Best Loadboards for New Box Truck Carriers (Honest Breakdown)

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.

What Makes a Good Loadboard for Box Truck Carriers?

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.

DAT Load Board

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.

Truckstop

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.

123Loadboard

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

The Truth Most Carriers Learn Too Late

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

Which Loadboard Is Best?

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.

Final Takeaway

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.