People mix these up constantly. A load board finds the freight. Dispatch software runs everything that happens after you book it. You need both.
A load board is where brokers post available freight and carriers find loads to haul. It's great for sourcing. But the moment you book, the load board's job is basically done — it doesn't invoice, track your money, or store your paperwork.
Dispatch software picks up where the load board stops:
| Load board | Dispatch software (TMS) |
|---|---|
| Find available freight | Manage the booked load end-to-end |
| See posted rates | Invoice the broker the day you deliver |
| Contact brokers | Track settlements, payroll, expenses |
| — | Store PODs/BOLs, track compliance |
| — | Tell you if the load was profitable |
A load board with no TMS means you find loads but lose money to slow invoicing, lost documents, and no idea which loads paid. A TMS with no load board means a tight operation with nothing to haul. Together: you source smart and get paid fast.
TruckSpot Dispatch works alongside whatever load boards you already use. Book a load anywhere, and TruckSpot reads the rate con, invoices the broker, runs the settlement, and shows the profit per mile — automatically.
Run your loads in one place — free 14-day trial →A load board is a marketplace to find freight. Dispatch software (a TMS) manages the load after you book it — invoicing, settlements, documents, compliance and profit. Most carriers use both.
Yes, if you want to get paid on time and know your numbers. A load board finds the load but doesn't invoice the broker, track your settlement, store the POD or tell you if it was profitable.
TruckSpot is the TMS layer that runs your operation after you book freight. It works alongside whatever load boards you use, turning a booked load into an invoice, settlement and profit number.