Integration · Load boards
DAT integration: post loads, find backhauls
Roadmark posts open loads to DAT and pulls truck postings for backhauls, and checks contract lanes each morning against DAT's spot average.
The short answer
DAT and Roadmark, in short.
What syncs
| What | Direction | When |
|---|---|---|
| Open loads | →Roadmark to DAT | When you choose to post one |
| Truck postings | →DAT to Roadmark | When the Planning agent looks for a backhaul |
| Spot rates | →DAT to Roadmark | Checked each morning |
Setting up DAT
1Set up a DAT service account
DAT sets up a service account for the connection, from a dedicated email address no DAT user already has, and an admin authorizes Roadmark with it from your DAT account.
2Choose what syncs
Turn on posting loads to DAT, pulling truck postings for backhauls, checking spot rates against your contract lanes, or all three.
3Test with a real load
Post one load, or pull one truck posting, and check what came back before turning it on for everything.
Before you start
- A DAT load board subscription, at any level, for posting loads and pulling truck postings.
- RateView Combo Pro or RateView Combo Premium for the spot rate checks.
- A Connexion seat for each DAT user the connection works as, alongside that user's load board or RateView seat.
A truckload fleet earns its margin on the mile back, not just the mile out, and the load boards are one more place Roadmark looks for it. When a unit is sitting at a dock with no backhaul of its own, Planning checks your own customers and contract lanes first, then DAT's truck postings, and ranks every option by what it pays over the whole round trip, empty miles included. On the brokerage side, an open load can be posted straight to DAT from the same screen a rep uses to rank and tender it to carriers directly.
The connection uses DAT's API integrations, which run through a service account: DAT sets one up for the connection from a dedicated email address, so it doesn't depend on one person's login. DAT's service account and API FAQ lists what each part needs: any level of load board subscription for posting and searching, RateView Combo Pro or RateView Combo Premium for rates, and a Connexion seat for each user the connection works as, next to that user's load board or RateView seat.
None of this changes how a load looks once it's covered: a load posted to DAT and covered by a carrier from there goes through the same tender, and a backhaul pulled from a truck posting is drafted the same way as one found on a contract lane, with its math shown and a person approving it before it's tendered. Contract lanes get a second use for the same data: every one of them is checked each morning against the spot average DAT reports, so a lane that's quietly fallen behind the market is worth a call to the customer before it starts losing trucks to better-paying freight.
Questions about DAT and Roadmark
Does Roadmark post every load to DAT automatically?
No. Posting to DAT is something a rep chooses for a specific load, from the same screen used to rank and tender to carriers.
How does DAT feed backhauls?
When the Planning agent ranks the ways a truck can get home, it looks at your own customers, contract lanes and the load boards, DAT included, and ranks each option by revenue over every mile including the deadhead.
Does DAT change how contract lanes are priced?
Every contract lane is checked each morning against DAT's spot average and Truckstop's Rate Insights estimate, so a lane that's fallen behind the market shows up before a truck starts chasing spot freight instead.
What does DAT require on their side to connect?
A load board subscription, at any level, for posting loads and pulling truck postings, and RateView Combo Pro or RateView Combo Premium for spot rates. DAT sets up a service account for the connection, and each DAT user it works as needs a Connexion seat alongside their load board or RateView seat.
See it with the systems you run.
Tell us what you run today. In the call, we show you what connects to Roadmark and how, on your own lanes and customers.
- Your lanes, customers and carriers, not a canned demo
- Beside the TMS you run today
- No commitment to switch anything