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Logistics · head to head

Loadsmart vs Truckbase

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
Truckbase logo

Truckbase

Logistics

Transport management system for small and mid-size North American truckload carriers with a published price floor

From
$290/month
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.; Truckbase only the 290 USD monthly minimum is published; the per-truck, per-driver and per-load rates behind it are all consultative, so comparing quotes against another vendor is guesswork.
  • They diverge on capability: Loadsmart covers ShipperGuide TMS, Truckbase covers Dispatch board.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Loadsmart and Truckbase actually diverge.

Attributes where Loadsmart and Truckbase differ
AttributeLoadsmartTruckbase
Starting priceOn request$290/month
Pricing modelquotePer truck per month
PlatformsWeb, iOS, Android, APIWeb, iOS, Android

Identical on both: 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 Truckbase

  • Dispatch board
  • Driver mobile app
  • Settlements
  • Invoicing and factoring
  • ELD integration
  • Document management
  • Accounting sync
  • Flexible billing meters

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 Truckbase
  • A warehouse operator that needs to stop scheduling inbound appointments by phone and email across a fragmented carrier basenot Truckbase
  • A shipper that wants instant committed truckload capacity on lanes where it does not hold contract ratesnot Truckbase
  • A distribution centre trying to measure and reduce driver dwell time with automated gate capture rather than clipboard logsnot Truckbase

Truckbase

  • A twenty-truck carrier running dispatch on a whiteboard and settlements in a spreadsheetnot Loadsmart
  • A seasonal agricultural hauler whose driver count triples for three months and would be penalised by per-driver billingnot Loadsmart
  • A carrier whose invoices are late because paperwork arrives days after deliverynot Loadsmart
  • An operation that wants ELD location flowing into the TMS without a second data entry stepnot 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.

Truckbase

  • Only the 290 USD monthly minimum is published; the per-truck, per-driver and per-load rates behind it are all consultative, so comparing quotes against another vendor is guesswork.
  • The published minimum is billed annually, so a carrier wanting month-to-month flexibility pays more or commits for a year up front.
  • Scope stops well short of enterprise TMS: complex LTL rating, multi-leg intermodal and cross-border customs are not covered, so growing carriers face a migration later.
  • It is a small, venture-stage software company in a market where carriers expect a system to last a decade, and vendor continuity is a legitimate concern for an operational system of record.
  • Reporting and analytics are basic compared with established TMS products, so carriers wanting detailed lane profitability analysis end up exporting to spreadsheets anyway.

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

Truckbase

$290/month
  • Minimum commitment$290/month
    • Billed annually
    • Free live virtual onboarding and implementation
    • 24-hour US-based support
  • Per driver, per load or flat annual$undefined/month
    • Alternative billing meters for fleets with more drivers than trucks
    • Per-load billing for non-asset operations
    • Flat annual rates for seasonal carriers with high turnover
  • Carrier Partner Program$undefined/year
    • On-site training
    • Dedicated engineering access for custom development
    • Enterprise terms, quoted

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 Truckbase if

  • You need dispatch board.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want driver mobile app.
Truckbase review

Questions people ask

Is Loadsmart or Truckbase better?
Neither clearly leads. Loadsmart starts at On request and Truckbase at $290/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Loadsmart or Truckbase?
Loadsmart starts at On request and Truckbase at $290/month.
Does Loadsmart or Truckbase run on more platforms?
Loadsmart runs on Web, iOS, Android, API. Truckbase runs on 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 Truckbase is typically brought in for.
What can Loadsmart do that Truckbase cannot?
Loadsmart covers ShipperGuide TMS, Instant committed quotes, Opendock scheduling, NavTrac gate automation. Truckbase covers Dispatch board, Driver mobile app, Settlements, Invoicing and factoring.

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.

Truckbase: What is the minimum cost?

290 USD per month billed annually, which Truckbase publishes; typical deployments sit higher depending on fleet size.

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.

Truckbase: Is there a setup fee?

No. Live virtual onboarding and implementation are included, with in-person training available for larger fleets.

Loadsmart: Does it publish pricing?

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

Truckbase: Can I be billed per load instead of per truck?

Yes. Truckbase offers per truck, per driver, per load, flat annual and custom billing shapes.

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.

Truckbase: Does it integrate with my ELD?

Yes, it pulls location and hours of service from major ELD providers including Samsara and Motive.

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