Load boards for truckers are marketplaces where brokers and shippers post freight and carriers book it. These seven are ranked for fleets of one to twenty trucks on price, published load volume, broker data and how well the app works from the cab.
By Small Fleet HQ | Updated
| Provider | Best For | Typical Price | Free Tier? | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DAT Load BoardLargest Network | Largest posting volume, dry van and reefer | $59-339/mo | No | 4.2/ 5 | Compare OptionsCheck current plans |
| 123LoadboardBest Value | Budget paid board, no contract | $39-79/mo | No, 10-day free trial | 4.3/ 5 | Compare OptionsCheck current plans |
| TruckstopOOIDA Partner | Flatbed, step deck and oversize | $42-299/mo | No | 4.0/ 5 | Compare OptionsCheck current plans |
| Amazon RelayBest Free Platform | Amazon freight, authority 180+ days | Free | Yes, free to use | 4.3/ 5 | Compare OptionsCheck current plans |
| CH Robinson NavisphereLargest Free Board | Free backhauls from one large broker | Free | Yes, free to use | 4.2/ 5 | Compare OptionsCheck current plans |
| Uber FreightFortune 500 Access | Shipper freight with upfront pricing | Free | Yes, free to use | 4.0/ 5 | Compare OptionsCheck current plans |
| LoadsmartFree TMS Included | Free board with a carrier TMS | Free | Yes, free to use | 3.8/ 5 | Compare OptionsCheck current plans |
*Featured prices and terms can be updated. Free offers may include additional terms.
Three of the seven boards charge a subscription. The other four are free because a broker or shipper runs them and makes its money on the freight. Quick Compare at the top of this page shows the price range for each board. The plans named here are the carrier plans each board lists on its own pricing page, read on 10 September 2026, before taxes and any fees a board adds at checkout.
DAT One sells five carrier plans: Standard at $59 a month, Enhanced at $149, Pro at $169, Select at $259 and Office at $339. Truckstop sells Basic at $42, Advanced at $135, Pro at $159 and Heavy Haul Pro at $299, and charges a $42 application fee that is credited to the first month. 123Loadboard sells Standard, Premium and Premium Plus at $39, $59 and $79, with a 10-day free trial and no contract. Neither DAT nor Truckstop lists a free trial on its pricing page. Amazon Relay, CH Robinson Navisphere, Uber Freight and Loadsmart cost nothing to join.
For a one-truck operation the realistic range is $39 to $59 a month for an entry plan on a paid board, or nothing at all on a free one. The higher DAT and Truckstop tiers add rate history, broker credit detail and more search capacity, which matters once you are dispatching several trucks and negotiating every day. Truckstop's Heavy Haul Pro tier exists for flatbed and oversize carriers and is priced above the standard Pro plan. If two boards are close on price, read DAT vs Truckstop: Pricing and Features for Owner Operators before choosing. It compares their tools as well as their fees.
Every board is scored on the same four criteria we use across the site: user reviews and reputation, pricing and value, features and tools, and the factors specific to load boards. For this category the specific factors are load volume where the board publishes it, broker payment data, fraud protection against double-brokering, and how well the app works from the cab. The weights are set out in the methodology behind these ratings.
On volume, we only repeat what a board states itself. DAT says more than 291 million loads and trucks are posted on its network each year. Truckstop describes hundreds of thousands of loads on its board every day. 123Loadboard and the free boards do not publish a volume figure on their pricing pages, so we describe their reach in relative terms.
Only if the free boards keep coming up short on your lanes. A carrier running consistent contract freight can go months without opening a paid board. A carrier chasing spot loads in a slow market needs the largest pool it can get, which means a paid board.
Usually. A free board run by one broker or shipper shows only that company's freight, priced by that company. You lose the ability to play brokers against each other on the same lane. The trade is predictability and no subscription. Weekly payment on Amazon Relay and Uber Freight also removes the need to factor those invoices.
Yes, on every board here except Amazon Relay, which needs 180 days of active authority. Expect brokers on the open boards to check your authority age and insurance before they tender a load, so have your certificate of insurance ready before you post a truck.
Not at one truck. At three or more trucks running mixed equipment, many fleets carry both, because each board has brokers who post only there. Try one for a month, log the loads you booked and the lanes you could not fill, then decide whether a second board would have filled them.
If you have ever waited 60 days on an invoice, yes. The mid and upper tiers on DAT and Truckstop show broker credit scores and days-to-pay history. Those numbers tell you before you accept a load whether you will chase the money afterwards.
A carrier with dedicated freight from a direct shipper does not need a load board and will not get its subscription back. Neither will a carrier without an active MC number, because brokers will not tender a load to an authority that is not yet live. And a carrier who has not run its cost per mile should not book anything off a board yet, because a board shows what a load pays and only your own numbers show whether that rate covers your truck. Run your cost per mile first, then start searching.
Most of the carriers using these boards are small. The American Trucking Associations, citing U.S. Department of Transportation figures as of June 2025, counts almost 580,000 active motor carriers and puts 91.5% of them at ten trucks or fewer. More figures on fleet size, costs and earnings are in Small Fleet & Owner-Operator Statistics 2026: Fleet Size, Costs, and Earnings.
The same side-by-side view for factoring, fuel cards, insurance and ELDs is in Compare Trucking Services 2026.
Our owner operator starter stack covers load boards, factoring, insurance and the other basics, organized into three budget tiers.
Owner operator starter pack →Paid carrier plans run $39 to $339 per month. 123Loadboard is $39, $59 or $79. DAT One is $59, $149, $169, $259 or $339. Truckstop is $42, $135, $159 or $299, plus a $42 application fee credited to the first month. Amazon Relay, Uber Freight, CH Robinson Navisphere and Loadsmart are free. Prices read from each provider on 10 September 2026.
DAT, by its own published figure of more than 291 million loads and trucks posted a year. Truckstop describes hundreds of thousands of loads on its board every day. The other boards do not publish a volume figure. Among the free boards, C.H. Robinson calls Navisphere North America's largest free load board.
Yes. DAT, Truckstop, 123Loadboard, Uber Freight, CH Robinson and Loadsmart accept a new MC number with no waiting period. Amazon Relay requires an authority active for at least 180 days, a satisfactory or unrated FMCSA safety rating, $1 million in auto liability and $100,000 in cargo coverage.
Yes, mainly for filling backhauls alongside a paid subscription. A free board shows only one broker or shipper's freight, so the trade is usually lower rates and fewer loads to choose from.
Most paid load boards include broker credit check tools. DAT and Truckstop both offer broker verification and credit information. On a free board such as CH Robinson, you work directly with the broker that runs it, so there is no separate broker to check.
The major load boards support dry van, flatbed, reefer, step deck and specialized equipment. Coverage varies by lane, so search for your equipment type before subscribing.
DAT publishes a yearly figure of more than 291 million loads and trucks posted, and Truckstop describes hundreds of thousands of loads a day. Truckstop partners with OOIDA, whose members save 15% on a first Truckstop Load Board subscription, and sells a separate Heavy Haul Pro plan. If the number of postings matters most, DAT is the larger board by its own figure, and a fleet with the budget can carry both.
123Loadboard includes a 10-day free trial on every plan with no contract. DAT and Truckstop do not publish a trial on their pricing pages, though promotions come and go, so ask before you sign up. The free boards need no trial. Whatever you try, log the loads you booked and the lanes you could not fill before deciding.