No load board sells a hotshot or box-truck plan
The boards price for owner-operators and fleets, not for vehicle types. What separates them for a small truck is free access, partial-load search, power-only freight and how authority filters the board.
The short answer
None of DAT, Truckstop, 123Loadboard, Trucker Path, Direct Freight or Uber Freight published a hotshot or box-truck plan on 19 October 2026. DAT markets its $59 Standard tier to partial-load operators, Truckstop filters loads to your authority, Uber Freight offers power-only loads in a free app, and Trucker Path and Direct Freight have free tiers. The decision tree below ends in a named board for each kind of small carrier.
Load board tiers aimed at small carriers, and what each costs
| Board | Published price | Small-carrier note, in the board's words |
|---|---|---|
| DAT One | $59 / $149 / $169 / $259 / $339 a month | Standard "Recommended for Partial Loads Operators"; Enhanced "Recommended for New Owner-Operators". |
| Truckstop | $42 / $135 / $159 a month per user; Heavy Haul Pro $299 | "Carriers with intrastate-only authority will see intrastate loads." $42 application fee, credited if approved. |
| 123Loadboard | $39 / $59 / $79 a month | "Prices and promotions valid for fleets of up to 10 trucks." 10-day free trial. |
| Trucker Path | $49.99 a month or $399.99 a year | Free load board offered; 7-day free trial on the paid tier. |
| Direct Freight | Free; $39 / $49 / $69 a month; $390 / $490 / $690 a year | Free plan "free forever"; paid plans 15 days for $1. |
| Uber Freight | No carrier price published | "Choose from dry van, flatbed, reefer, and power-only loads." |
How to find hotshot and box-truck loads on each board
DAT is the only board that names partial-load operators in a tier, at $59 a month for Standard. Direct Freight told small-vehicle carriers to use its LTL partial search when we last read its help pages on 14 October 2026; its compare page itself was re-read on 19 October 2026. Truckstop filters loads to the authority you hold, which matters for a hotshot operating intrastate only. Uber Freight is the one place on this list that names power-only freight, the work a tractor without its own trailer can take.
Before you book through any of them, check the broker. FMCSA has revoked broker authority tens of thousands of times; the series and what it means are on authority revocations, and the payment side on factoring.
Free load board options for a new small carrier
Three ways in cost nothing on the vendors' own pages: Trucker Path's free board, Direct Freight's free-forever plan, and the Uber Freight carrier app, which publishes no subscription price. The paid tiers add rate data and more search; the free ones are enough to learn your lanes before you pay.
Both run a $0 tier. Move to DAT One Standard at $59 once you know you need partial-load search every day.
Direct Freight pointed small vehicles to LTL partial search; DAT markets Standard to partial-load operators.
The only board here that names power-only loads, in an app with no published subscription fee.
Its $39 Standard price is stated as valid for fleets of up to ten trucks, so one subscription covers the fleet.
What a year on each load board costs
LOAD BOARD TRIAL, SMALL TRUCK
Truck: hotshot / box truck / power only Authority: interstate / intrastate
Week 1 Free: Trucker Path free board + Direct Freight free plan
Log every load that fits: lane ______ rate ______
Week 2 Paid trial: 123Loadboard (10 days free) or Direct Freight ($1 for 15 days)
Week 3 Compare: loads that fit per day, free vs paid ______
Week 4 Decide. Pay only for the board that found loads you booked.
Before every booking: check the broker's authority is active today.
Prices read 2026-10-19: DAT $59, Truckstop $42, 123Loadboard $39, Direct Freight $39.
What each vendor's own page says, dated
- DAT. DAT markets its 59 dollar Standard tier to partial-load operators and its 149 dollar Enhanced tier to new owner-operators. Source, read 2026-10-19.
- Truckstop. Truckstop shows loads that match your operating authority, so a carrier with intrastate-only authority sees intrastate loads. Source, read 2026-10-19.
- 123Loadboard. 123Loadboard prices its carrier plans at 39, 59 and 79 dollars a month and states the prices are valid for fleets of up to 10 trucks. Source, read 2026-10-19.
- Trucker Path. Trucker Path offers a free load board and a paid tier at 49.99 dollars a month or 399.99 dollars a year, with a 7-day free trial. Source, read 2026-10-19.
- Direct Freight. Direct Freight keeps a free-forever plan and charges 39, 49 or 69 dollars a month for its paid carrier plans after a 15-day trial for 1 dollar. Source, read 2026-10-19.
- Uber Freight. Uber Freight lets carriers choose from dry van, flatbed, reefer and power-only loads in its app, and publishes no carrier subscription price. Source, read 2026-10-19.
Questions
What is the best load board for hotshot trucking?
Is there a load board for box trucks or non-CDL carriers?
Which load boards are free?
Can I find power-only loads on a load board?
I only have intrastate authority. Which board shows me loads?
Sources and method
- DAT, pricing page (read 2026-10-19).
- Truckstop, pricing page (read 2026-10-19).
- 123Loadboard, pricing page (read 2026-10-19).
- Trucker Path, pricing page (read 2026-10-19).
- Direct Freight, pricing page (read 2026-10-19).
- Uber Freight, pricing page (read 2026-10-19).
- Direct Freight help pages on LTL partial search (read 2026-10-14; not served to our reader on 2026-10-19).
Prices and statements were read from each vendor's own page on 19 October 2026 and are quoted as published; where a vendor publishes no price we say so, and where a vendor's page did not serve a figure to our reader that day we print the last date we could read it. We did not buy, install or run any of these devices or services for this page. Compiled and verified by Vincent Wesley Couey. A price that differs between a vendor's page and its own help text is printed as found.