Post-grant operations
How to find loads with a new MC number
A brand-new authority can search the same load boards as a ten-truck fleet, but brokers, boards, and direct freight programs each treat a fresh MC number differently. This guide lays out the boards and their published prices, how brokers vet and set up new carriers, and which programs make new carriers wait.
By Evan Reid, Founder of Haul Handbook · Updated Jul 22, 2026
Why a new MC number changes the search
Nobody who pays for freight tenders a load blind. Brokers pull your authority status, insurance filings, and safety record from the public FMCSA record before they onboard you, which is why it pays to read your own SAFER snapshot first and confirm your insurance filings actually show on file. A new MC has no inspection history and no track record, so some counterparties add their own hurdles on top.
Some freight programs publish a hard minimum authority age: Amazon Relay requires a DOT number active for at least 180 days. Individual brokers set their own carrier setup rules; most verify authority status, insurance, and safety data before tendering a first load, and any waiting period a broker applies to new MC numbers is set by that broker, not by FMCSA.
None of that stops a new carrier from working. It just means the first weeks reward preparation: a complete carrier packet, filings that verify cleanly, and load sources that accept new authorities from day one, which is where the boards come in.
The major load boards and their published prices
The boards below are the ones new carriers run into first. The order carries no ranking and inclusion is not an endorsement; nobody pays to appear here. Every price is the vendor's own published list price on the date we accessed its pricing page, and vendors change list prices without notice.
DAT One
DAT's published figure claims more than 291 million loads and trucks posted annually across its network. That is the vendor's claim, not ours.
- Standard: $54 per month (two search tabs on the web; spot market rates averaged over the trailing 15 days)
- Enhanced: $119 per month (three search tabs on the web; spot market rates averaged over the trailing 7 days; trihaul alternate-routing tool; preferred and blocked company lists)
- Pro: $169 per month (ten search tabs on the web; best-available average rates; market conditions tool)
- Select: $239 per month (same search capacity as pro; premium lanemakers access)
- Office: $329 per month (workgroups for multi-seat offices)
Truckstop Load Board
- Basic: $42 per user per month (unlimited load search; post trucks and lanes; private loads from approved brokers; backhaul search)
- Advanced: $135 per user per month (everything in basic; broker ratings; fuel tools and routing)
- Pro: $159 per user per month (everything in advanced; rate insights; live loads; lane planning tools)
- Heavy Haul Pro: $299 per month, up to 3 users (heavy-haul focused load search; expanded search radius; permit quotes with escort details)
Truckstop's pricing page lists a non-refundable application fee on all plans, credited toward the first month if the application is approved.
123Loadboard
- Standard: $39 per month (unlimited load searching; unlimited truck posting)
- Premium: $59 per month (rate checking and historical rate trends; digital freight matching with bidding and messaging)
- Premium Plus: $79 per month (trip builder and load-planning tools; backhaul search and mapping tools)
123Loadboard's plans page lists a 10 day free trial on each carrier plan, with published pricing applying to fleets of up to 10 trucks.
How to pick a board: the criteria that matter
Plan names and feature lists shift, so compare boards on the mechanics instead:
- Billing unit. Two prices that read the same can land differently when one board bills per account and another bills per user. Check what a second seat costs before you compare totals.
- Up-front fees and trials. Some boards list a non-refundable application fee; others list a free trial. Both change what your first month actually costs.
- Rate data recency. Boards tier their plans partly on how fresh the lane-rate averages are. Fresher rate data is what you are paying for in the upper tiers, and it matters most when you are new and have no feel for lanes yet.
- Broker vetting tools. Credit scores, days-to-pay data, and ratings on the brokers posting the loads. For a new carrier that cannot absorb an unpaid invoice, this is the feature to weigh heaviest.
- Contract terms. Month-to-month versus an annual commitment, and what cancellation looks like, from the order page itself.
Boards, brokers, and direct freight
A load board is a marketplace, not a customer. Most postings are placed by freight brokers, so booking off a board still means working with a broker: their carrier packet, their rate confirmation, their payment terms. The difference is who finds whom. Boards surface one-off spot loads; a broker rep who knows your trucks starts calling you with repeat freight; a direct shipper relationship cuts out the middle entirely but takes the longest to land.
Direct freight programs sit in between, and they publish their rules. Amazon Relay requires a DOT number with interstate authority that has been active for a minimum of 180 days, plus a valid MC number, before a carrier can enroll. Relay's published bar is an FMCSA safety rating of Satisfactory, None, or Not Rated, with each CSA BASIC score under the thresholds Amazon lists on the enrollment page. Relay's published insurance minimums include commercial general liability of $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 aggregate, auto liability of $1,000,000 per occurrence, and cargo coverage of at least $100,000, which sit above the FMCSA filing minimums most new carriers start with.
The practical read for a new MC: build the first months on boards and broker relationships, and treat published direct programs as a target to grow into once your authority age and safety record clear their bars.
The cash flow catch nobody warns you about
Finding the load is half the job; financing it is the other half. Brokers pay on invoice terms that commonly run a month or more, while fuel, insurance, and the truck payment come due immediately. That gap is why so many new carriers look at quick pay and freight factoring in their first weeks, and it deserves a decision before the first invoice goes out, not after the fuel card runs dry.
Where this fits in your launch
Load sourcing is one line on a longer post-grant checklist: UCR, the testing program, plates, fuel tax, and the audit file all run in parallel with your first revenue. For the full sequence, work through the rest of your first 30 days with new authority.
Frequently asked questions
Can I book a load the same day my authority goes active?
- Sometimes, but plan on a setup gap. Brokers verify authority status, insurance filings, and safety data before tendering a first load, and each broker runs its own carrier packet. Having your W-9, certificate of insurance, and authority letter ready shortens that gap more than anything else.
Why do some brokers and freight programs turn down a new MC number?
- Some freight programs publish a hard minimum authority age: Amazon Relay requires a DOT number active for at least 180 days. Individual brokers set their own carrier setup rules; most verify authority status, insurance, and safety data before tendering a first load, and any waiting period a broker applies to new MC numbers is set by that broker, not by FMCSA.
How much does a load board subscription cost?
- Published entry plans on the boards covered here run from $39 to $54 per month on the vendors' own pricing pages, with multi-seat and specialty plans priced higher. Every figure is the vendor's published list price and can change without notice.
Do I have to use a load board to find freight?
- No. Load boards are the fastest way to see spot freight on day one, but carriers also work directly with broker carrier-sales reps, enroll in direct freight programs, and build relationships with local shippers. Most new carriers start on a board and shift weight toward repeat broker and shipper business over time.
What does Amazon Relay require from a new carrier?
- Amazon Relay requires a DOT number with interstate authority that has been active for a minimum of 180 days, plus a valid MC number, before a carrier can enroll. Relay's published bar is an FMCSA safety rating of Satisfactory, None, or Not Rated, with each CSA BASIC score under the thresholds Amazon lists on the enrollment page.
Sources
Primary statutes and official agency pages this guide relies on. Laws and fees change, so confirm against the current source before you act.
- DAT Load Boards: Plans and Pricing · DAT Freight & Analytics
- Truckstop Load Board Pricing · Truckstop
- 123Loadboard Plans and Pricing · 123Loadboard
- Amazon Relay: Requirements to Haul Amazon Freight · Amazon
Haul Handbook publishes educational information about trucking registration and compliance requirements. This is not legal, financial, or tax advice. Rules, fees, and deadlines change; confirm with the agency before you file or pay.