Which load board should an owner-operator pay for?
Written for the person driving the truck, not the broker posting the freight: where the reloads are, what a board costs per truck, and how not to haul for a fake shipper.
The short answer: if you can only pay for one board, pick DAT One. The Pro plan at $169 a month is built for 1 to 3 trucks, and it is the board most carriers start with. If you run heavy haul or want a board that vets its users before they get in, look at Truckstop (from $42 a month, with a $42 application fee credited to month one). On a tight budget, 123Loadboard starts at $39 and gives you a 5-day free trial, and Direct Freight has a free plan with 3 searches a day.
This page is for owner-operators and small fleets. If you are a broker or shipper choosing where to post freight, our general load board ranking covers that side. Here we compared five boards on their official pricing pages, then read what carriers say about them, starting with the angriest reviews: double brokering, fake loads and boards full of freight that never pays.
Some links may be affiliate links. The ranking is editorial: a sponsored placement is always labeled on its card, and no affiliate link changes a score.
The right load board for how you run
Pro plan at $169 a month
Heavy haul and vetted usersHeavy Haul Pro at $299 a month
Try before you pay5-day free trial, from $39
Small fleet up to 10 trucksFleet plans capped at 10 trucks
Second board for freeFree plan, 3 searches a day
Searching from the cabLoad board inside a driver app, 7-day trial
5 load boards seen from the driver's seat
Scores match our general load board ranking: a tool has one score across the whole site. What changes here is the reading. The "Entry cost" column is what you pay to start on each board, before taxes and fees. Click a board to read its card.
| Best for | Entry cost | Free plan | Team size | Visit | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DAT One | The default board for owner-operators | $59/mo Standard | 4.0/5 | $59/mo | — | 1 to 3 trucks (Pro plan) | Visit → |
| 2 | Truckstop | Best for heavy haul and vetted users | $42/mo + $42 fee credited | 4.0/5 | $42/mo | — | Heavy haul, dry van, reefer | Visit → |
| 3 | 123Loadboard | Best value with a free trial | $39/mo, 5-day trial | 3.9/5 | $39/mo | — | Fleets up to 10 trucks | Visit → |
| 4 | Direct Freight | Best free second board | $0, 3 searches a day | 3.6/5 | Free; $39/mo | ✓ | New authority, tight budget | Visit → |
| 5 | Trucker Path | Best for searching from the cab | $49.99/mo, 7-day trial | 3.5/5 | $49.99/mo | — | Solo driver on the road | Visit → |
Is your tool missing from this page? Email us: hello@hackceleration.com
How we compared and scored
We started from three questions an owner-operator asks before paying a monthly fee. Will I find a reload in the lanes I actually run? What does the board cost per truck once fees and add-ons are in? And how exposed am I to double brokering and fake loads? For each board we read the official pricing page plan by plan, then carrier forums and trade coverage of load board fraud.
Scores come from our general load board ranking, with the same five criteria and weights, because a board has one score on our site. Volume weighs the most: a cheap board with no freight in your lanes is the most expensive one you can buy. Safety comes right after, because one stolen load or one unpaid run costs more than a year of subscription.
- Load volumeFreight density in the lanes small carriers run.30%
- Safety and vettingUser vetting, fraud signals, exposure to double brokering.25%
- Value for moneyPublished price, fees, trial, cost per truck.20%
- Ease of useSearch, alerts, use on a phone in the cab.15%
- Customer supportReachability and dispute handling in reviews.10%
DAT One
DAT One is the board most owner-operators open first, and its load volume is why it scores 4.8 on that criterion, the highest in this ranking. Its carrier plans climb in five steps. Standard costs $59 a month, Enhanced $149, and Pro $169, which DAT labels as its most popular plan and aims at 1 to 3 trucks. Select at $259 targets fleets of 3 or more trucks, and Office at $339 targets 10 or more.
The jump from $59 to $149 is where you have to think. Standard gets you on the board. Read what each higher tier adds on DAT's pricing page, then ask one question: will those extras win you more than $90 a month in rate? For a single truck that runs the same three lanes, they often do not. For a 2 or 3 truck operation chasing reloads every day, Pro is usually the plan carriers end up on.
The limit is price. DAT is not the cheapest board, and no free trial is shown on its pricing page. Big volume also draws fraudsters, so DAT's size never replaces your own checks on every new broker.
- Highest load volume score in this ranking
- Pro plan sized for 1 to 3 trucks
- Select and Office tiers for growing fleets
- Combined broker and carrier plans for carriers who also broker
- ✓The most reloads in the most lanes
- ✓Clear published price ladder
- ✓Scales from one truck to 10+
- ✗No free trial shown on the pricing page
- ✗Big step from $59 to $149
- ✗Size makes it a target for fraudsters too
If you can only pay for one board, this is it. Start on Standard, track how many reloads it finds you in a month, and only move up to Pro once the extras are worth the $110 difference.
Truckstop
Truckstop ties DAT on score but gets there differently. It has a little less volume (4.4) and a better safety score (4.2), and its price list is the most detailed of the five. The general carrier plans run from Basic at $42 a month to Advanced at $135 and Pro at $159, plus Heavy Haul Pro at $299 for oversize work.
The equipment plans are the smart part for a small carrier. If you only pull a dry van, Dry Van Basic costs $35 and Dry Van Pro $129. Reefer runs Basic $42 and Pro $159. You stop paying for search results you will never haul.
Read the fee line before you sign up. Truckstop charges a nonrefundable application fee of $42 ($35 for Dry Van), credited to your first month if you are approved. Prices exclude taxes and fees, and no free trial is listed. That application step is also why Truckstop has the best safety score here: the board reviews who gets in.
- Plans built for dry van, reefer and heavy haul
- Application review before access
- Heavy Haul Pro for oversize loads
- Application fee credited to month one if approved
- ✓Pay only for your equipment type
- ✓Best safety score in this ranking
- ✓Strong for heavy haul
- ✗Nonrefundable fee if you are not approved
- ✗No free trial listed
- ✗Taxes and fees on top of the listed price
The pick for carriers who run one equipment type, and the first board to open for heavy haul. Pick the plan for your trailer, not the general one, and you can pay less than on DAT.
123Loadboard
123Loadboard shows a 5-day free trial on its pricing page, the shortest of the three trials in this ranking (Direct Freight and Trucker Path give 7 days). That is short, so plan it. Start the trial on a day you are empty and need a reload, not on a day you are already booked, and you will see in 5 days whether the board has freight in your lanes.
The price ladder is the gentlest of the paid boards. Standard costs $39 a month, Premium $59 and Premium Plus $79. Even the top plan costs less than DAT's Enhanced tier, which is why it scores 4.3 on value for money. Fleet plans stop at 10 trucks, so it fits a small carrier, not a regional fleet.
The trade-off is volume. With a 3.8 on that criterion, it finds you fewer loads than DAT or Truckstop. Many carriers use it as the cheaper of two boards, or as the board they start on before their authority has the history that brokers want to see.
- 5-day free trial
- Top plan at $79 a month
- Fleet plans up to 10 trucks
- High ease of use score (4.2)
- ✓Cheapest way to try a paid board
- ✓Simple three-step pricing
- ✓Good fit for a new authority
- ✗Less freight than DAT or Truckstop
- ✗Trial is only 5 days
- ✗Not built for fleets above 10 trucks
The best value in this ranking. Use the 5-day trial on a real empty day, and keep it as your main board only if your lanes are busy on it.
Direct Freight
Direct Freight is the board you add, not the one you start with. Its free plan gives you 3 searches a day, which is enough to check one or two lanes every morning at no cost. When you need more, Basic costs $39 a month, Enhanced $49 and Professional $69.
Pay yearly if you keep it. The annual price equals 10 months ($390, $490 or $690), so you get 2 months free. There is also a 7-day trial on the paid plans, two days more than at 123Loadboard.
Volume is its limit, with a 3.2, the lowest among the paid boards here. Treat it as a net under your main board: a place to check when DAT or Truckstop comes up dry in a lane, not a place to build your week.
- Free plan with 3 searches a day
- 7-day trial on paid plans
- Annual billing = 2 months free
- Top plan at $69 a month
- ✓A real free option
- ✓7-day trial, two more than 123Loadboard
- ✓Cheap even on the top plan
- ✗Lowest load volume of the paid boards
- ✗3 searches a day goes fast
- ✗Not enough on its own for a full week
Keep the free plan open next to your paid board. It costs nothing and sometimes finds the load the big board missed.
Trucker Path
Trucker Path started as a driver app, and its load board lives inside it. That is its strength: an ease of use score of 4.3, the highest in this ranking. If you search for loads from the cab between two stops, it is the board that feels most natural on a phone.
Trucker Path's own pricing page lists the load board at $49.99 a month, or $399.99 a year, which works out to $33.33 a month. Both come with a 7-day free trial. Monthly, that is more than 123Loadboard Standard at $39; paid yearly, it drops below it. Pay yearly only once the trial has shown you loads in your lanes.
Its weak point is safety (3.0), the lowest score in this ranking. With fewer checks on who posts, the fraud signals in our playbook below matter more here than anywhere else: verify the MC number and call the broker back on a number you found yourself.
- Load board inside a driver app
- Best ease of use score (4.3)
- 7-day free trial
- Built for search on a phone
- ✓Fast to use from the cab
- ✓Yearly plan at $33.33 a month
- ✓One app for the road
- ✗Lowest safety score in this ranking
- ✗Less freight than the big boards
- ✗Monthly price above 123Loadboard Standard
A handy board for the solo driver who lives on a phone. Use it as a second board, and vet every new broker twice.
What a load board really costs your truck
The monthly price is only part of it. Fees, tiers and trials change the math. Here is how the five boards add up for a small carrier.
One truck, one board
The cheapest paid entry is 123Loadboard Standard at $39 or Direct Freight Basic at $39. DAT Standard costs $59. If DAT finds you one extra reload a month that you would have missed, it has usually paid for the $20 difference.
One truck, two boards
A common setup: one paid board plus a free one. DAT Standard at $59 plus Direct Freight's free plan costs $59 a month. Truckstop Dry Van Basic at $35 plus the same free plan costs $35.
Two or three trucks
This is where DAT Pro at $169 is aimed. Compare it with Truckstop Pro at $159 or 123Loadboard Premium Plus at $79. The cheaper plans only win if your lanes are busy on those boards.
Fees and billing
Truckstop charges a nonrefundable $42 application fee ($35 Dry Van), credited to month one if you are approved. Direct Freight gives 2 months free on yearly billing. Truckstop prices exclude taxes and fees.
- Does the board have freight in your three most common empty lanes?
- Is there a plan for your equipment type?
- Is there a free trial or a free plan to check first?
- Are there fees on top of the monthly price?
- How many trucks does the plan cover?
- Does the board review users before they get in?
The playbook for reloads that actually pay
One line from an old trucker forum still holds: the best load board is the one with freight in the areas you want to run. A board will not build your business by itself. It fills deadhead and gaps. Here is how to make it earn its fee and keep fraudsters off your truck.
Pick the board for your lanes, not its size
Before you payWrite down your three most common empty legs from last quarter. Search those exact lanes on each trial or free plan at the time of day you usually look. Count the loads your truck could actually take. That number decides your board, not the logo.
- Write down
- Your 3 most common empty legs
Use trials on real empty days
5 to 7 days123Loadboard gives you 5 days, Direct Freight 7. Start them when you are empty and need a reload. A trial on a week you are fully booked tells you nothing.
Stack one paid board and one free board
The common setupMany carriers keep DAT or Truckstop as the main board and a free plan on the side. The free plan catches loads the big board misses, and it costs nothing to keep.
- Example
- DAT Standard $59 + Direct Freight free
Spot double brokering before you load
The big riskDouble brokering complaints rose about 400% between late 2022 and early 2023. The scam: a fake broker takes a load, hands it to you, collects from the shipper and disappears, and you never get paid. Warning signs: the same load posted at very different rates on several boards, a broker who will not give an MC number, or contact details that do not match the company.
- Red flag
- Same load, very different rates
- Red flag
- No MC number given
Call back on a number you found yourself
Every new brokerFraudsters use stolen board credentials and copy real broker names. Never trust the phone number in the post. Look up the broker yourself, call that number, and confirm the load and the rate before you dispatch.
Keep the paper trail clean
To get paidGet a signed rate confirmation before you move, keep the messages, and get a clean signed delivery receipt with photos at drop. If a payment goes wrong, that file is what gets you paid.
Running more than one truck?
Our other rankings for carriers and small fleets.
Owner-operator questions about load boards
Is there a free load board for owner-operators?
Yes. Direct Freight has a free plan with 3 searches a day. Free plans work best as a second board next to a paid one, because their volume is lower.
Which load board has the most loads?
DAT One scores highest on load volume in our ranking (4.8 out of 5), ahead of Truckstop (4.4). For a small carrier, though, the board with the most loads in your own lanes beats the one with the most loads overall.
Is DAT or Truckstop better for a new owner-operator?
DAT if you want the most freight on one board, starting at $59. Truckstop if you run one equipment type, because Dry Van Basic costs $35. Truckstop also charges a $42 application fee, credited to month one if you are approved.
Which load board has a free trial?
123Loadboard shows a 5-day free trial, Direct Freight and Trucker Path a 7-day trial. DAT and Truckstop list no trial on their pricing pages. Start a trial on a day you need a reload, so the test is real.
How do I avoid double brokering on a load board?
Check the broker's MC number, compare the rate with the same load on other boards, and call back on a number you found yourself. A load posted at very different rates on several boards is the classic sign.
Are load boards worth it for a box truck or cargo van?
They can be, as a way to fill gaps rather than your whole week. Check that the board lets you filter by your equipment, then use a trial or free plan to count the loads in your lanes before you pay.
How many load boards should I pay for?
Usually one paid board plus one free plan. Paying for two big boards only makes sense when you run several regions and each board is strong in a different one. Track reloads per board for three months, then drop the weaker one.
Do load boards take a commission on my loads?
DAT, Truckstop, 123Loadboard, Direct Freight and Trucker Path price their boards as monthly or yearly subscriptions, with no commission per load on their pricing pages. Fees to watch are elsewhere, like Truckstop's application fee and taxes on top of its listed prices.