If you are a power only trucker or carrier looking for some of the best load boards out there, you are in the right place.
In this article, I am going to cover 9 of the best load boards you can explore to get a steady stream of great power only loads (and make more money in the process). I will cover both paid and free options, so I think you will find the information here relevant to you regardless of your budget.
When available, I’ll also provide step-by step videos and other tips on how to filter for “power only” loads on some of the most popular load boards.
Before we begin, I will cover some introductory questions around what is power only trucking (including the types of trailers you will haul and the various type of power only loads out there). I will also cover some of the pros and cons of power only trucking. If you already know this stuff, you can skip ahead to the load boards by using this link.
We’ve got a lot to cover, so let’s get into it!
This post may contain affiliate links. If you click on a link and complete a transaction, I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you.
The information contained in this post is for informational purposes only. It is not a recommendation to buy or invest, and it is not financial, investment, legal, or tax advice. You should seek the advice of a qualified professional before making any investment or other decisions relating to the topics covered by this article.
What Is Power Only Trucking?
Power Only trucking is a form of trucking where a carrier, which can include an owner-operator who has their own authority, only provides the truck and driver. In other words, they only provide the “power” needed to haul the freight, not the trailer which carries the freight.
In this type of trucking, the driver hooks up to and hauls a trailer that is provided by a 3PL or shipper.
Types of Trailers Used in Power Only Trucking
Trailers provided for power only loads can come in a variety of forms, but the most common types of trailers used include dry vans, refrigerated trailers (aka “reefers”), flat beds, tankers, and shipping containers.
Types of Power Only Loads
There are different types of power only loads. Some of the most common power only load designations include “Drop and Pick” (aka “Drop and Hook”), “Tow Away” and “Load Out.”
Drop and Pick or Drop and Hook loads are when the driver drops off a trailer at the warehouse and then hooks up a new container at the same location for another delivery.
Tow away loads are loads where a driver will pick up an empty trailer and drive it from one location to another. You are trypically not allowed to use this trailer to load your own freight.
Load outs are when the trailer is loaded (not empty) and the trailer needs to be delivered from one location to another. However, I have noticed that load boards like DAT define load outs as an empty trailer that you can use to deliver your own freight.
Why Are the Pros and Cons of Power Only Trucking?
For the owner-operator who has their own authority, power only trucking allows them to spend less money upfront obtaining a trailer, which can run tens of thousands of dollars. If done right, it can also reduce deadhead, which is simply running your truck without a load.
This often happens when you drop off a load, but need to go to another location for your next load or go home. That distance, which costs gas and causes wear and tear on your vehicle, is basically money lost.
Of course, power only has cons for the owner-operator. The most notable is that these types of loads are less common and thus offer less flexibility in terms of the loads you can accept. Pricing can also be less desirable, especially if you are looking at load outs.
But that’s why you want to find a great suite of load boards that you can use to get a reliable source of loads for your power only trucking business.
If you are a shipper or 3PL company, offering power only loads can be a great option, especially if they have the right type of trailer, but have a shortage of drivers and tractors to haul them. You’ll often see them use power only loads for shipments using reefers – the shipper has the refrigerated trailer in house, provides it to the trucker, who provides the towing power, and the loads safely find their way to their destination without fuss.
Shippers can also use power only loads when they have a fleet of trailers and decide to load them well in advance. They hold onto those trailers until they are ready to ship and hire a power only trucker to make the delivery when the time is right. In short, it increases efficiency and flexibility for the shipper and ultimately can save on costs.
There are drawbacks to using power only loads for shippers too, though. They will need to maintain their trailers and keep them in good operating order. Of course, that’s still cheaper than managing and maintaining a fleet of tractors on top of that, but it’s still something to consider. In addition, if the shipper needs a power only on very short notice, it can be expensive.
Best Paid Load Boards for Power Only Loads
1. DAT [Top Recommendation]
When it comes to load boards, DAT is a clear market leader, with 1.37 million loads posted daily (including tons of power only loads throughout the country).
Because of their size and scope, they also have leading edge tech and info, including unlimited searching, instant alarm match notifications, broker credit scores, days to pay, market rates, mileage routing and much more.
Despite their dominant place in the market, I think their pricing is reasonable and it’s actually in line with other premium paid load boards. As of this writing, DAT offers the following plans:
- DAT TruckersEdge: Standard ($45/month) – includes unlimited truck posts and load searches, load match alarms, month to month billing, mileage and routing features, broker credit data and load counts by state.
- DAT TruckersEdge: Enhanced ($85/month) – includes all standard features plus the ability to call and search for loads (for when you are on the road), and average rates for lanes you are searching (30 day).
- DAT TruckersEdge: Professional ($135/month) – includes all Enhanced features plus average rates for past 15 days, access to Tri-Haul (which suggests higher paying routes with triangular route suggestions), DAT Assurance (which helps you collect past due accounts), and North American database (which includes Canadian loads)
There are higher tier plans available for companies with multiple trucks (Power Select Carrier) and multiple dispatchers (Power Office Carrier).
There are no long terms contracts, so you can stop at any time.
I have an affiliate relationship with DAT and secured a deal where if you use my link, you can get a free 30 day trial for any of their plans. So, you get to try out this industry-leading load board for a full month for free. I would note that this deal is only for new DAT subscribers.
If you are interested, just click on the banner below to take advantage of this no-risk offer.
If you want to learn more about how to find power only loads using DAT, they have a great tutorial video on the topic, which I have provided below.
In short, once you are in the Search Loads screen, the key is to select “Specific” (not “General”) as the equipment type. You will then be able to select the “Power Only” option from the drop down menu.
2. TruckStop
Truck Stop also has a load board that offers a healthy number of power only loads.
They have three pricing options, with the cheapest one coming in at $39/month. The pricier options are $125 and $149 per month, but, as you would expect, you get more features, such as broker credit and days to pay information.
For more info about Truckstop, check out their website here.
3. 123Load Board
Another major player in the industry is 123 Load Board. Like the other two, they are a general load board, but offer power only loads on their platform.
Their pricing is as follows:
- Standard Plan: $35 (includes access to load board, real time load alerts, website and mobile access)
- Premium Plan: $45 (includes everything that the standard plan includes, plus mileage and maps and document capturing and storage)
- Premium Plus: $55 (includes everything that the premium plan includes, plus enhanced mileage and maps & tolls, industry freight rates, etc.)
They offer a 10 day trial for all of their plans, so you can try them out without risk and see if their platform works for you.
Like DAT, they offer a nice tutorial on how to find power only loads using their load board. Check it out below, if you want to learn more.
Ok, we’ve covered some of the best paid options, so let’s dive into the best free load boards for power only loads.
Best Free Load Boards for Power Only Loads
4. Convoy
Convoy allows truckers to access power only loads through the use of their free app. One of their main advantages is that they don’t charge you any trailer rental fees (so long as you return the trailer on time) and they don’t require any additional insurance fees.
If you want to learn more, check them out here.
5. Trucker Path
Trucker Path is another free option for power only loads.
It’s super easy. You simply go on their website and search for loads. Select the “power only” option from the drop down menu under the “Trailer Type” field. The downside is that you get a limited number of searches per day, but can upgrade your account to a paid account and get more robust features, as well as access to the best loads.
If you want to check them out, here is the link to their website.
6. Shiply
Shiply is another free load board that you can access for power only loads.
They have a different business model altogether. You won’t be charged any fees to access their load board. But they will tack on their fee when you actually book a load. That way, you don’t pay them unless you actually book a load with them. Seems like a pretty low risk option and one worth exploring.
They offer a wide variety of loads, but their website specifically mentions power only loads, so they are definitely catering to power only operators.
If you want to learn more about using Shiply to find free power only loads, check out their website here.
7. Uship
Another free load board that uses this type of pay-as-you-go pricing structure is Uship.
One of the nice things about this load board that they have tools that allow you to set your rate, schedule and routes. You can also market your trucking business by filling out a carrier profile, which will allow people to search for you and find reviews and ratings for your business.
8. Freight Finder
Another free load board on the list, this one appears to be a bit more straightforward and no frills.
You can go to their website and simply type in the type of load you are looking for. There is, of course, a “Power Only” option that is part of the drop down menu under the “Equipment” field. You then put in the date and route information and you can explore what pops up.
When I ran a search, there weren’t nearly as many options as with some of the bigger paid load boards, but hey, it’s free, so it doesn’t hurt to check it out.
9. Free Freight Search
On their homepage, these guys claim to be “The World’s Largest Free Load Board.” They boast that over 132,000 carriers and brokers use their platform. Bear in mind that in order to get access to their load board, you need to register through their website, so you can’t play around and see the types of loads they have without doing that.
They do offer unlimited access to their load boards and freight broker credit reports, which is nice, because, for some of the paid boards, you need to shell out extra to get broker credit reports.
This can be a nice tool to have if you want the potentially better load options offered by a paid load board, but don’t want to pay more for a premium plan so that you can get the broker credit reports.
Conclusion
So there you have it – 9 great load boards you can check out to get more power only loads for your trucking business. Hope you have found this helpful and happy trucking!
