Load Board
An online marketplace where brokers post available loads and carriers search for freight — the spot market's central matching mechanism. Load boards are also the front line where unvetted carriers and fraud enter the supply chain. CarrierOk vetting turns a load-board match into a verified counterparty before the rate confirmation goes out.
Learn moreWhat is Load Board?
A load board is an online marketplace that matches available freight with available trucks. Brokers and shippers post loads with origin, destination, equipment type, and rate information; carriers and owner-operators search for loads that fit their equipment and lanes, then contact the poster to negotiate and book. Load boards are the backbone of the spot market — freight moved outside contract commitments — and for many small carriers they are the primary source of revenue. That openness is also the risk: a load board connects brokers to tens of thousands of carriers they have never worked with, ranging from excellent operators to brand-new entrants, chameleon re-registrations, and outright fraudsters using stolen carrier identities. Most freight fraud begins with a load-board interaction — a too-eager carrier on a high-value lane, a dispatcher whose contact details don't match FMCSA records, an entity with one power unit accepting loads in three states simultaneously. Load boards provide basic authority and insurance indicators, but the depth of vetting is up to the counterparties. CarrierOk complements load-board workflows by returning the full risk picture for any DOT number — authority status and age, insurance on file, all 7 BASIC percentiles, fleet size, and 50+ risk signals — so a match can be verified in one API call before the rate confirmation is signed.
Why does load board matter?
Insurance Underwriters
Heavy spot-market reliance is an underwriting signal — carriers living on load boards run irregular lanes with unfamiliar shippers and facilities, an operating pattern with different risk dynamics than dedicated contract freight.
Freight Brokers
Every load-board booking is a counterparty decision made in minutes — a repeatable vetting checklist (authority active, contact info matches FMCSA registration, fleet size fits the load) is the difference between spot-market flexibility and fraud exposure.
Developers & Platforms
The integration point is booking, not batch review — call /v2/profile when a carrier responds to a posting, and surface authority, insurance, and risk signals inline so dispatchers see the verdict before they commit.
Load Board in the CarrierOk API
This data is available via the /v2/profile endpoint. The following fields are returned in the carrier profile:
/v2/profileauthority_commoninsurance_cargo_on_filetotal_power_unitsrisk_signalstelephone_numberFrequently asked questions
What is a load board in trucking?
A load board is an online marketplace where brokers and shippers post available freight and carriers search for loads to haul. Postings include origin, destination, equipment type, dates, and often rate. Load boards power the spot market — freight moved outside long-term contracts — and are the primary freight source for many small carriers and owner-operators. Major boards also provide basic carrier and broker credit or authority information alongside the matching function.
Why are load boards a fraud risk?
Load boards connect parties who have never worked together, at speed, with money on the line — exactly the conditions fraud needs. Stolen carrier identities, double brokers, and chameleon re-registrations all typically enter a broker's operation through a load-board booking. The board verifies that an MC number exists; it cannot verify that the person on the phone actually represents that carrier. That verification burden falls on the broker, which is why contact-info matching against FMCSA records matters.
How should brokers vet carriers found on load boards?
Run the same gate on every load-board carrier before sending a rate confirmation: authority active and appropriately aged, BIPD and cargo insurance on file, contact details matching FMCSA-registered records, and fleet size consistent with the freight volume being accepted. Escalate new entrants and any carrier with fraud-pattern risk signals. CarrierOk returns all of these checks in a single /v2/profile call, so the full vet fits inside a spot-market booking window.
Related terms
Operating Authority
FMCSA-granted permission for a motor carrier, broker, or freight forwarder to operate in interstate commerce. Authority types include common (general for-hire), contract (specific shippers), and broker. CarrierOk tracks authority status changes same-day and flags monitored carriers when authority lapses or is revoked.
Double Brokering
The illegal practice of a broker or carrier re-brokering a load to another carrier without the shipper's knowledge or consent. Double brokering creates insurance gaps, liability exposure, and fraud risk. CarrierOk's risk signals and authority-type checks help identify carriers associated with double-brokering patterns.
Freight Fraud
The umbrella term for schemes that exploit the freight system to steal cargo or payment — double brokering, carrier identity theft, fictitious pickups, and chameleon carriers. Freight fraud is the systemic problem carrier vetting exists to solve. CarrierOk surfaces 50+ risk signals across every FMCSA-registered entity to flag fraud patterns before a load is tendered.
Carrier Identity Theft
Fraudsters impersonating a legitimate carrier's MC/DOT identity — using its name, numbers, and forged documents — to book loads they then steal or double-broker. The defense is verifying that the contact info you're dealing with matches FMCSA-registered records. CarrierOk serves registered phone, address, and legal-name data Updated throughout the day.
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