Which Load Board is Best? Here’s How to Choose.

Having a load board you can rely on to get quality loads is critical to your success as a carrier or owner-operator, but there are so many load boards out there to choose from.

How do you know which load board is best for your trucking company?

Trying to find the right load board when there are hundreds to choose from can be a tedious process. Not all load boards are created equal, and in an industry where margins can be tight, cost is always a concern. Although there are free load boards available for matching freight, you get what you pay for, and a free load board might end up costing you money in the long run.

Learn more about pros and cons of free load boards and the importance of comparing features.

Finding a load board that consistently serves up high-paying loads posted by trustworthy brokers will keep your truck(s) on the road.These tips for choosing the right load board will help you learn how to choose a load board.

Pay attention to load board pricing.

Don’t be afraid to comparison shop. There are LOADS of load boards available on the internet. They can vary drastically in what features they offer, price, and ease-of-use. A free load board is NOT going to offer the security and advanced features and time-saving tools that a load board with a monthly subscription offers. It’s also going to have fewer quality loads to choose from (old, duplicate, or fraudulent loads persist on free load boards, which can rob you of time as you look for real loads). The Truckstop Load Board has three different options to choose from: Basic, Advanced, and Pro, so you can pick the load board level and features that fit your budget as well as your business needs.

Read the fine print. Many free load boards will incur charges after the limited trial period ends.

Check the number of loads posted daily.

When you’re trying to find the right load for your trucks and preferred lane, you need volume to choose from—but you really need quality. The Truckstop Load Board prioritizes quality over quantity, so you never waste time chasing old, duplicate, or fake loads. Make sure you’re using a load board that provides that kind of volume, variety, and quality.

A good load board should have hundreds, even thousands, of legitimate loads.

See how often loads update.

A load board isn’t doing you a whole lot of good if it doesn’t update regularly. Loads come and go quickly, so check how often the board updates before deciding which one to go with. With Truckstop Load Board Basic, the load board updates every 60 seconds. Truckstop Load Board Pro features Real-Time Live Loads, which updates the load board with fresh new loads in real time.

Time is money in trucking. Make sure your load board posts current loads.

Find out if the load board is user-friendly.

You don’t want to spend a lot of time figuring out how to work a load board when the load board should be working for you. Pick a load board that’s intuitive and easy to understand. See if the company has training videos you can watch to help decide if their load board looks easy to navigate. Short, to-the-point videos should make using your load board a cinch.

Truckstop has a series of videos designed to optimize your use of our load board and suite of products.

Look for advanced features on the load board.

The Truckstop Load Board is available at three levels, although even Load Board Basic goes the extra mile to help you easily get the right loads for you at the right time. It includes a decision tool that helps you gauge your rate negotiation strength in any given lane. Generally speaking, you can usually negotiate at least a few hundred dollars more on a load if you’re properly armed with the information you need to make a case for higher pay.

Other features included in Truckstop’s basic offering include Route Map for finding the best route for your equipment type and mapping details—all without leaving Truckstop Go™, our mobile app. The Load Popularity feature prioritizes loads with less competition, so you gain the negotiating power you need to win desired loads; Backhaul Search minimizes deadheads, so you avoid driving empty miles, which raises profit margins; Similar Load Recommendations expands your search to find more load opportunities; and Broker Factorability instantly shows you loads posted by brokers approved by Truckstop for factoring.

For new authorities, all levels of the Truckstop Load Board have the Authority Age Filter, so you never waste time on loads posted by brokers who require longer authority. Simply filter by your authority age to find loads you’re qualified to haul.

The higher tier of the Truckstop Load Board you choose, the more features you get. Both Advanced and Pro come with Fuel Desk, so you can keep fuel costs in check and more, Load Alert Notifications, which sends loads that match your preferences right to your phone, and Real-Time Live Loads , so you can see fresh new loads posted in real time, increasing the likelihood of getting the loads your want.

Truckstop Load Board Features

Aside from offering basic searching and posting of loads, a good load board should offer advanced features like broker credit ratings, rate analysis for the rate negotiation process, and additional decision tools that save you both time and money. Here are some of the best features available on the Truckstop Load Board.

Book It Now

The capability to book loads instantly with the click of a button at any time of day from any location is a must-have convenience for today’s fast-paced freight world. With Book It Now instant load booking, you can avoid the negotiation process altogether and hit the road faster. Getting load details, rates, and location info in advance with the ability to book at your convenience is the ultimate advanced feature. This feature is FREE to all carriers.

Broker credit ratings and days-to-pay are just some of the criteria you can use to choose which brokers to work with. Truckstop Broker Rating provides a broker credit score, the average days it takes the broker to pay, and an experience factor based on the broker’s time in business, financial strength, and more. This feature is available with Truckstop Load Board Pro.

Rate Insights

Truckstop Rate Insights is powered by machine learning and artificial intelligence to tell you the estimated freight rate for a specific load. It allows you to access posted and booked rate estimates and historical trendlines. It’s great to have in your back pocket when negotiating with brokers. Rate Insights is available with Truckstop Load Board Pro.

To see these features for yourself, schedule a free demo of Truckstop Load Board Pro.