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Don’t Live and Die on One Load Board
Q The freight industry has relied on load boards for decades. What needs to change? A The freight industry has spent years asking which load board is best. I think we’re asking the wrong question. No single marketplace, carrier network, or piece of technology can see every truck or cover every load. Freight is fragmented by nature. Capacity sits across different marketplaces, private networks, broker relationships, TMS platforms, and thousands of individual businesses. Yet we still expect brokers to somehow piece all of that together themselves. That’s why we’re bringing 123Loadboard and Direct Freight together. By connecting two established freight marketplaces, we’re expanding the capacity available through 123Loadboard and giving brokers more ways to find the right truck, without adding more complexity to their day. Q Why does that matter so much to brokers? A Because 90% coverage isn’t really 90% coverage when the other 10% contains the load that costs you a customer. Most brokers already have good tools, strong carrier relationships, and networks they trust. They shouldn’t replace what works. But relying too heavily on any single source creates blind spots. That’s why I think the future is a capacity stack. Your core carriers. Your existing technology. Your relationships. Your marketplaces. Then
additional networks that give you somewhere else to turn when the usual answer is no. It’s not about using more software for the sake of it. It’s about covering all bases. The ambition should be simple: If a broker can’t find the right truck, it should be because that truck genuinely isn’t on the road, not because it happens to sit outside the network they’re searching. Q What does this mean for brokers using 123Loadboard? A It starts with giving brokers more ways to find capacity. By bringing 123Loadboard and Direct Freight together, we’re creating a more connected marketplace, combining carrier reach, market intelligence, and the relationships that already make freight move. But the real opportunity goes beyond simply having more trucks to call. We’re investing in better ways to identify capacity, understand the market, and make sense of the enormous amount of information brokers deal with every day. And we’re doing it without losing sight of what matters most. Freight remains a relationship business. A broker needs confidence that the truck will show up. A carrier needs confidence that the load makes sense. When something goes wrong, both sides still need someone willing to pick up the phone. That’s the direction we’re taking 123Loadboard. More capacity, better intelligence, and real human support, all working together to help brokers cover more loads and protect the relationships they’ve worked hard to build.
Carmelo Messina VP of Sales 123Loadboard 123loadboard.com
The future isn’t about replacing every load board you use. It’s about making sure you’ve covered all your bases. Don’t live and die on one load board. Add 123Loadboard to your capacity stack.
22 Inbound Logistics • October 2026
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