Starting a box truck business can feel overwhelming fast. New carriers are hit with ads promising easy money, endless freight, and “must-have” tools. Loadboards are usually the first thing people turn to — but choosing the wrong one can waste time, money, and momentum.
This article breaks down the best loadboards for new box truck carriers, what each one is actually good for, where they fall short, and how to use them without becoming dependent on them.
Before naming platforms, it’s important to understand what actually matters. A good loadboard should help you:
Find loads that fit box trucks and straight trucks
Filter by lane, equipment type, and rate
Identify reliable brokers
Justify its monthly cost with real opportunities
Move quickly when loads appear
If a loadboard doesn’t help you make better decisions, it’s not worth paying for.
Best for volume, worst for noise
DAT is one of the largest loadboards in the industry. The biggest advantage is volume — the downside is competition.
Pros
Massive number of load postings
Advanced search and lane tools
Widely used by brokers
Cons
Extremely competitive
Rates often get pushed down
Overwhelming for new carriers
Higher subscription cost
DAT works better once you already understand lanes, pricing, and broker behavior. For new box truck carriers, it can feel like information overload.
Good broker vetting, limited flexibility
Truckstop places a strong emphasis on broker credibility and fraud prevention, which can be helpful early on.
Pros
Broker verification tools
Cleaner interface than many competitors
Helpful for avoiding bad actors
Cons
Smaller selection of box truck-friendly loads
Less flexibility for niche equipment
Pricing may outweigh returns for some carriers
Truckstop is a solid option, but many box truck carriers eventually outgrow it.
Simple, affordable, and beginner-friendly
123Loadboard is often overlooked, but it fills a specific gap — simplicity and accessibility for smaller carriers.
Pros
Lower cost than many major platforms
Easy-to-use interface
Filters that work well for box trucks
Less crowded than larger loadboards
Cons
Smaller marketplace compared to DAT
Fewer advanced analytics tools
Not ideal as a long-term standalone solution
For new box truck carriers, 123Loadboard can be a practical starting point — especially while learning lanes, rates, and broker communication.
They offer a 30-day free trial, which allows carriers to test the platform before committing.
You can access the free trial here: FREE TRIAL
Loadboards are tools, not a business model.
They help you:
Get moving
Learn lanes
Understand rates
Build confidence
They do not:
Guarantee consistent income
Protect you from rate drops
Replace relationships
Create long-term stability
Carriers who survive and scale eventually reduce their reliance on loadboards and focus on:
Direct shipper relationships
Repeat lanes
Contracts
Strong broker relationships built over time
There is no single “best” loadboard — only the right tool for your stage.
Early stage: simplicity and cost control matter most
Growth stage: broker quality and lane strategy matter more
Long term: loadboards become supplemental, not central
Start simple, learn fast, and don’t anchor your entire business to one platform.
Loadboards can help you start — but they won’t build your business for you.
Use them to gain experience, understand the market, and generate early cash flow. Then shift your focus toward relationships, consistency, and long-term strategy.
That’s where real money lives.