Looking for a 123Loadboard alternative?
123Loadboard publishes its carrier pricing, so the comparison can be an honest one. This one is written for 3PLs and carriers running freight out of Ontario, Quebec and the West, on lanes within Canada, to the U.S. and into Mexico, who want to know what a load board subscription actually returns. (Source: 123Loadboard's pricing page, 123loadboard.com/pricing, verified September 2026.)
- 123Loadboard offers load searching, truck posting and lane rate insights. (Source: 123Loadboard's pricing page, 123loadboard.com/pricing, verified September 2026.) On Cargado, carriers join at no cost, rate visibility is included, and a lane can be priced in CAD, USD or MXN.
- 123Loadboard is a load board for freight across North America. (Source: 123Loadboard's about page, 123loadboard.com/about, verified September 2026.) Cargado is built for Mexico and Canada freight: lanes within Canada, Canada–U.S. in both directions, and Mexico.
- We vet every carrier before it can bid, with an NSC, CVOR or NIR number on file for carriers based in Canada, and meet with every 3PL before onboarding.
- You can run both.
Side by side, for Canada freight
| 123Loadboard | Cargado | |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | U.S. domestic trucking | Mexico and Canada freight, cross-border and domestic |
| Network | Open subscriber board | Vetted: every carrier checked, every broker met before onboarding |
| Rate data | Rate Check, in the top tier | Rate benchmarks for Mexico and Canada freight, based on real carrier bid data |
| Carrier cost | Three published carrier tiers | Join and bid at no cost |
| Carrier vetting | Subscribers verify authority themselves | Applicable authority records verified, CTPAT, OEA and FAST tracked |
What carriers and 3PLs have done on Cargado
Two published customer stories, in their own numbers.
This broker grew Mexico revenue 1,400% in just 4 months.
This carrier grew from 1 to 6 trucks and 50 customers using only Cargado.
Price what the lane pays, not the sticker
123Loadboard publishes three carrier tiers on its own pricing page, and lane rate insights come only with the top tier. Cargado has one carrier tier, and it costs nothing: vetted carriers in Ontario, Quebec or anywhere else join at no cost with rate visibility included. (Source: 123Loadboard's pricing page, 123loadboard.com/pricing, verified September 2026.)
That last detail is the one worth sitting with. Seeing loads is table stakes. What decides which Montreal to Chicago load you take and which you pass on is knowing what the lane actually pays, northbound and southbound, and on 123Loadboard, lane rate insights come only with the top tier. You pay the entry price to see freight, then pay more to understand it. (Source: 123Loadboard's pricing page, 123loadboard.com/pricing, verified September 2026.)
Cargado charges carriers nothing. Not a trial, not an entry tier. A carrier in Brampton or Drummondville gets the marketplace and the market rates at no cost, because a carrier who can see what the lane pays bids with the full picture, and that is the point of the network. The subscription sits with 3PLs, brokers and forwarders, and every plan includes unlimited users rather than per-seat licences.
Where 123Loadboard focuses
Credit where it is due: 123Loadboard publishes its carrier tiers, features and prices on its site, with no sales call required. (Source: 123Loadboard's pricing page, 123loadboard.com/pricing, verified September 2026.)
For an owner-operator in Canada, the fit is clear: 123Loadboard's tooling is aimed at owner-operators and small fleets, with mileage and routing, credit checks and a mobile app that works on the road. (Sources: 123Loadboard's about page, 123loadboard.com/about; 123Loadboard's pricing page, 123loadboard.com/pricing. Verified September 2026.)
What vetting means for Canada freight
Cargado is not an open board. Cargado meets with every 3PL, broker and forwarder before onboarding them, and every carrier is vetted before it can bid. Carrier verification runs through the authority records for the carrier's home country (an NSC, CVOR or NIR number in Canada, FMCSA in the U.S., SICT in Mexico), with trusted-trader status tracked on the profile: FAST (Free and Secure Trade), PIP (Partners in Protection, the CBSA program) and CTPAT.
For a carrier, that means the freight in front of you comes from 3PLs and brokers Cargado met before onboarding them. For a 3PL, it means the bids coming back are from carriers who can legally and physically run the move, including FAST-approved carriers when a time-sensitive Canada–U.S. load calls for expedited customs processing.
The network today is hundreds of 3PLs, brokers and forwarders and 2,350+ vetted carriers running 220,000+ trucks, with rate benchmarks based on real carrier bid data.
Canada, the U.S. and Mexico in one network
123Loadboard is built around North American trucking and does reach into Canada: you can search loads by province as well as by state, with IFTA mileage tools and credit data alongside. (Sources: 123Loadboard's about page, 123loadboard.com/about; 123Loadboard's pricing page, 123loadboard.com/pricing; 123Loadboard's load search page, 123loadboard.com/find-loads/all-states. Verified September 2026.)
Cargado is the modern marketplace for Mexico and Canada freight, and one login covers every direction you ship: freight that stays inside Canada, Canada–U.S. freight north and south, freight to and from Mexico, and freight moving inside Mexico.
What that looks like in practice: Toronto to Chicago. Montreal into the Northeast. Winnipeg to Chicago reefer, where protect-from-freezing in January means a reefer running heat. Brampton to Calgary, and Montreal to Halifax, without leaving Canada. The Lower Mainland south into Washington. Southern Ontario to Monterrey, with the Mexico crossing picked on the posting.
Each posting carries what the move actually needs: equipment, drop or live, temperature range, PIP-certified facilities, minimum cargo insurance, CTPAT, and on a Mexico lane, the crossing. Chat translates messages between English, French and Spanish, so a dispatcher in Mississauga, a carrier in Laval and a dispatcher in Monterrey work the same thread. Carrier chat is in beta. Market Rates price a lane in Canadian dollars, U.S. dollars or pesos and suggest the currency that fits the lane.
Who in Canada gets the most out of Cargado
Carriers get the most out of Cargado when they run Canada–U.S. freight with FAST, PIP or bonded status, haul within Canada, or hold authority to run into Mexico, and are tired of paying to see rates on lanes they never touch. 3PLs get the most out of it when customers in Ontario, Quebec or the West ask for more Canada–U.S. and Mexico coverage than they can source today.
Put it on your own Canada lanes
3PLs see live lane rates in CAD and the vetted carriers on their own lanes in a demo. Carrier access is at no cost.
Common questions
How much does 123Loadboard cost a carrier?
123Loadboard publishes its carrier pricing on its own site; see that page for current numbers. On Cargado, carrier access is at no cost and 3PL plans are value-based with unlimited users. (Source: 123Loadboard's pricing page, 123loadboard.com/pricing, verified September 2026.)
Do carriers in Canada pay anything to use Cargado?
No. A carrier pays nothing to join, bid or check market rates in CAD or USD, so there is no upgrade tier standing between the carrier and the numbers. The subscription sits with 3PLs, brokers and forwarders, and it includes unlimited users.
Is Cargado a load board?
Cargado is a marketplace, not an open board: every carrier is vetted before it can bid, and we meet with every 3PL before onboarding. A 3PL posts a load when it needs a truck for one shipment, and posts a lane as a procurement event (date range, loads per day, commodity, equipment, and winter requirements such as heat) when it wants dedicated capacity for the season.
Does Cargado cover freight within Canada and U.S. domestic freight?
Freight within Canada, yes: lanes like Brampton to Calgary and Montreal to Halifax run alongside Canada–U.S. and Mexico freight. U.S. freight, where it connects to Canada or Mexico. Deep-interior U.S. freight that never leaves the U.S. is the one thing Cargado is not built for.
Can I use Cargado and 123Loadboard at the same time?
Yes. Keep 123Loadboard for what it already covers, and bring your lanes within Canada, your Canada–U.S. freight in both directions and your Mexico freight to Cargado, where carrier access costs nothing and the vetting happens before anyone bids.