Questions & Answers
Frequently asked questions
Everything carriers, owner-operators, and freight brokers need to know about finding loads, getting paid, staying compliant, and growing the business — answered in one place.
Getting Started on the Load Board
You need an active motor carrier authority (MC number), a valid DOT number, and basic contact and payment information. New authorities can sign up — the Basic plan is a practical starting point while you’re building your broker network.
The Basic plan ($42/month) covers load search, truck posting, backhaul search, private loads visibility, broker factorability data, and route mapping. The Advanced plan ($135/month) adds broker payment ratings, the ability to report brokers, Book It Now, and the Fuel Desk for IFTA tracking. The Pro plan ($159/month) adds real-time live loads, Rate Insights, load comparison, the RPM Heat Map, and load alerts. See the full plan breakdown on the load board pricing page.
Both Advanced and Pro include broker payment ratings, Book It Now, and the Fuel Desk. Pro adds Rate Insights (real paid invoice data for negotiating rates), the RPM Heat Map, load comparison, and load alerts. If you’re actively negotiating rates on a regular basis or want market data to back up your decisions, Pro is the plan for that.
The Basic plan includes private loads visibility and broker factorability data — two things free load boards don’t offer. At $42/month, knowing whether a broker pays reliably before you call on a load protects your cash flow in a way a free board can’t match.
Your plan renews automatically on a monthly cycle. You can review your plan details, update your payment method, or make changes at any time through your account settings. A full breakdown of what’s included at each tier is on the load board pricing page.
Yes. You can upgrade or downgrade at any time by calling Truckstop support. Some accounts may have upgrades available in their accounting settings. Upgrades take effect immediately. Downgrades take effect at the start of your next billing cycle so you keep access to your current tier through the end of the period you’ve already paid for.
Yes. The Truckstop Go app lets you search loads, check broker ratings, set alerts, and manage your operation from the road. Advanced and Pro subscribers get access to additional tools through the app as those capabilities roll out.
Brokers on the Truckstop platform must have active authority on file. Truckstop also uses fraud-mitigation screening and works to help identify and remove suspicious or fraudulent loads from the board. Advanced and Pro subscribers can see broker payment history and complaint data before calling on a load, which helps you make more informed decisions before committing to a haul. For a deeper look at how Truckstop monitors fraud and suspicious activity on the platform, visit our fraud prevention resource.
Many carriers run Truckstop alongside another board. What Truckstop adds is broker payment visibility, factorability data, and a network with fraud-mitigation screening — which helps protect your cash flow. At $42/month for Basic, avoiding one slow-paying or non-paying broker typically covers the cost many times over. Compare plans.
Finding and Booking Loads
Backhaul Search helps you find reload freight near your planned delivery point before you get there. You search by the area you’re delivering into and set parameters for where you’re willing to go next. The goal is to cut deadhead miles and have your next load lined up before you finish the current one.
Private loads are freight from brokers you are already approved with, shown right inside your normal Truckstop load board search. Private and public loads appear together, so there is no separate portal to check and no broker email to wait on. If you are on a broker’s approved list, their private freight is just there alongside everything else. And because that freight goes to approved carriers first, you are usually up against fewer trucks for it.
Less competition and a head start. Private freight reaches approved carriers before it hits the wider market, so you are not racing every truck on the board for it. That usually means a better shot at booking the loads you want, plus steadier, more predictable reloads from brokers you already work with.
Brokers decide which carriers can see their private freight, and access comes from completing that broker’s vetting and onboarding, which for Truckstop private loads runs through Carrier Hub or RMIS. Once you are onboarded with a broker through Carrier Hub or RMIS, their private freight shows up in your search automatically. If you already run with a broker regularly but their private loads are not showing, you may not be fully set up with them yet, so ask what their onboarding process is.
No. Private loads visibility is included on all Truckstop plans, including Basic.
The more reliably you deliver for a broker, the more likely they are to keep you in their approved carrier list — and move you to higher-priority tiers in their posting sequence. Consistent delivery and clear communication are what tend to get carriers moved to the front of a broker’s freight flow.
Truck posting makes your equipment and availability visible to brokers actively searching for capacity. Private load access itself depends on broker approval, so combining truck posting for visibility with direct broker relationship-building is what typically opens up private freight over time.
Yes — with a Truckstop Pro subscription. Set up load alerts for your preferred lanes and equipment type, and Truckstop will notify you when a matching load is posted. Alerts come through the app so you can act quickly without sitting on the board watching for freight.
Book It Now lets you secure a load instantly with participating brokers — no phone call required. You see the offer in the load details, accept it, and the load is confirmed. It’s available on Advanced and Pro plans. Truckstop data shows loads booked through Book It Now average $200 more per load. You can book them anytime, including outside normal broker business hours.
Filter by lane, equipment type, load size, distance, broker authority age, and other criteria. Save filters you use regularly so you’re not rebuilding them every time. Many carriers use multiple tabs to organize searches by lane or delivery market, especially when managing more than one active lane.
Load Popularity shows how much competition a specific load has from other carriers. A less-popular load means fewer carriers are calling on it — which gives you more room to negotiate on rate. It’s useful when you’re deciding which loads are worth pursuing versus which ones will be a race to the bottom on price.
Yes. If you run dry van, the Truckstop Dry Van Load Board is built around that one equipment type, so your search stays focused on van freight instead of everything else on the board. You still get the broker visibility and fraud-mitigation tools that come with the Truckstop platform, and Real-Time Load Search shows new van loads as they post. You can see how the dedicated Dry Van Load Board is set up before you switch.
Filter your search to van freight and save the lanes you run most so you are not rebuilding them every time. On the Dry Van Load Board, the search is already focused on van loads, which means less time sorting and more time booking. Pair that with Backhaul Search to line up your next van load before you deliver.
Yes. The Truckstop Heavy Haul Load Board is built for oversize, over-dimensional, and heavy haul equipment, with an expanded search radius to help you find the right loads across a wider area. It also brings permit requirements, escort needs, and routing into the same view, so you can size up a load before you commit. The Heavy Haul Load Board shows you what the haul really involves up front.
The Heavy Haul Load Board is built for carriers running oversized and overweight freight — the kind that requires permits, route surveys, and specialized equipment like step decks, RGNs, and lowboys. It surfaces open-deck and heavy haul freight so you can find loads matched to your equipment. Heavy haul plans are built specifically for open deck, flatbed, and oversized hauling.
Heavy haul rates depend on permits, escorts, and the route, which makes quoting slower than van or reefer freight. The Heavy Haul Load Board puts loads, permit costs, and route data in one place, with ProMiles route intelligence built into the quoting process, so you can build your quote faster. Rate and permit figures are a planning tool, not a guarantee of final cost, so confirm the specifics for your exact load and route.
Vetting Brokers
Broker Rating is a score based on payment history collected from carriers who have worked with that broker. It reflects how reliably and quickly they pay. On Advanced and Pro plans, you can see a broker’s days-to-pay average, complaint history, and overall rating before you call on a load.
Days-to-pay is the average number of days it takes a broker to pay an invoice after delivery. A broker with a 60-day days-to-pay history means you could wait two months for money you’ve already earned. Knowing this before you book lets you factor in whether you can absorb that wait — or whether you need a faster-paying broker or want to factor the invoice.
When carriers report problems with a broker — non-payment, fraud, or other misconduct — those reports are logged and factored into the broker’s score. On Advanced and Pro plans, you can see both the rating and the complaint history before deciding whether to work with a broker. You can also submit reports to help protect other carriers in the network.
Broker factorability data tells you whether a broker has been approved by Truckstop Financial for factoring at that time. It appears right on the load details. If a broker is factorable, you can submit that invoice to Truckstop Financial and typically get paid within 24 hours instead of waiting on the broker’s payment timeline. Factorability data is available on all Truckstop plans, including Basic.
Factoring eligibility can change, and final approval is always subject to Truckstop Financial’s review at the time you submit.
Onboarded Status shows which brokers you’re already approved to haul for. When you see this indicator on a load, you can skip the paperwork and onboarding call — you’re already in their system. It saves time and lets you move faster on loads from brokers you have an existing relationship with.
Yes. Advanced and Pro subscribers can report a broker directly from the load board. Reports are reviewed by Truckstop and factored into that broker’s rating and complaint score. When you report, you’re also protecting other carriers from the same situation.
Negotiating Rates
Rate Insights shows current market rate data for a specific lane, built on paid invoice data from real loads — not just posted rates. You see what a lane is actually paying before you call a broker. That means you’re negotiating from fact, not guesswork. Rate data is a planning tool; actual rates vary by load and conditions. Rate Insights is available on the Pro plan.
Rate Insights is built on paid invoice data from actual loads moved on the Truckstop network, combined with market signals. It reflects what carriers have been earning on a lane. You’ll see same-day rate guidance, a 7-day trend, and a 4-week outlook — so you can read whether the market is moving up or down before you commit to a rate. All rate data is a planning reference, not a guarantee of what any specific load will pay.
Load Comparison lets you put two or more loads side by side on one screen and compare rate, distance, deadhead, and other details. Use it when you have multiple options in a similar area and want to make a fast, informed decision about which load is actually worth more after accounting for all your real costs. Available on Pro.
The RPM Heat Map shows outbound rate strength by geographic area, based on market data. It helps you see where freight is paying well and plan your next move before you’re sitting in a weak reload market. Rate information is a planning reference and does not guarantee specific load pricing. Available on Pro.
Yes. Pro subscribers have Multi-Trip Search, which helps you plan consecutive loads across lanes. You can see how well each leg pays and whether the lane you’re delivering into sets you up for profitable freight or leaves you repositioning. Combined with Rate Insights and the RPM Heat Map, it gives you the data to plan lanes strategically rather than load-by-load.
Fuel and Route Management
The Fuel Desk is a tool inside the Truckstop Load Board (Advanced and Pro) that helps you find competitive fuel prices along your route and track fuel spend. It works alongside route planning to help you manage your biggest operating cost, and integrates with an AtoB fuel card for pricing along your route.
The Route Map gives a visual layout of your lane, including origin, destination, and mileage. Combined with Backhaul Search and Multi-Trip Search (Pro), you can plan routes that keep your truck loaded and your miles productive. The goal is to reduce deadhead — the empty miles that cost you money without generating revenue.
They work together. When you search for loads, you can filter by distance and route. The Route Map gives you a visual of the lane. Backhaul Search helps you find freight near your delivery destination before you arrive. Used together, these tools help you plan ahead — which is where carriers protect margin and reduce wasted miles.
Yes. The Truckstop Fuel Card offered through AtoB helps carriers save money on fuel. You can save up to $2 a gallon at partner locations, and there are no transaction, setup, or maintenance fees.
No. The Truckstop Fuel Card, powered by AtoB, is a standalone product, not a load board feature, so it is not locked to any plan tier. Carriers on Basic, Advanced, or Pro can get it, and so can Factoring customers.
Fuel is your single biggest operating expense, and stopping wherever is convenient means you have no idea whether a cheaper option was a few exits away. The Truckstop Fuel Card, powered by AtoB, has a discount network of partner truck stops, and the Fuel Discount Finder lets you search any city, ZIP, or your regular routes to see where those stations are before you roll. Plan your stops around the network instead of fueling on impulse, and you are buying diesel where the card works hardest for you.
The Fuel Desk lets you log fuel purchases manually or import records, so you can still use it for IFTA tracking and expense management even without an AtoB card.
Cash Flow and Factoring with Truckstop Financial
Freight factoring lets you sell your unpaid invoices to a factoring company in exchange for fast payment. Instead of waiting 30, 60, or 90 days for a broker to pay, you submit your invoice to Truckstop Financial and typically get paid within 24 hours. Truckstop Financial then handles collecting payment from the broker. Funding timelines are subject to approval and the terms of your agreement.
Factoring is a good fit for carriers and owner-operators who want predictable cash flow without waiting on slow-paying brokers. If you’re growing your business, covering fuel and maintenance costs, or tired of chasing down payments, factoring gives you more control over when you get paid.
With non-recourse factoring, you are generally not responsible if the broker fails to pay — Truckstop Financial assumes that credit risk, subject to the terms of your factoring agreement. Review your agreement for specifics on what qualifies as a non-recourse event.
No. You choose which invoices to submit. Factor as many or as few loads as makes sense for your business.
Truckstop Financial charges a percentage of each invoice you factor. Rates vary based on your agreement. Contracts are available month-to-month and annually. If you need funds faster, an instant pay option may be available for an additional fee, subject to terms.
You can apply for Truckstop Financial online. There is no minimum load requirement to get started, and most carriers receive a decision within 1-2 business days.
Truckstop Financial is a service of Internet Truckstop Payments, LLC. All factoring products are subject to credit approval and the terms of your factoring agreement.
Getting Started with the Load Board
You need an active freight broker authority (MC number) and basic contact and billing information. New brokerages can sign up and get started the same day.
The Basic plan includes unlimited load posting and carrier searching, decision tools to gauge market conditions, access to Private Loads (for RMIS customers), and the free Broker Assistant browser extension. Pro adds carrier performance ratings, Rate Insights, real-time updates, Load Insights, and Book It Now. Premium adds Carrier Monitoring, Predictive Carrier Sourcing, and additional user access. See the full breakdown on the load board pricing page.
Pro is the right plan for most brokers who want rate data, carrier ratings, and Book It Now. Premium adds Predictive Carrier Sourcing — which identifies lane-active carriers for hard-to-cover freight — and automated Carrier Monitoring for ongoing risk alerts without manual re-vetting. If you’re covering high volumes or moving into harder lanes, Premium’s sourcing tools tend to pay for themselves.
Broker Assistant is a free Chrome and Edge extension that puts your most-used Truckstop tools — carrier sourcing, rate data, load posting, fraud alerts, and the Ask Pat AI assistant — in a side panel that stays open while you work. You don’t have to leave your email, TMS, or CRM to look something up. Install it from the Chrome Web Store or Edge Add-ons by searching ‘Truckstop Broker Assistant.’ It takes minutes to set up with your existing Truckstop login.
Yes. Broker Assistant is free for all Truckstop brokers regardless of plan. You just need an existing Truckstop login to get started.
Yes. Premium subscribers can add team members without per-seat cost. For Basic and Pro, check the load board pricing page for current team access terms. Multi-rep operations should factor team access into their plan selection.
Your plan renews automatically on a monthly or annual cycle, depending on what you select at signup. Annual plans are available at a lower per-month rate than monthly billing. You can review your plan details, update your payment method, or make changes at any time through your account settings. See current plan options and pricing.
Yes. You can upgrade or downgrade at any time by contacting support. Some accounts are eligible for upgrade in their account settings. Upgrades take effect immediately. Downgrades take effect at the start of your next billing cycle so you keep access to your current tier through the end of the period you’ve already paid for.
Post loads two or more days ahead when possible — Truckstop data shows advance posts get significantly more engagement compared to same-day posts. Including a rate drives meaningfully more carrier views. Setting an authority age filter can boost views further. For urgent or hard-to-cover loads, Load Boost moves a specific load to the top of carrier search results instantly, without raising the rate.
Load Boost is an optional, pay-per-use feature that moves a specific load to the top of carrier search results for a set time window. You pay per load, only when you need it — no subscription required. Truckstop data shows boosted loads receive significantly more carrier engagement and reach first-click much faster than non-boosted loads. Boosted loads are clearly labeled so carriers know the placement.
Covering Loads
Private loads are freight you post directly to a curated group of approved carriers before it reaches the public board. Only carriers you’ve vetted and authorized can see the load. You control the sequence, the timing, and whether — and when — it goes public.
Only carriers you’ve approved through RMIS or your carrier hub. The freight is invisible to the broader market until you choose to release it, either manually or automatically through Timer to Public.
Access to Private Loads is tied to RMIS or Carrier Hub. RMIS handles the carrier onboarding and vetting process that gives your approved network the access controls Private Loads depends on.
A waterfall is a posting sequence you set up in advance. You define groups of carriers in priority order — your top partners first, then a broader approved list, then the public board — and Private Loads moves through that sequence automatically based on coverage. You set it once and it runs without manual calls to each tier.
Timer to Public automatically releases a private load to the full public board after a set time period, if it hasn’t been covered. You get the benefits of private-first posting — faster coverage with trusted carriers — without the risk of a load sitting uncovered. You set the timer, so you control when it opens up.
Private loads are most useful for lanes where you have a reliable carrier network and want to keep that freight within trusted relationships. For lanes where you’re still building carrier coverage, or for spot freight, the public board often makes more sense. Many brokers use private loads for recurring freight and the public board for everything else.
Predictive Carrier Sourcing (Premium) identifies carriers who are active in your specific lane based on their recent platform activity. Instead of searching broadly, you see the carriers most likely to say yes — ranked by how recently they’ve been running that lane. It reduces manual sourcing time for hard-to-cover freight.
Book It Now lets carriers you’ve approved instantly accept and confirm a load without a phone call. You set it up on loads where you’re comfortable with instant booking. It extends your coverage window — Truckstop data shows a meaningful share of Book It Now loads are booked outside business hours, and most confirm in a matter of hours.
First, check whether your rate is competitive for current market conditions using Rate Insights. If pricing looks right, consider Load Boost to increase visibility without raising the rate or reposting. Reposting clutters the board and can signal inconsistency to carriers. Load Boost achieves the same visibility lift cleanly, with transparent labeling and no damage to your posting history.
Carrier Vetting and Risk Assessment
Yes. Carrier Hub gives brokers one place to find, check, and monitor carriers without jumping between tabs. You get intelligent carrier profiles with a 360-degree view of DOT authority, insurance, safety, and identity, plus Carrier Performance Ratings drawn from crowd-sourced broker feedback and insurance certificate (COI) data. Carrier Hub Advanced adds active insurance and compliance monitoring that flags changes after you book.
Use Carrier Hub for daily carrier decisions: check a carrier, book the load, and monitor for changes, all inside your load board workflow. Use RMIS for full carrier onboarding workflows, the heavier structured setup built for larger compliance operations.
RMIS is Truckstop’s carrier onboarding platform, built for the heavier, structured setup of bringing carriers into your network. Risk Factors is a faster, workflow-integrated tool for real-time carrier risk assessment at the load level. Think of RMIS as your onboarding infrastructure and Risk Factors as the quick check your reps run before booking a specific load. For ongoing monitoring of carriers you already work with, that now runs through Carrier Hub.
Risk Factors analyzes carrier data across three categories: Asset Risk, Contact Risk, and Digital Risk. It scores carriers as High, Medium, or Low risk. You can search by DOT number, MC number, phone number, or email address. Advanced tiers include an additional security layer that helps protect against spoofed emails from bad actors impersonating carriers.
RMIS combines load board marketplace intelligence, multi-factor authentication, government ID review, TIN matching, ELD location history, and Truckstop’s internal Assurance Team oversight. Designed to surface risk before a carrier enters your network, so you can act earlier. It also integrates with most major TMS systems via API.
Automated monitoring runs through Carrier Hub. Once a carrier is on your managed list, Carrier Hub Basic tracks DOT data changes like authority status and company or contact info automatically. Carrier Hub Advanced adds active insurance monitoring and automated compliance monitoring with self-serve business rules, so you set your rules once and the system flags what matters. You do not re-vet by hand. You get automated alerts when a monitored carrier has a qualifying change, plus an optional daily summary digest. Advanced includes 500 monitored carriers, with capacity add-ons available.
A carrier’s rating reflects overall performance history. Complaint scores are tied to specific filed complaints — and on Truckstop, active complaints require written documentation and are reviewed by the Assurance Team before they affect a carrier’s record. Fraud-related complaints remain active indefinitely. This makes them more reliable than peer review systems where anyone can post an unverified opinion.
Rates and Pricing
Rate Insights gives you current market rate data for any lane, based on real load activity. You see the average market rate, a 7-day rate trend, a 4-week outlook, and a predicted rate with a confidence score. Rate data is a planning tool, not a guarantee of final pricing. Available to Pro and Premium subscribers, and also accessible through Broker Assistant without leaving your current page.
Rate Insights tells you what the lane is currently paying carriers, which helps you build margin into your shipper quote without underpricing the carrier side. If the market has tightened recently, you can see that in the 7-day trend before locking in a shipper rate. Load Insights (Pro) shows how competitive your freight is relative to current market conditions, which helps you price to cover. All rate data is a planning reference, not a guarantee of specific pricing outcomes.
Heavy Haul Rates is a rate-estimation tool built for brokers who quote oversized, overweight, or permit-required freight — flatbed, step deck, RGN, and lowboy loads that standard rate tools can’t price accurately. It factors in dimensions, weight, permit requirements, escort needs, and equipment type to help you build a defensible estimate. Rate estimates are based on available lane and permit data and are intended as a planning tool, not a guarantee of final pricing.
Permit requirements for heavy haul freight vary by state, load dimensions, weight, and route. Including accurate load dimensions, weight, and routing information upfront helps carriers self-select appropriately and reduces back-and-forth. Brokers who move heavy haul regularly typically coordinate permit procurement as part of the load arrangement.
Load Insights shows how your posted load compares to current market conditions — including how competitive your rate is relative to other freight in that lane and equipment type. It helps you understand why a load might be taking longer to cover and whether a rate adjustment or Load Boost is the right next step.
Cash Flow and Factoring with Truckstop Financial
When you factor an invoice, Truckstop Financial advances you the funds, pays your carrier on your behalf, and handles collecting payment from the shipper. You get paid faster without waiting 30, 60, or 90 days, and your back office stays clean. Funding is subject to approval and the terms of your agreement.
No. Which loads you factor is completely up to you. Even if you don’t factor, Truckstop Financial provides payment processing and collections.
Truckstop Financial offers recourse factoring for brokers. This means if a shipper doesn’t pay, the broker is responsible for buying back the invoice per the terms of the agreement. Recourse factoring typically comes with lower fees than non-recourse arrangements, and Truckstop Financial helps you avoid risky shippers upfront through credit review.
Most payments are typically advanced within one to two business days. With Express Factoring, funding can happen much faster — often within hours of invoice submission. Timing is subject to approval and the terms of your agreement.
When you factor an invoice through Truckstop Financial, your carrier can be funded quickly — typically within 24-48 hours, subject to terms. You set the QuickPay fee or waive it entirely. QuickPay programs are a potential revenue stream and a way to build stronger carrier relationships.
Truckstop Financial operates on transparent terms. Fees vary based on your agreement — review your contract for a full breakdown of applicable rates and charges. Contracts are one year. Contact Truckstop Financial for current pricing details.
Truckstop Financial integrates with a wide range of transportation management systems, reducing manual data entry and streamlining your operation. Contact Truckstop Financial for a current list of supported integrations.
If month-end close is consistently running long, errors are increasing, or your current factor isn’t scaling with your load volume, it may be time to reassess. Most of the work in a factoring buyout happens between the two companies, though you may need to provide invoice copies for verification. Note that funding gaps can occur during the switch, so have working capital available.
Truckstop Financial is a service of Internet Truckstop Payments, LLC. All factoring products are subject to credit approval and the terms of your factoring agreement.
Carrier Sourcing and Relationships
A factorable load is one that is eligible for factoring through Truckstop Financial, and carriers can see that on the load before they call. For a carrier who factors with Truckstop Financial, that means they can factor the invoice and get paid fast instead of waiting out your payment terms. That visibility is designed to make your loads stand out when those carriers are choosing which freight to take.
Load alerts (Pro) let carriers set notifications for specific lanes and equipment types. When you post a load that matches a carrier’s saved search, they’re notified immediately. Carriers who find reliable, consistent loads through load alerts tend to become repeat partners. It’s one of the lower-friction ways to build a preferred carrier network over time.
Your broker score is visible to carriers on the Truckstop Load Board. It reflects payment history, days-to-pay, and complaint data. Carriers check scores before calling on loads — especially for new broker relationships. A strong score means carriers are more willing to work with you, which can translate to faster coverage and stronger rate negotiation.
Pay on time and consistently. Respond to carrier inquiries promptly. Avoid disputes that escalate into formal complaints. Over time, reliable payment behavior builds the score. Carriers who trust your payment history are also more likely to work with you on rates, which helps your margin on harder-to-cover loads.
Predictive Carrier Sourcing (Premium) surfaces carriers who are already active in your lane — not just carriers who happen to be available. When you see the same carrier running your lanes frequently, that’s a signal to build a direct relationship. You can use Private Loads to give them first access to your freight before it goes to the open board, which strengthens retention on both sides.
Still have questions?
Get started on the Truckstop Load Board or talk with our team.
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