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Logistics · head to head

Loadsmart vs McLeod Software

Loadsmart logo

Loadsmart

Logistics

Digital freight brokerage sold together with the TMS, dock scheduling and gate tools that book the loads

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
McLeod Software logo

McLeod Software

Logistics

The long standing transportation management system for North American asset carriers and brokerages

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Loadsmart the brokerage and the software share a parent, so quotes shown inside ShipperGuide are Loadsmart capacity offers rather than a neutral market view, and a shipper wanting a benchmark has to source rates elsewhere.; McLeod Software it is a Microsoft SQL Server application that most customers still run on their own servers, so the total cost includes hardware, database administration and a disaster recovery plan that the vendor does not provide.
  • They diverge on capability: Loadsmart covers ShipperGuide TMS, McLeod Software covers LoadMaster.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Loadsmart and McLeod Software actually diverge.

Attributes where Loadsmart and McLeod Software differ
AttributeLoadsmartMcLeod Software
PlatformsWeb, iOS, Android, APIWindows, Web, iOS, Android

Identical on both: starting price (On request), pricing model (quote), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Logistics).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Loadsmart

  • ShipperGuide TMS
  • Instant committed quotes
  • Opendock scheduling
  • NavTrac gate automation
  • Managed transportation
  • Carrier app and load board

Only in McLeod Software

  • LoadMaster
  • PowerBroker
  • Driver pay and settlements
  • EDI and integration
  • Document Power imaging
  • Business intelligence

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Loadsmart

  • A mid market shipper with no TMS that wants tendering, tracking and reporting without funding a licence and an integration project separatelynot McLeod Software
  • A warehouse operator that needs to stop scheduling inbound appointments by phone and email across a fragmented carrier basenot McLeod Software
  • A shipper that wants instant committed truckload capacity on lanes where it does not hold contract ratesnot McLeod Software
  • A distribution centre trying to measure and reduce driver dwell time with automated gate capture rather than clipboard logsnot McLeod Software

McLeod Software

  • A truckload carrier above one hundred trucks whose driver pay rules break every simpler system it has triednot Loadsmart
  • A brokerage that needs carrier payables, factoring interfaces and settlement controls rather than a load board with invoicingnot Loadsmart
  • A carrier required by large shippers to exchange EDI tenders, status messages and invoices in specific formatsnot Loadsmart
  • A company running both assets and a brokerage that wants each side on the vendor system built for itnot Loadsmart

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Loadsmart

  • The brokerage and the software share a parent, so quotes shown inside ShipperGuide are Loadsmart capacity offers rather than a neutral market view, and a shipper wanting a benchmark has to source rates elsewhere.
  • Instant quoting only works where Loadsmart has carrier depth, so a shipper running thin regional or rural lanes finds committed pricing unavailable in exactly the conditions where it would have been most valuable.
  • Opendock depends on carriers and drivers creating accounts and booking their own slots, so a facility with hundreds of small carriers spends months chasing adoption before the appointment data is complete enough to act on.
  • Pricing is not published and is negotiated per shipper, frequently alongside a freight volume expectation, which makes it hard to compare against an independent TMS licence and awkward to unwind if you later move the freight to another provider.
  • The portfolio was assembled by acquisition, with Opendock and NavTrac bought in separately, and the modules still behave as separate applications with their own logins and reporting rather than a single system.

McLeod Software

  • It is a Microsoft SQL Server application that most customers still run on their own servers, so the total cost includes hardware, database administration and a disaster recovery plan that the vendor does not provide.
  • Version upgrades are projects rather than background events, and carriers routinely run releases that are a year or more old because upgrading requires testing every customisation and integration.
  • Licensing is per seat with modules priced separately, so a carrier with part time weekend dispatchers or occasional finance users pays full seats for people who log in a few hours a week.
  • The interface is dense and built for trained operators, and onboarding a new dispatcher takes weeks rather than days, which is expensive in a role with high turnover.
  • Pricing is never published and implementations commonly run six months or more with vendor or partner services, so the first year cost is a multiple of the annual licence and difficult to estimate before a sales process.

Pricing, plan by plan

Loadsmart

On request
  • ShipperGuide$undefined/year
    • Transportation management for shippers
    • Quoting, tendering and execution
    • Reporting and rate benchmarking
  • Opendock$undefined/year
    • Dock appointment scheduling by facility
    • Carrier self service booking
    • Door and dwell reporting

McLeod Software

On request
  • LoadMaster$undefined/year
    • Asset carrier transportation management
    • Driver pay and settlements
    • Dispatch and equipment management
  • PowerBroker$undefined/year
    • Brokerage operations
    • Carrier procurement and payables
    • Customer billing

Which should you pick?

Choose Loadsmart if

  • You need shipperguide tms.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, API.
  • You also want instant committed quotes.
Loadsmart review

Choose McLeod Software if

  • You need loadmaster.
  • You work on Windows, Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want powerbroker.
McLeod Software review

Questions people ask

Is Loadsmart or McLeod Software better?
Neither clearly leads. Loadsmart starts at On request and McLeod Software at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Loadsmart or McLeod Software?
Loadsmart starts at On request and McLeod Software at On request.
Does Loadsmart or McLeod Software run on more platforms?
Loadsmart runs on Web, iOS, Android, API. McLeod Software runs on Windows, Web, iOS, Android.
What is Loadsmart best used for?
Loadsmart is most often used for a mid market shipper with no tms that wants tendering, tracking and reporting without funding a licence and an integration project separately, a warehouse operator that needs to stop scheduling inbound appointments by phone and email across a fragmented carrier base, a shipper that wants instant committed truckload capacity on lanes where it does not hold contract rates, a distribution centre trying to measure and reduce driver dwell time with automated gate capture rather than clipboard logs. Of those, a mid market shipper with no tms that wants tendering, tracking and reporting without funding a licence and an integration project separately and a warehouse operator that needs to stop scheduling inbound appointments by phone and email across a fragmented carrier base are not what McLeod Software is typically brought in for.
What can Loadsmart do that McLeod Software cannot?
Loadsmart covers ShipperGuide TMS, Instant committed quotes, Opendock scheduling, NavTrac gate automation. McLeod Software covers LoadMaster, PowerBroker, Driver pay and settlements, EDI and integration.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Loadsmart: Can I use ShipperGuide with my own contracted carriers and not Loadsmart capacity?

Yes, it will tender to your carrier panel, but the instant quoting and the managed service are where the product invests and where the commercial relationship sits.

McLeod Software: Is McLeod available as a hosted service?

Yes, McLeod offers hosting, but a large part of the installed base still runs on premises and budgets accordingly.

Loadsmart: Is Opendock sold separately from the brokerage?

Yes. It is the most commonly standalone purchase, and warehouses buy it without ever tendering freight to Loadsmart.

McLeod Software: Can a fifty truck carrier use it?

It will run, but the licence and implementation economics rarely make sense below roughly one hundred trucks.

Loadsmart: Does it publish pricing?

No. Every deal is quoted, and software cost is often discussed together with freight volume.

McLeod Software: Who owns McLeod Software?

It has remained privately held and independent since it was founded in 1985, which is unusual in this market.

Loadsmart: How does it compare to a visibility platform like project44?

It is not a visibility network. Tracking covers freight moving through Loadsmart and connected carriers, not your whole carrier base across every mode.

McLeod Software: How long is a typical implementation?

Plan for six months or more once data migration, EDI setup and settlement rule configuration are included.

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