Brokerage Tools

How to Use DAT for Your Freight Brokerage

Here's what you actually need to know to find freight, vet carriers, and make money using the DAT load board.

If you're getting into freight brokering, you're going to hear about DAT. A lot. There's no way around it. Think of it as the single biggest marketplace where freight and trucks meet. Mastering this tool is not optional, it's a core part of the job. It’s where you’ll find carriers for your loads and get a feel for what the market is paying.

Plain and simple, DAT is a load board. Shippers have freight, carriers have trucks, and brokers use DAT to connect the two. It’s a subscription service that gives you access to a massive, real time database of available trucks and loads posted by other brokers. Without it, you’re flying blind. You need to know how to post your freight, find good carriers, and check rates. That's what we're covering here.

What is DAT, and Why Do Brokers Need It?

DAT stands for Dial-A-Truck. It started a long time ago with people literally calling in to a central place to find loads or trucks. Today, it’s a powerful software platform. As a broker, you'll be using a version called DAT Power, which is their top-tier product. Don't confuse it with DAT TruckersEdge, which is a simpler version for owner-operators.

Here’s the problem it solves for you as a new broker. You get a load from a shipper. Great. Now what? You need to find a qualified, reliable truck driver to move it from point A to point B. Are you going to just start Googling "trucking companies in Chicago"? No. You're going to post the load details on DAT.

Within minutes, carriers who run that lane and have the right equipment will see your post. They might call you. At the same time, you can actively search for trucks that are available in the area and call them yourself. It’s a two-way street. DAT is the foundation for the most critical part of your job: covering a load.

Key Features of the DAT Load Board for Brokers

DAT Power can feel overwhelming at first. There are a lot of buttons and filters. Let’s cut through the noise and focus on what you'll use every single day.

• Load Posting: This is your "for sale" sign. You take the details of the shipper's load, like origin, destination, weight, and equipment type, and post it for carriers to see. You need to be accurate and clear here. Good posts get good calls.
• Truck Search: This is you going on the hunt. Instead of waiting for calls, you can proactively search for trucks. You can filter by equipment type (van, reefer, flatbed), location, and even where the driver wants to go next. This is huge for finding the perfect match.
• DAT RateView: This is your market intel tool. Before you quote a shipper or talk to a carrier, you need to know the going rate for a lane. RateView shows you the average spot market rates paid on thousands of lanes, based on real transactions. It gives you a 15-day or 30-day average, so you have a solid baseline for your negotiations.
• LaneMakers: A smart feature that shows you which carriers are regularly running a specific lane. If you have a consistent load from a shipper, LaneMakers helps you find carriers who already want to be there. This is how you start building relationships.
• Carrier Vetting Tools: DAT integrates with the FMCSA database. This means you can quickly check a carrier’s authority, insurance status, and safety rating right from the load board. You should never, ever book a carrier without checking this information first.

Finding Loads and Carriers with DAT

Let's walk through a real-world example. A shipper calls you. They need to move a 40,000 lb load of paper products from Atlanta, GA to Dallas, TX in a 53' dry van.

First, you go to DAT RateView to check the lane. You see the average rate for the past 15 days is around $2.50 per mile. You use this to build your quote for the shipper, adding your margin. Let's say you quote the shipper $2.75 per mile. They agree.

Now you have a load to cover. Your workflow in DAT looks like this:

1. Post the Load: You create a new post. You enter the origin (Atlanta, GA), destination (Dallas, TX), equipment (V for Van), weight (40,000 lbs), and desired pickup date. In the comments, you can add important details like "No-touch freight" or "Appointment required." You don't post your target rate for the carrier yet. You want them to call you.
2. Search for Trucks: While you wait for calls, you start searching. You look for vans posted in or around Atlanta that are available or heading toward Texas. The search results show you the carrier's name, phone number, and home base.
3. Make the Call: You pick up the phone. "Hey, this is Matt with [Your Brokerage]. I'm calling on the truck you have posted in Atlanta. I've got a load going to Dallas, any interest?" This is where the real work begins. You discuss the details and start negotiating the rate.
4. Vet the Carrier: Before you agree to anything, you run their MC number through DAT's carrier monitoring. You need to confirm they are who they say they are and that their credentials are in order.

Here is a basic checklist for vetting a carrier within DAT. Do this every single time.

Common Mistakes New Brokers Make with DAT

The load board is a powerful tool, but it's easy to make mistakes that cost you time and money. Here are the big ones I see.

• Trusting Posted Rates Blindly: The rates you see on a load post are just starting points. A broker might post a load with a high rate to get calls, or a low one hoping to find a desperate carrier. The real rate is determined by your phone call and negotiation. Always use DAT RateView for the average, not other brokers' posts.
• Skipping the Vetting Process: This is the deadliest mistake. A new broker gets excited to cover a load and books the first carrier who agrees to their rate. They don't check insurance. They don't check authority. Then the carrier holds the load hostage or turns out to be a scammer. Vet every single truck, every single time.
• Posting Ghost Loads: Never post a load you don't actually have. Some brokers post fake loads in desirable lanes just to see which carriers are in the area. It's a waste of everyone's time, clogs up the board, and ruins your reputation.
• Poor Communication: Don't be lazy with your posts. Include weight, commodity, and any special requirements. When a carrier calls, be professional. When you've covered a load, take the post down immediately. Leaving old posts up just generates pointless phone calls.

Integrating DAT into Your Brokerage

DAT is not a full transportation management system (TMS). A TMS is the software you use to run your entire business: building loads, managing customers, handling dispatch, and invoicing. DAT is a specialized tool for one part of that process: finding trucks and market data.

Your daily workflow should have DAT and your TMS working together.

1. Prospecting: You find a shipper with a need (this happens outside of DAT, usually through cold calls).
2. Quoting: You use DAT RateView to figure out the market rate and build a profitable quote.
3. Booking: The shipper awards you the load. You build the load in your TMS.
4. Covering: You use DAT's load board to post the load and search for trucks.
5. Vetting: You use DAT's carrier tools to check authority and insurance.
6. Dispatching: Once you book a carrier, you send them a rate confirmation (from your TMS) and manage the pickup and delivery, tracking the load until it's complete.

DAT has options for integrating its data into some TMS platforms. This can make your life easier by automatically checking rates or carrier data without having to switch screens. But even without a direct integration, the process is straightforward. DAT is for finding the truck, your TMS is for everything else.

Learning to use DAT effectively is a fundamental skill. It’s not about knowing every single feature, but about mastering the core functions that help you cover freight. It's a tool, and like any tool, its power comes from the person using it. The best brokers use DAT to get intel, but they build their business on the phone, creating relationships one call at a time.

Common questions

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• freight broker cold calling

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