DAT Solutions is the largest load board in North America, with over 500 million loads posted annually. But having access to DAT doesn't automatically mean you'll find good freight. Most new owner-operators and dispatchers waste the first few months chasing low-rate loads and burning miles. Here's how to actually use DAT effectively.
Setting Up Your Search Filters
Before you post your truck or search for loads, get your filters dialed in. The most important settings:
Lane filters: Set your origin radius (usually 50–150 miles from your current location) and your destination. Don't leave the destination open at first — that's how you end up 800 miles from home in a dead lane.
Equipment type: Make sure you're searching for the right trailer type. Reefer, flatbed, and van rates are completely different markets. Mixing them up wastes your time.
Weight and length: Filter out loads you can't legally haul. If you're permitted for 80,000 lbs, filter out oversize loads you're not set up for.
Rate filter: Set a floor. If your operating cost is $2.10/mile, don't even look at loads under $2.50/mile. DAT will show you the full market — you need to filter for what makes financial sense.
Understanding Rate Confirmation
The rate on a load post is not always the final rate. There's a difference between the posted rate and the rate you can negotiate. To know where you stand, use the DAT Rate Check (included in DAT Power) to see:
- The average rate per mile for that lane over the last 7, 15, and 30 days
- High and low ranges
- How many trucks vs. loads are available in that lane right now
If loads outnumber trucks 3:1, you have leverage. If trucks outnumber loads, expect to take market rate or move.
Avoiding Low-Paying Lanes
Some lanes are chronically underpaid — not because brokers are greedy, but because there's always a truck available willing to go cheap. Common low-paying lanes include outbound from the Southeast, certain Midwest corridors, and anything out of major produce regions when the season is off.
How to avoid getting stuck:
- Never deadhead more than 10–15% of your loaded miles
- Check the destination before accepting — is it a freight desert?
- Look at the DAT lane history before booking. If the last 30-day average is $1.80/mile and someone is posting $2.10, that's a good sign or a bait-and-switch — verify before you accept
Negotiating With Brokers
Brokers post at what they hope to pay — it's not a take-it-or-leave-it offer in most cases. Here's how to negotiate:
1. Call, don't email. A quick phone call is 10x more effective than messages for negotiating.
2. Know your number before you call. Don't just say "can you do more?" — say "I need $2.85 all-in on this load to make it work."
3. Reference the market. "DAT is showing $2.75 average on this lane this week" is a much stronger position than just asking.
4. Bundle the return. If you're going to a market where you already know there's return freight, you can sometimes take a slightly lower rate going out and make it up on the return.
Using the Rate Check Tool
This is DAT's most underused feature for newer operators. After setting your lane filters, pull up Rate Analytics and run the lane both ways. A lane that pays $2.80 outbound and has $3.10 return freight is a great lane to be in. A lane that pays $2.80 outbound but $1.60 return is a lane to avoid unless you're repositioning anyway.
The Rate Check tool also shows you fuel surcharge benchmarks, which matters if you're negotiating an all-in rate versus a base rate + FSC.
The Bottom Line on DAT
DAT is a tool. Like any tool, it's only as good as the operator. Spend an hour learning the platform's analytics features — most experienced owner-operators say they paid for their subscription in the first load they negotiated up.
Our Load Board Mastery course goes deep on DAT, Truckstop, and negotiation tactics — with real scripts and strategies used by experienced dispatchers. Start the course →