DAT vs Truckstop vs 123Loadboard: Prices and Features (2026)

A load board is often the first monthly bill a new carrier adds after insurance, and the choice gets confusing fast. Every board claims the most loads and the best data, and the plan pages bury the differences in tooltips.

The DAT vs Truckstop question, with 123Loadboard as the budget option, comes down to three things: what each plan costs, whether it shows you rate data and broker credit, and how well it fits your equipment. We pulled the carrier plans and prices from each company’s official pricing page on October 12, 2026.

Prices change and promotions come and go, so treat the figures as a snapshot and check the page before you buy. Where a detail isn’t published, we say so.

DAT vs Truckstop vs 123Loadboard at a glance

All prices are monthly carrier plans from each official pricing page as of October 2026. Truckstop’s prices exclude fees and taxes and are listed per user.

The short version: 123Loadboard is the cheapest way to get broker credit data. DAT is the only one of the three with days to pay and credit scores in every plan. Truckstop’s entry price is low, but its rate tool sits in the top Pro plan.

How much does DAT cost in 2026?

Short answer: DAT One carrier plans run from $59 to $339 a month as of October 2026: Standard $59, Enhanced $149, Pro $169, Select $259 and Office $339. Every plan includes broker credit data and the DAT One mobile app; lane rate data starts with Enhanced.

DAT’s pricing page splits the plans by how much rate data and how many searches you get:

• Standard ($59) is recommended for partial-load operators. It has load search, truck posting, alarms and broker credit data, but no average lane rates.
• Enhanced ($149) adds 15-day average spot rates for van, reefer and flatbed, and two search tabs on the web.
• Pro ($169), marked most popular, adds 7-day average rates, three search tabs, Canadian loads, the TriHaul routing tool, preferred and blocked companies, and up to $250 of DAT Assurance credit if a broker doesn’t pay.
• Select ($259) adds “best available” rates, ten search tabs, the Market Conditions tool and up to $500 of DAT Assurance credit.
• Office ($339) adds contract lane rates, premium LaneMakers, Workgroups for multiple users and up to $1,000 of DAT Assurance credit.

The broker credit data in every plan shows average days to pay, credit scores and customer reviews. The comparison table describes search access as up to 500 load searches a month.

On cancellation, DAT’s help center says you can cancel at any time, but it takes effect at the end of your current billing cycle, and DAT doesn’t issue refunds based on usage. The page doesn’t state contract length or per-user pricing.

How much does Truckstop cost?

Short answer: Truckstop’s main carrier plans are $42 (Basic), $135 (Advanced) and $159 (Pro) per user per month, before fees and taxes. It also sells Dry Van plans at $35 and $129 and Reefer plans at $42 and $159, priced per block of three users, plus Heavy Haul Pro at $299.

According to Truckstop’s pricing page:

• Basic ($42) includes load search, private loads from approved brokers, truck posting, an authority age filter, backhaul search, broker factorability data and Truckstop’s free TMS.
• Advanced ($135) adds broker ratings, Book It Now, FuelDesk routing and fuel tools, and the AVA voice assistant.
• Pro ($159) adds Rate Insights, real-time live loads, load comparison, an RPM heat map, multi-trip search and load alert notifications.
• Heavy Haul Pro ($299) is built for oversized freight, with permit quotes and escort details.

The equipment plans change the math for van and reefer carriers. Dry Van Basic is $35 for up to three users, and Dry Van Pro at $129 adds broker ratings, live loads and FreightWaves SONAR insights. Reefer Basic is $42 and Reefer Pro is $159, also per three-user block, with search limited to refrigerated freight.

Two pieces of fine print matter. Truckstop charges a non-refundable application fee ($42, or $35 on Dry Van) that’s credited toward your first month if you’re approved. And it says the loads you see match your operating authority, so intrastate-only carriers see intrastate loads.

How much does 123Loadboard cost?

Short answer: 123Loadboard has three carrier plans: Standard at $39, Premium at $59 and Premium Plus at $79 a month. Each comes with a 10-day free trial, and the company advertises no contracts and no hidden fees.

From the 123Loadboard pricing page:

• Standard ($39) covers unlimited load searching and truck posting, the website and mobile app, live updates, load alerts, digital freight matching and document capture.
• Premium ($59) adds credit scores and days to pay, favorite and blocked companies, backhauls, a load density map, a profit calculator and driving times.
• Premium Plus ($79) adds Rate Check lane rates, historical rate trends, a negotiation-strength tool, PC*Miler routing and tolls, an IFTA mileage calculator, Trip Builder and a personal load assistant.

The page says prices and promotions apply to fleets of up to 10 trucks. It doesn’t list annual pricing or how many users each plan allows.

What do you actually get for the money?

Short answer: The real differences are rate data, broker credit information and search tools. All three include a mobile app, but how much rate data and broker screening you get depends on the plan, so compare plan to plan, not brand to brand.

Rate data

DAT shows average spot rates over a 15-day window on Enhanced, a 7-day window on Pro and “best available” on Select and Office. Truckstop describes Rate Insights, on Pro, as same-day rate data with recommendations specific to load, broker and lane. 123Loadboard’s Rate Check and historical trends come with Premium Plus. Our owner-operator rate guide explains how to turn any of these into your own minimum rate.

Broker credit and days to pay

This is the feature that protects your cash. DAT includes days to pay, credit scores and reviews on every plan. Truckstop’s Basic plan has broker factorability data, and broker ratings start at Advanced. 123Loadboard adds credit scores and days to pay at Premium.

Search tools and apps

DAT limits how many searches you can run side by side by plan, from two web tabs on Enhanced to ten on Select and Office. Truckstop’s multi-trip search and 123Loadboard’s Trip Builder sit in their top plans. DAT says its mobile app is included in every subscription, 123Loadboard includes app access on all plans, and Truckstop’s AVA voice assistant runs in its Truckstop Go app.

Which load board is best for owner-operators?

Short answer: It depends on your equipment and budget. A new van or reefer carrier on a budget gets a lot from Truckstop’s equipment plans or 123Loadboard Premium, a carrier who wants rate data plus broker credit in one place usually lands on DAT Enhanced or Pro, and small fleets should look at user limits as closely as features.

Box trucks and partial loads

DAT recommends its Standard plan for partial-load operators and has a box truck load board page covering straight and 26-foot box trucks. Standard has no lane rates, though, so a box truck owner on a budget may get better value from 123Loadboard Premium at $59, which includes credit and days-to-pay data.

Hotshot

DAT’s hot shot guidance notes that brokers don’t always label loads as hot shot, and suggests searching partial loads with your equipment filters, or entering “flatbed hot shot” as the equipment type. Whatever board you trial, test those searches in your lanes during the first week. Truckstop’s Heavy Haul Pro plan is aimed at oversized freight, not typical hotshot work.

Dry van, reefer and flatbed

DAT’s lane rates cover van, reefer and flatbed. Truckstop’s Dry Van and Reefer plans are cheaper than its general plans if you only run one trailer type, but their search is limited to that freight. Flatbed carriers will be on DAT or Truckstop’s general plans.

Small fleets

DAT pitches Select at fleets with 3 or more trucks and Office at 10 or more, with Workgroups on Office. Truckstop prices per user, and its equipment plans per block of three users. 123Loadboard’s listed prices apply to fleets of up to 10 trucks.

Are there free or cheap load boards?

Short answer: DAT’s free DAT One app gives a quick view of available loads, but DAT says it offers only a small fraction of what you need, and market rates and broker credit histories require a paid plan. 123Loadboard offers a 10-day free trial on every carrier plan, and Truckstop’s lowest price is Dry Van Basic at $35 a month.

A free trial is the cheapest test you’ll get, so use it properly. Search your real lanes, call a few brokers, and see how many loads you’d actually take. Once you’ve hauled for a broker a few times, ask whether it offers loads directly to its regular carriers; that freight doesn’t need a subscription.

How to use a load board well

A subscription only pays off if you work it with a method. Here’s ours:

1. Set an honest search radius. Start with the deadhead you’d actually drive to a pickup, then widen it only when the board is thin.
2. Price the whole trip, not the loaded miles. Divide the rate by loaded plus empty miles, and compare that number to your cost per mile.
3. Call fast, with your numbers ready. Good loads go quickly. Know your minimum rate, truck dimensions and availability before you dial.
4. Check the broker before you call. Look at credit score and days to pay on the board, then confirm the broker’s authority on FMCSA’s SAFER Company Snapshot.
5. Verify the person, not just the posting. Call the number on the broker’s FMCSA record or website, not the one in the post, and make sure the rate con comes from the broker’s real email domain.
6. Read the rate con before the truck rolls. Our guide to reading a rate confirmation covers the clauses that cost carriers money.

Example: A $2,400 load with 800 loaded miles looks like $3.00 a mile. Add 150 empty miles to reach the pickup, and it’s $2,400 over 950 miles, or about $2.53. A $2,100 load with 700 loaded miles and only 30 miles of deadhead works out to about $2.88 a mile over 730 miles, and it’s the better load.

Watch out: FreightWaves lists the classic signs of a fake broker on a load: a free or misspelled email domain, a phone number that doesn’t reach the broker’s main line, company details that don’t match FMCSA’s record, and payment instructions pointing to an unknown factor or a personal account. If the details don’t match, don’t book it.

When does a dispatcher replace a load board subscription?

Short answer: When the hours you spend searching, calling and negotiating cost you more than a dispatch fee would, or when you’d rather drive than sit on the phone. A load board usually costs less than a dispatcher in dollars; what you’re buying with dispatch is time and negotiation.

The math is personal. DAT Pro costs $169 a month, while even 5% of a $4,000 week is $200, more than a month of DAT Pro. The question is whether a dispatcher books enough extra rate per mile, or saves you enough unpaid hours, to cover the difference. Ask whether a dispatcher works from its own load board accounts before you keep paying for a subscription you won’t use.

Our dispatch is a flat 5–12% of each load’s gross, with no retainer or weekly fee, and you approve every load. For more on what a dispatcher should and shouldn’t do for you, see truck dispatcher vs freight broker.

Where to start

• Write down your equipment, lanes and minimum rate per total mile before you shop.
• Start a 123Loadboard trial or a month of the DAT or Truckstop plan that fits your trailer, and search your real lanes.
• Make broker credit and days to pay non-negotiable: pick a plan that includes them.
• Log which board each booked load came from, and cancel any board that doesn’t pay for itself in two months.
• If the phone time is eating your driving time, compare the cost of our truck dispatch service with the hours you’re spending.