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53 ft vansBackhaul first

Dry van dispatch service that fills the trailer and pays for every stop

Dry van is the busiest board in trucking, which is exactly why cheap freight moves so fast on it. We work full loads, partials and multi-stop runs, plan the backhaul before you take the headhaul, and price every stop before a load reaches your phone.
5% of gross for one truck with authority older than 6 months. You approve every load.
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Load offer · 53 ft dry van

Joliet, IL Columbus, OH

EXAMPLE
RATE
$1,050
MILES
352+18
ALL-IN RPM
$2.84
  • Freight: Paper goods, 38,500 lb
  • Pickup: Tue 07:00-09:00 · Deliver: Tue 17:00 appt
  • Detention $50/hr after 2 hrs
  • Lumper reimbursed with receipt

Choose the shape of the load

Full truckload, partial or multi-stop: what each really pays

A dry van dispatch service that only chases full truckloads leaves money on the board. Each load shape has a place, and the right one depends on the lane, the day and what's waiting at the other end.

Full truckload, partial and multi-stop dry van loads compared
What mattersFull truckloadPartialsMulti-stop
RateOne rate, easy to compareTwo or three rates that add upLinehaul plus stop-off pay
TimeOne pickup, one dropExtra pickups or dropsA dock or door at every stop
RiskLowestOne shipper delays the otherOne late stop pushes the rest
PaperworkOne BOLA BOL per shipmentSignatures at every stop
Best whenThe lane is strong both waysFull loads are thin or cheapStops follow one route with pay for each

The mistake is treating every load as a full truckload. On a soft lane, two partials heading the same way can pay more than the one full load on the board, and they often leave you closer to a good reload.

Trailer fill builder

Stack partials in a 53 ft van and compare the pay

Add shipments with their pallets, weight and rate. The builder fills a 53 ft van nose to doors, two pallets across, then shows the linear feet used, the weight against your maximum cargo, the combined pay with stop-offs, and how that compares with one full load on the same lane. Change the numbers to match the loads on your board today.

  • Stop 1: Columbus, OH
  • Stop 2: Dayton, OH
2 shipments on one routeEXAMPLE
Linear feet
36 ft
18/26 spots
Weight
23,500 lb
of 44,000 lb
Combined pay
$1,335
incl. 1 stop-off
Vs one full load
+$185

Weight usually decides dense freight like beverages and paper before space runs out, while light freight like packaging fills the trailer first. Federal limits on the Interstate are 80,000 lb gross vehicle weight on the Interstate System; 20,000 lb single axle; 34,000 lb tandem axle, and your truck's own weight comes out of that, so your real cargo maximum depends on your rig.

Source: FHWA, federal size and weight standards, October 2026

Dry van dispatch

Freight we find for dry vans

Dry vans haul almost anything that doesn't need temperature control or a flatbed. These are the freight groups we work most, and what each asks of your truck and your week.

  • Retail and consumer goods

    Store replenishment and distribution center freight, often with appointments and sometimes lumpers.

  • Grocery dry goods

    Shelf-stable food and household products to grocery DCs, where appointments are strict and waits can be long.

  • Beverages and paper

    Dense freight that weighs out before it fills the trailer. Your cargo maximum decides these loads.

  • Manufacturing inputs

    Parts and materials between plants, sometimes on repeat lanes that turn into steady freight.

  • Volume LTL and partials

    Six to fourteen pallets that moved off LTL networks, combined on one route when they line up.

  • Drop and hook

    Preloaded trailers with no live load wait, which saves hours when the program fits your lanes.

Dry van dispatcher detail

Stop-off pay, appointments and long dock waits

Multi-stop and grocery freight can eat a day if the extras aren't on the rate con. Before a load reaches you, we ask for the terms that pay you for time, and we track your times so the claim holds up.

  • Stop-off pay on every extra stop

    Usually a flat amount per stop after the first. If a broker won't add it, we tell you, and you decide whether the linehaul alone is worth it.

  • Appointments that fit your hours

    Pickup and delivery windows checked against hours of service and the other stops, so one appointment doesn't wreck the rest.

  • Detention terms in writing

    When detention starts and what it pays, on the rate con before you accept. We log arrival and departure times and file the claim.

  • Lumpers handled

    Who pays the unloading fee and how you get reimbursed, confirmed up front. Send us the receipt and we chase it.

Planning around hours matters on multi-stop days. Property carriers get property carriers: 11 hours driving within a 14-hour window after 10 hours off, so a route with four tight appointments has to be built around the clock, not just the map.

Source: FMCSA hours of service summary, October 2026

Backhauls planned first

We look at the reload before you accept the headhaul

A great rate into a city where nothing ships out is a trap. Before we bring you a load, we look at what leaves the delivery market, how far you'd deadhead to it and what it pays. If the round trip doesn't work, the headhaul doesn't reach your phone, however good it looks alone.

Headhaul

Joliet, IL > Charlotte, NC

Strong rate into a market that ships out well

Reload

Charlotte, NC > Atlanta, GA

Short partial, priced before you deliver

Home

Atlanta, GA > Joliet, IL

Full load home, planned a day ahead

An EXAMPLE loop, not a promise of lanes or rates. The point is the order of planning: the way home is part of the decision before you say yes to the way out.

Dry van rates

What moves a dry van rate

Dry van rates swing more than most drivers expect, and not only with the national market. These are the levers we watch on every load, and the ones we negotiate before a number reaches you.

  • Lane balance

    Markets that ship out more than they receive pay more to leave. The reverse lane can pay far less for the same miles.

  • Day and timing

    Loads booked late in the week or needed same-day often pay more, while early-week freight in a busy market can be cheap.

  • Deadhead

    A good rate after 150 empty miles may be worse than an average rate next door. We count both legs.

  • Accessorials

    Detention, stop-off, layover and TONU terms can add real money on slow docks if they're on the rate con.

  • The broker

    Brokers with steady freight on a lane often pay fair and fast. Others post high and negotiate down. History tells us which is which.

  • Your floor

    The number below which a load doesn't reach you. It keeps a slow week from turning into a losing one.

Live load or drop and hook

Live loads, drop and hook, and why it matters to your week

Live load and unload

You wait while the shipper loads or the receiver unloads. Common with retail and grocery. Fine when the dock is quick and detention is on the rate con; costly when it isn't.

Drop and hook

You drop an empty trailer and hook a loaded one. Much less waiting, but it depends on the shipper having trailers in a pool you're approved to pull, or on your own spare trailer.

We note which one every load is before it reaches you, along with the dock's reputation for waits when we know it, so you aren't surprised by a four-hour live unload at the end of a long day.

The dry van year

Seasons that shift dry van freight

Dry van doesn't follow a harvest the way reefer does, but it has a rhythm. Retail stocks up ahead of the holidays, quarter-end pushes move more freight, and produce season pulls reefers off dry loads in some regions, which can tighten capacity for vans. Watching your own lanes week to week beats any national rule.

  • Retail build-up

    Inventory moves into distribution centers ahead of peak shopping periods, lifting volume on DC lanes.

  • Month and quarter ends

    Shippers push freight out to hit their numbers, which can add late-week loads with better pay.

  • Reefer season

    When reefers are busy hauling produce, fewer of them haul dry freight, which can help vans in those regions.

Avoid these

Where dry van owners leave money on the table

  • Taking the headhaul without the reload

    The rate looks great until you sit two days in a market that doesn't ship out.

  • Multi-stop loads without stop-off pay

    Four stops for one linehaul is a free day of work for the broker.

  • Skipping detention terms at grocery DCs

    Long waits are common there. Without terms on the rate con, the wait is unpaid.

  • Lost lumper receipts

    No receipt, no reimbursement. Photograph it before you leave the dock.

None of these are about driving. They're about the minutes before you say yes and the minutes after you deliver, which is exactly where a dispatcher spends the day. If you'd rather keep doing it yourself, the rate per mile calculator counts deadhead so you can check every load the same way we do.

Your call, every load

How a dry van load reaches you, and what it costs

Every load comes to your phone with the lane, rate, miles, weight, stops, appointments and extras. You say yes or no; nothing is booked without your yes. On a yes, the broker emails the rate confirmation to you and you sign it after checking every stop and term. The fee is 5% of gross for one truck with authority older than 6 months, 7% for newer authorities, and 4% for fleets. EXAMPLE: a $6,000 week costs $300.

Read more: dispatch fees, palletized freight, LTL vs FTL freight, how many pallets fit in a truck, the pallet linear feet calculator, the multi-stop load pay calculator, and dry van vs reefer.

Dry van dispatcher: straight answers

Q01How much does dry van dispatch cost?
5% of gross load revenue for one dry van with authority older than 6 months, 7% while your MC is newer, and 4% per truck for fleets of two or more. No setup fee, no minimum and no contract beyond 30 days notice. You only pay on loads you haul.
Q02Do you find partial loads?
Yes. Partials can pay well when two or three of them share one route and fill the trailer. We check pallet counts, weight and stop order against your 53 ft van, price each stop, and bring you the combination only when the total beats a single full load on that lane or sets up a better reload.
Q03How is stop-off pay calculated?
It's negotiated per load, usually as a flat amount for each stop after the first, and it belongs on the rate confirmation. We ask for it before the load reaches you, along with detention terms at each stop, because a multi-stop run without stop pay can eat a whole day for nothing.
Q04What is a volume LTL load?
A shipment too big for a typical LTL carrier but smaller than a full truckload, often six to fourteen pallets. Brokers move volume LTL on full truckload equipment, so a dry van can haul it as a partial, sometimes alongside another shipment on the same route.
Q05Can a new MC get dry van loads?
Yes, though some brokers want a few months of authority first. Dry van has the deepest pool of brokers and freight, which helps new carriers. We focus your first weeks on brokers that onboard new authorities and on clean, on-time deliveries that build history quickly.
Q06Who pays lumper fees?
It depends on the load. Many grocery and retail receivers use lumpers to unload, and the cost is usually reimbursed by the broker with a receipt. We confirm lumper terms before you accept and put them on the rate con, then chase the reimbursement once you send the receipt.
Q07Can I turn down a load?
Any load, any time, no penalty. You see the full details first, including stops, appointments, weight and extras, and you decide. On a yes, the broker emails the rate confirmation straight to you. We'd rather bring you a short list of loads you'd choose than a long list of ones you wouldn't.

Full trailer, every stop paid.

Apply in about 2 minutes. Every load is your call.

Load offer · 53 ft dry van

Joliet, IL Columbus, OH

EXAMPLE
RATE
$1,050
MILES
352+18
ALL-IN RPM
$2.84
  • Freight: Paper goods, 38,500 lb
  • Pickup: Tue 07:00-09:00 · Deliver: Tue 17:00 appt
  • Detention $50/hr after 2 hrs
  • Lumper reimbursed with receipt
Decline: no penalty Accept: fill my trailer