Also known as a “straight truck,” box trucks come in different sizes and often function as small dry van trailers within the trucking industry. They’re ideal for smaller loads and can typically be driven without a CDL — which is part of why box truck freight has grown in popularity in recent years.
As an owner-operator or small fleet, finding consistent freight for your box truck takes the right tools. Here’s what works.
Use a Real-Time Load Board
One of the most effective ways to find box truck loads is to search a real-time load board. Not all load boards are built the same — some don’t include box truck freight, and traditional load boards can show outdated postings that waste your time.
DAT One is the industry’s largest real-time load board, with 2.5x more loads than anyone else and support for box truck equipment. Simply enter your pickup date, equipment type, and lane to search. From there, filter by cargo weight to match your box truck’s capacity, and narrow results further by state, broker, or distance from your current location.
Find box truck loads on DAT One
Know Your Rate Before You Call
When you find a load worth pursuing, you want to walk into that conversation knowing what the lane is actually paying — not guessing.
DAT rate data is based on $1 trillion in verified freight transactions, giving you average, low, and high rates for any lane you’re searching. Before you ever contact a broker, you already know whether the load is worth your time and what rate to go in with.
With accurate rate data at your fingertips, you’re negotiating from a position of knowledge on every load you move.
Tips for Finding Box Truck Freight on DAT One
A few things that help:
- Post your truck with a starting rate to let brokers come to you
- Search van equipment type and filter by weight to surface box truck-appropriate loads
- Use the radius search to find loads close to your current location and cut deadhead miles
- Check broker credit scores and average days to pay before committing to a load
Keep Your Truck Moving
Box truck freight is out there — you just need the right load board to find it. DAT gives you the load volume, rate intelligence, and broker vetting tools to stay loaded and run a more profitable operation.
