Power only load boards

Why power only freight is hard to find on load boards

On a van load board you can see a large share of the spot market in one list. Power only is different. The trailers belong to someone, and that someone usually has its own way of finding tractors: an app for approved carriers, a list of carriers it calls first, or a dedicated program. Only part of the freight spills onto public boards.

So the real answer to "which power only load board should I use?" is a mix: one commercial board for the open market, plus the program apps that post trailer-pool loads, plus the brokers who know your truck.

How to find power only on load boards

On commercial boards, power only is an equipment type. DAT's support pages describe three of them in DAT One:

DAT announced in September 2025 that it added these power only categories to DAT One. On the web app you pick them in the Equipment Type field of the Search Loads form; the mobile app has the same choice under Filters.

How to search well:

1. Search all three types if your tractor can handle both empty moves and loaded trailers. Tow away and load out pay differently; see power only tow away vs load out.
2. Widen the origin radius to where trailers sit, not where your truck is parked. Your deadhead is to the trailer, and pools are often outside town.
3. Read the comments for "preloaded," "drop," "pool" or "live." They change how long the load takes.
4. Price on all-in miles. A posted rate that looks strong on loaded miles can fall apart once you add 80 miles to the trailer.

Broker portals and program apps

Large carriers and brokers with trailer pools post their own power only loads in their own tools. As published on each company's site (checked October 2026):

• J.B. Hunt 360. J.B. Hunt says carriers search for power only loads on its Carrier 360 platform, filter by "Power Only," book, and sign the trailer interchange agreement if needed.
• Schneider FreightPower. Schneider's carrier page calls FreightPower the place to search and book its power only loads online, with Schneider supplying and maintaining the trailers.
• Uber Freight. Uber Freight lists power only loads among its equipment types and describes Powerloop as its trailer pool program supplying drop and live freight from its trailers.
• Amazon Relay. Relay runs a load board for approved carriers. Its published requirements include an MC active at least 180 days and $1,000,000 auto liability.

Each of these requires carrier approval first, with its own insurance and safety rules. We are not affiliated with any of them. How these programs work and what they ask for is in our guide to power only trucking companies and carrier programs.

Free vs paid

DAT's pricing page listed carrier plans from $59 to $339 per month when we checked in October 2026. Prices and plan features change, so check the provider's own page before you subscribe. Program apps are built to fill their owners' trailers; access comes from approval rather than a board subscription, but read each app's terms.

Red flags on power only posts

Power only loads attract fraud because a trailer and a load can be stolen with one fake booking. Warning signs:

• The poster's MC doesn't match the email domain or phone you are talking to. Check the authority on FMCSA's SAFER system and call the number listed there, not the one in the post.
• A request to pay anything to get the load, such as a "trailer deposit" or "dispatch fee" to the poster.
• A rate far above the lane with pressure to accept fast.
• Pickup details that change after booking to a different address or a different trailer.
• Rate cons sent from free email accounts for a company that has its own domain.

When something looks wrong, stop and verify before you hook. Our power only brokers guide covers vetting in more detail.

When a dispatcher saves the subscription

A board subscription is cheap compared with one bad week, so the subscription itself is rarely the issue. The cost is the time: watching a board and several program apps, calling posters, and pricing every load on all-in miles while you are driving. A dispatcher who already works those sources and has broker relationships can cover that, and with ours you pay a percentage only on loads you haul. That is the job of our power only dispatchers, and the freight they book is described on power only loads.

Before you book any load, run it through the power only load profit calculator to see profit per hour after fuel and wait time.

Some trailers post as power only but are sized for pickup trucks with a gooseneck hitch rather than semis; if you see those, our hotshot power only guide explains the difference.