Load boards are essential tools that help connect carriers and shippers. In the trucking and freight transportation industry, these load boards are indispensable. Also known as freight load boards, shippers have created an online marketplace for these available load boards. How this works is that a carrier can search for these loads and book them as per their needs in these online markets. Here’s a guide to these load boards, popular companies, and more.

There are various load boards, freight load boards, hotshot load boards and boc truck load boards, so let’s understand these types.

Freight load boards
These listings generally cater to truckers with full-size semi-trucks, refrigerated trucks, flatbeds, and similar categories. The correct load boards platform works well for carriers looking to utilize their trucks to transport goods from various industries and nothing specific. In addition, the tool offers sophisticated search engine filters to help truckers get the exact information they need to find the right shipper. Moreover, real-time updates and other special tools are also integrated into the system, ensuring freight operations run smoothly and efficiently.

Hotshot load boards
Like freight load boards, the hotshot load boards platform runs on a sophisticated system. However, this platform connects shippers to carriers with small vehicles like generic pickup trucks or pickup vans. These are smaller vehicles compared to freight load board requirements. These load board benefits shippers requiring a quick delivery time to their customers. The platform ensures that these time-sensitive needs are met by updating the web-based platform with efficient features. This includes instant quotes, quick booking, and, most importantly, route optimization that ensures the delivery is on time. Some of the services for hotshot load boards include GoShare, uShip, and even HotShotCarrier.

Box truck load boards
Also known as straight trucks or cube trucks, these are load boards known to be used for local or regional transportation requirements. Shippers looking to move requirements or loads to a specific area and need the right vehicle to drop the cargo explore the box truck load board. There seems to be some overlap in services sometimes with freight load boards. However, box truck load boards are known to offer a more targeted approach to delivering the goods. For example, services like 123Loadboard and BoxHub cater to these box trucks and give the available listings that match the truck’s capability and sizing needs.

Benefits of load boards
These load boards can be beneficial for several reasons, making transportation needs easy and efficient. Here’s why:

Access to a wide range of loads
These online portals make it easy for shippers and carriers across geographic locations and industries to find an available match for their requirements. This is extremely important for a business to keep running smoothly as it ensures that there is always a demand and supply for transportation needs.

Increased efficiency and productivity
Since finding the load requirements becomes easy, the transportation operation runs smoothly. You don’t have to worry about getting on extensive phone calls to the shipper to get details or negotiate. The process is standardized and hence makes it efficient. Valuable time and resources are saved because of easy access to all the information needed and pricing.

Flexibility and control
This is another plus to this web-based system. There is a lot of flexibility and control in choosing the preferred route you want to take the truck to, the compensation rates – if one price doesn’t work out, you can easily choose another shipper and vice versa. Depending on the cargo type, you can also take up the job, so the service has full transparency. This makes it easy to meet business goals and preferences.

Business growth opportunities
Since load boards are essentially a database for most shippers and truckers in the transportation industry, you can quickly build a network. This allows for business growth opportunities easily, as opposed to meeting with specific shippers or truckers. You can also expand your operations based on new requirements and bookings.

Real-time information
This is a massive plus in the transportation industry – getting real-time updates on the demand and supply. There is no such thing as an off-season or an on-season. There is always an opportunity available, big or small. The carriers are informed of new transportation opportunities as soon as they arise, so it becomes easy to prepare for the long journey whenever necessary.