Load Board

A load board is an online marketplace platform where freight brokers and shippers post available loads and motor carriers post available trucks, enabling both parties to find matches and negotiate rates for individual shipments. Load boards are the primary tool for sourcing capacity in the spot market and are used extensively by carriers, brokers, and shippers across all equipment types including refrigerated, dry van, and flatbed.

Major load boards in the US market include DAT, Truckstop (formerly Truckstop.com), and several newer digital platforms. These platforms list millions of loads and trucks daily, providing a real-time marketplace where supply and demand are visible and rates can be negotiated quickly. For refrigerated freight, load boards allow users to filter by equipment type, temperature requirements, and commodity to find relevant matches.

Using Load Boards for Reefer Freight

Load boards provide valuable market intelligence beyond simple load matching. The ratio of posted loads to posted trucks on a load board is the basis for the load-to-truck ratio, one of the most widely watched indicators of freight market conditions. Historical rate data from load board transactions helps shippers and carriers benchmark current rates against market trends and seasonal patterns.

While load boards are an essential tool for spot market freight, they have limitations for temperature-sensitive shipments. The carrier pool on load boards is broad and unvetted, meaning that the shipper or broker must independently verify that a carrier found on a load board has the equipment quality, cold chain experience, and insurance coverage needed for a refrigerated shipment. Responsible brokers use load boards as one of many sourcing tools but apply rigorous carrier vetting before entrusting temperature-sensitive freight to any carrier.