DAT is built for U.S. domestic spot freight. Cargado is built for what happens once a load touches Mexico or Canada: an invite-only network, both sides vetted, and lane rates from real carrier bids. Most brokers run both.
| DAT | Cargado | |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | U.S. domestic spot freight | Mexico and Canada freight, cross-border and domestic |
| Network | Open load board | Invite-only: 250+ vetted brokers, 2,100+ vetted carriers, 215,000+ trucks |
| Rate data | U.S. domestic benchmarks | 12,000+ Mexico and Canada lanes from real carrier bids, refreshed weekly |
| Carrier vetting | Subscribers verify authority themselves | FMCSA and SICT verified, CTPAT, OEA and FAST tracked |
| Border workflow | Domestic pickup and delivery | Crossings, bonded moves and transloads built in |
| Languages | English | English, Spanish and French with instant chat translation |
| Users per plan | Seats purchased per user | Unlimited users on every plan |
| Carrier cost | Carriers subscribe to search and book | Join and bid at no cost |
If a load runs deep-interior U.S., say Columbus to Kansas City, DAT's domestic spot market is what it was built for. Cargado fits when one of these is true on your desk:
If nothing you haul ever touches Mexico, Canada or a border city, a domestic board covers your map. The moment border freight shows up on your desk, it does not.
A Laredo to Monterrey move carries far more than domestic paperwork: a Mexican carrier or transload partner on the south side, a customs broker, a crossing, and security requirements that shift by corridor and by shipper.
Cargado's Mexico network is vetted for that. Carriers are verified through the FMCSA and Mexico's SICT for operating authority, safety standing and permits, with CTPAT, OEA and FAST credentials tracked next to equipment, bonded status and the crossings they run, and door-to-door carriers and transload partners are labeled as such.
Mexico rate benchmarks come from bids vetted carriers placed on real freight, shown as low, mid and high bands over a trailing 12-week window with a confidence score. Thin lanes get a low score instead of an invented number.
Canada looks like the easy border on paper. Bonded and in-bond moves, clearance at the crossing, reefer and open deck capacity concentrated in a few corridors, and Quebec freight in French all change how a load gets covered.
Canadian carriers get the same vetting and continuous monitoring as the rest of the network, and chat translates instantly between English, Spanish and French. Rate coverage on United States to Canada and domestic Canada lanes is newer than the Mexico corridors and expanding, with a confidence score on every lane.
How users are counted. DAT sells access by the seat: adding a person to a DAT One account means purchasing a seat, and Workgroups for multi-user collaboration sit at the top subscription level. Cargado includes unlimited users on every plan and prices on the value a brokerage gets, so the whole desk shares one account. Carriers pay nothing on Cargado; DAT publishes paid carrier plans.
Who gets in. DAT runs an open load board, which is what gives it domestic depth. Cargado is invite-only on both sides, references are checked before anyone posts or bids, and integrations flag legal-status changes, fraud risk and safety issues continuously. Broker workspaces stay private: postings reach matched vetted carriers, never other brokers.
What the rates are made of. Most rate tools benchmark U.S. domestic freight from surveys, factoring data or historical averages, and go quiet at the border. Cargado's 12,000+ lane benchmarks are built from bids vetted carriers placed on real Mexico and Canada freight, in the platform, in an Excel add-in for RFPs, and over the API.
Most brokers who add Cargado keep DAT. Deep-interior domestic freight stays where the domestic liquidity is; Mexico and Canada freight, and the U.S. legs to and from border cities that feed it, run on the network built and vetted for them. Cargado integrates with McLeod, Turvo and Tai, connects over API, and does not broker freight, own trucks, or take a cut.
Bring three Mexico or Canada lanes you quote today. We will show you live rates and the vetted carriers who would cover them. Carrier access is at no cost.
No. DAT is built for U.S. domestic spot freight. Cargado is built for Mexico and Canada freight, including U.S. loads to and from border cities like Dallas to Laredo. Most brokers run both.
No. Every plan includes unlimited users, priced on the value a brokerage gets. Carriers join and bid at no cost.
Multi-step onboarding with broker references, FMCSA and SICT verification, and tracked CTPAT, OEA and FAST credentials, with continuous monitoring after signup.
Real bids placed by vetted carriers across 12,000+ lanes, shown as low, mid and high bands over a trailing 12-week window with a confidence score.
Yes. Existing integrations cover McLeod, Turvo and Tai, and the API covers proprietary platforms. Most teams start with Market Rates in the quoting workflow.