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You approve every load

How truck dispatch works when every load is your call

We find the load and fight for the rate. You get the full details and say yes or no. The broker sends the rate confirmation to you, and you sign it. That's the whole deal, and the rest of this page shows each step.
No setup fee, no contract, and you can try the flow on the phone mock below.
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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
Decline: no penalty Accept: start my setup

Quick answers

The three questions every driver asks first

  • How do you get paid?

    A percentage of gross on loads you haul: 5% standard, 7% for new authorities, 26 ft box trucks and hotshots, 4% for fleets of two or more. Nothing up front, nothing for weeks off.

  • Who approves the load?

    You do, every time. We send the lane, rate, miles, weight, times and extras. Nothing gets booked until you say yes, and saying no never costs you a cent or a lecture.

  • Who gets the rate con?

    You. The broker emails the rate confirmation straight to you after your yes. You read it and sign it, so you always see the real rate our fee is based on.

If a dispatcher can't give you straight answers to those three, keep looking. Vague fees, loads booked without your yes, and rate cons that go to the dispatcher instead of you are the three habits that give dispatch a bad name with owner-operators.

The load cycle

Six steps from the load board to your bank account

This is the part most dispatch services keep vague, so here it is step by step. Tap a step to see who does what, then try accepting or declining the sample load on the phone. Declining sends you straight to the next load. Accepting shows exactly where the rate confirmation goes.

Dispatch desk · message

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

The quiet part of the cycle is step one. Before a load ever reaches your phone, it has to fit your truck, clear the floor rate you gave us, and point somewhere with a reload. Most loads we look at fail one of those checks and you never hear about them. The ones you do see come with our honest read on the broker and the dock.

The other part people skip is step six. Delivering the load isn't the end. We collect the proof of delivery, send the invoice paperwork to the broker or your factor, and file detention, layover or lumper claims with the times we logged, so the money you waited for actually shows up.

Dispatch onboarding

Carrier setup with a dispatcher, start to finish

Setup is mostly one good phone call and some paperwork. The call is where we learn how you want to run, because a dispatcher who doesn't know your rules will bring you the wrong loads.

  1. 1

    Apply2 MIN

    Your truck, your authority and the best number to reach you.
  2. 2

    First callDAY 1

    Lanes, home time, floor rate, freight you refuse and brokers to avoid.
  3. 3

    Agreement and packetsDAY 1-2

    You sign the dispatch agreement; we send carrier packets to brokers.
  4. 4

    First load offerDAY 2+

    Details reach your phone. You decide, and the rate con comes to you.

What we ask on the first call

  • Where home is and how often you want to be there
  • Lanes and regions you like, and ones you won't run
  • Your floor rate, counting deadhead
  • Freight you refuse to haul
  • Brokers you've had trouble with
  • Night appointments: yes or no

Your answers become your profile on the desk, and every load is measured against it before it reaches you. Change your mind later? Tell your dispatcher and the profile changes the same day.

The dispatch agreement is short and plain: it lets us talk to brokers for your company, states the fee and its basis, and sets the 30-day notice to end it. Read it before you sign, and ask anything.

Timing for the first load depends on your paperwork and how quickly brokers approve a new carrier, especially a new MC. You get an honest estimate on the call instead of a promise here.

A normal week

What a week on the desk looks like for you

Most of a dispatcher's work happens while you drive. Check calls go to the broker from the desk, appointments get confirmed or moved, and the next load gets lined up before you deliver the current one, so you don't sit at a receiver refreshing a load board.

From your side, a normal week is a handful of texts with load details, a few quick yes or no answers, and the rate cons showing up in your inbox. When a dock runs late, we start the detention clock and tell the broker. When a load cancels, we push for the truck-order-not-used fee and look for a replacement.

Every Sunday you get the weekly report: loads, gross, miles, rate per mile, claims filed and the fee. It is the same sheet you would build yourself at the kitchen table, already done.

Nights and weekends are covered. If a shipper changes an appointment at midnight, the desk handles it and texts you the new time, so you can keep sleeping until you need to roll.

A week on the desk

EXAMPLE
  1. 06:10Check call: loaded on time at the shipper
  2. 09:30Tuesday reload sent to you. You accepted. Rate con went to your email
  3. 15:45Detention clock started at the receiver after 2 free hours

Paperwork

What a dispatcher needs from you

Have these ready for the first call and setup goes fast. Brokers ask for most of them in their carrier packet, so we send them once and keep them current.

  • MC and DOT numbers

    Active authority, or the date it goes active if you're waiting.

  • W-9

    Brokers need it to pay you and send your 1099.

  • Certificate of insurance

    Auto liability and cargo, with your agent's contact so brokers can be added.

  • Truck and trailer details

    Year, make, trailer length and type, plus tarps, liftgate or ramps.

  • Notice of assignment

    Only if you factor, so brokers pay your factoring company.

  • Signed dispatch agreement

    Lets us speak to brokers for your company.

Running a CDL truck under your own authority? You also need a DOT drug and alcohol testing program in place before your first load, and brokers may ask about it. Most owner-operators join a consortium. Read our guide to DOT drug testing consortiums, or see a consortium plan from our partner. Non-CDL 26 ft box trucks and non-CDL hotshots are not covered by DOT drug testing rules.

We may earn a referral fee if you sign up through the partner link. It does not change your price. Disclosure

Straight about the limits

What a dispatcher won't do for you

Knowing where the job ends saves arguments later. A dispatcher runs the desk side of your business. These stay with you, and we'll say so on the first call too.

  • Drive, inspect or maintain the truck

    Pre-trips, securement, the reefer unit and maintenance are yours. We plan around them, like booking a lighter week when the truck needs shop time.

  • Carry your insurance or own cargo claims

    Your policies and your cargo liability stay with your company. We help you document times, temperatures and conditions so a claim has the facts behind it.

  • Accept loads for you

    Not once, not even a great one at midnight. If you don't answer, the load waits or goes to someone else.

  • Sell shipping to shippers

    We dispatch carriers. We don't quote freight to shippers or act as a broker on your loads.

Your exits

Saying no, taking time off, or leaving

You should be able to walk away from any load, any week, or the whole arrangement without a fight. That keeps us honest: the only reason to stay is that the loads are better than what you'd find alone.

  • Say no to any load

    No reason needed and no penalty. We go back to looking for a load that fits.

  • Pause for home time

    Give us the dates. We route your last loads toward home and pick up when you're back.

  • Leave with 30 days notice

    No cancellation fee. Your brokers, records and rate cons stay yours.

How truck dispatch works: straight answers

Q01Do I have to accept every load?
No. Every load reaches you with the full details first: lane, rate, loaded and empty miles, weight, pickup and delivery windows, and the extras. You say yes or no. A no costs nothing and doesn't count against you. We go back to the board and keep looking for a load that fits your truck and your floor rate.
Q02Who sends me the rate confirmation?
The broker does, straight to your email, as soon as you say yes. You read it, check that the rate and terms match what we told you, and sign it yourself. If anything on it doesn't match, you don't sign and we sort it out with the broker before the load moves.
Q03How do dispatchers get paid?
We earn a percentage of gross load revenue, only on loads you haul: 5% standard, 7% for new authorities, 26 ft box trucks and hotshots, and 4% for fleets of two or more trucks. There is no setup fee and no monthly minimum, and a week you don't haul is a week you don't pay.
Q04What paperwork does a dispatcher need?
Your MC and DOT numbers, a W-9, a certificate of insurance listing your auto liability and cargo coverage, and your truck and trailer details. If you factor, we also need the notice of assignment so brokers pay the right company. A signed dispatch agreement lets us talk to brokers on your behalf.
Q05How do I talk to my dispatcher?
By phone and text, the way most drivers already work. Load offers come as a text with the full details so you can read them at a stop, then a quick call if you have questions. The desk covers nights and weekends, so a problem at a 2 a.m. appointment gets an answer at 2 a.m.
Q06Can I pause dispatch for home time?
Yes. Tell your dispatcher the dates and we plan your last loads so you end the week near home, then pick up again when you're ready to roll. There is nothing to cancel and no fee for the weeks you're off, because the fee only applies to loads you actually haul.
Q07How often will I get reports?
Every week. The report lists each load you hauled with its gross, loaded and empty miles, rate per mile, any detention or lumper money claimed, and our fee. You can ask for any load's details at any time, and the rate cons are already in your inbox because brokers send them to you.

Next steps: compare the dispatch fee for your truck, read about dispatch for a new MC or dispatch for owner-operators, or see how dispatch and factoring work together.

Ready for your first load offer?

Apply in about 2 minutes. Setup takes one call, and every load after that is your call.

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