on past complaints received so you can know who to trust in doing business.
1. DAT/TruckersEdge
DAT can best be described as the Tried and True. They have their finger on the pulse of the trucking industry, tracking the average freight rate per mile for geographical regions and freight type, and they have various load boards for differing needs. Our favorite is TruckersEdge, which has a direct emphasis on carriers rather than on brokers and shippers. It is also by far the largest load board in the nation, with almost 900,000 loads posted on an average day. The service is relatively expensive, with the lowest package at $69.99 per month, but that is the price for being the best.
Bonus Load Boards
1. Convoy
Convoy is free to use and has an emphasis on what it calls “Automated Reloads”, allowing a shipper to minimize deadhead miles by going from job to another in the blink of an eye.
2. Uber Freight
While the company is primarily known for its ridesharing business, Uber has thrown its hat in the ring into logistics as well. Uber Freight takes pride in its “Hassle-free booking”, hoping to streamline the process of booking a load with a few taps on a smartphone, as opposed to any phone calls or faxing.
Additionally, Uber Freight allows shippers to rate and view ratings of facilities, allowing truckers to keep them accountable.
3. Amazon Relay
The name recognition of Amazon precedes itself. By using Amazon relay to find deliveries, you can almost be certain that you will never run out of work. Plus, their high standards for enrolling people in their program means that once you get in you will gain exclusive access to contracts that are not just given to any driver with a CDL.
The Bottom Line
Load boards can be helpful tools to help a trucking business establish relationships with shippers and brokers, and to minimize deadhead miles. Some load boards are also willing to go above and beyond to help with planning trips, such as factoring in hours-of-service regulations and IFTA allocations. Most of the best load boards require a monthly subscription that costs money, but the enhanced service and professionalism should make them pay for themselves in just a few deliveries. Our advice is to start with a free load board and work your way up as your business grows.
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