Load Boards for Dry Vans: What to Use and How to Use It

Load boards for dry van carriers are where most spot van freight first shows up, and they're where most owner-operators start. A board won't book a load for you. It shows you who has freight, roughly what it pays and who's posting it. How much you get out of one depends on how you filter, how fast you call and how hard you negotiate.

This guide compares boards by criteria, not by a made-up ranking. Prices are from each provider's own pages with the date we checked.

How load boards list dry van freight

Brokers and shippers post loads with an equipment code, origin, destination, pickup date, weight, length and sometimes a rate. Dry van posts use V (van). Some boards also use combined codes like VR (van or reefer) or VF (van or flatbed) for loads that can go either way. You search by your truck's location and preferences, and call or message the poster to book.

DAT, for example, says its network carries more than 291 million loads and trucks posted a year. That volume is the point of a big board: more posts on more lanes. But every carrier with a subscription sees the same posts, so the good ones go fast.

Free vs paid load boards

A practical setup for a one-truck dry van carrier: one paid board with rate data and broker credit, plus the free apps of a few brokers who move freight on your lanes.

Filters that matter for dry vans

The search panel at the top of this page shows how a dispatcher sets up a van search. The filters that do the most work:

• Equipment: V for van. Add combined codes only if your trailer qualifies.
• Deadhead at origin (DH-O): how far you'll drive empty to the pickup. Too wide and you'll waste calls on loads that don't pay after the empty miles.
• Destination or deadhead at destination (DH-D): where you want to end up. Searching "anywhere" is how you end up somewhere with no reload.
• Pickup date and post age: fresh posts for today and tomorrow. Old posts are often already covered.
• Weight and length: set the weight to what your rig can legally carry so heavy loads you can't take never show up. Our types of dry van trailers guide covers which specs open which freight.
• Full or partial: keep partials in; two partials going the same way can beat one full load.

Red flags on load board posts

• Rate far above everything else on the lane. Ask why. It may be a heavy, hard or late load, or it may be a scam.
• Poster you can't verify. Look up the broker's MC on FMCSA's licensing and insurance site and confirm it has active broker authority.
• Contact details that don't match the broker. Free email domains, a phone number that isn't on the broker's website, pressure to move to text-only. Double-brokering and identity fraud often start here.
• Poor credit or long days to pay. If the board shows credit scores and days to pay, use them.
• Vague load details. No weight, no commodity, no appointment times. You'll find out at the dock.
• Requests for money up front. Legitimate brokers don't charge carriers to book a load.

Our dry van brokers guide goes deeper on vetting brokers and spotting fraud.

Dispatcher vs load board subscription

A board subscription is a fixed monthly cost for access to posts. You still do all the work: searching, calling, negotiating, setting up with new brokers, checking credit and chasing paperwork. That's hours a day, often while you should be driving or resting.

A dispatcher does that work for you and is paid a share of what you haul. The difference that matters most isn't the board access. It's that a dispatcher negotiates every load, knows which brokers pay and which don't, and books loads from broker relationships that never get posted. Over time those relationships can turn into dedicated dry van lanes.

See where our loads come from on dry van loads, or how our dry van dispatch works start to finish. Before you take a board load, run it through the dry van load profit calculator to see what it pays after fuel and empty miles.

Questions owners ask

What is the best load board for dry van?

There's no single best one; it depends on your lanes and what you'll pay for. Judge a board on how many van posts it carries on your lanes, whether it shows rate data and broker credit, how good its filters and mobile app are, and the price for your number of users. Many carriers run one paid board plus broker apps.

Are there free load boards for dry vans?

Yes, with limits. Most large brokers run free carrier apps or portals that show their own freight, and some board companies offer free mobile apps or free accounts with restrictions. Free options usually have fewer posts, less rate data and no broker credit information.

How much does a DAT load board cost?

When we checked DAT's pricing page in October 2026, DAT One carrier plans were $59 (Standard), $149 (Enhanced), $169 (Pro), $259 (Select) and $339 (Office) per month. Prices change; check DAT's site for current plans.

How much is 123Loadboard?

123Loadboard's help center listed Standard at $39 a month for one user, Premium at $59 for up to two users and Premium Plus at $79 for up to three users, billed monthly with no contract, when we checked in October 2026.

Is a dispatcher better than a load board subscription?

They do different jobs. A board is a list of posted loads; you still make the calls, negotiate and handle the paperwork. A dispatcher works the boards and broker relationships for you, negotiates every load and books loads that never get posted. The board costs a flat monthly fee; a dispatcher costs a share of what you haul.

Sources

1. DAT, load board pricing, checked October 2026
2. DAT, load boards (volume claim), checked October 2026
3. 123Loadboard help center, How much does your app cost?, checked October 2026
4. Truckstop, pricing not independently verified; check the site
5. FMCSA, Search for a company (licensing and insurance), broker authority lookup, checked October 2026