Load Board

A load board is a platform where available freight and available trucks are posted and matched. Carriers and owner-operators use load boards to find freight that fits their equipment, location, and schedule. Brokers use them to source capacity for loads they need to cover. Shippers occasionally post directly, but load boards are primarily a carrier-side and broker-side tool – the place where the supply side of freight goes to find its next load. The largest load boards in North America include DAT and Truckstop (now Trucker Path).

Load boards typically display key shipment details – origin, destination, pickup date, equipment type, mileage, and posted rate or rate-per-mile – along with carrier or broker contact information. Carriers filter and search for loads that match their current position and preferred lanes. Some boards offer real-time rate data, credit scores for brokers, and carrier performance history to help both sides evaluate potential matches before committing.

From a shipper's perspective, load boards are relevant as part of the broader freight capacity ecosystem. When a shipper's contracted carriers can't cover a load, that freight often ends up on a load board – posted by the shipper's broker or by the shipper directly. Understanding load board dynamics helps shippers interpret spot market pricing, evaluate broker performance, and recognize why capacity tightens or loosens seasonally. However, most shippers managing complex freight prefer to rate-shop across their own carrier network rather than post to open boards – using their TMS to query contract and spot rates from known, vetted partners.