How the dispatch ROI calculator works
It compares two versions of the same week. In the do-it-yourself week, you earn your rate on your loaded miles, then subtract your load board subscription and the value of the hours you spend searching, calling brokers and doing setup. In the dispatched week, you earn the rate on the miles with whatever change you assume, subtract the dispatch fee, and subtract the value of the few hours you still spend reviewing offers.
- DIY net = rate × loaded miles − board ÷ 4.33 − DIY hours × hour value
- Dispatched net = (rate + change) × (miles + extra) − fee − remaining hours × hour value
- Gain or loss = dispatched net − DIY net
- Break-even = the extra rate per mile, on the same miles, that makes the two equal
Fuel, insurance and truck payments are the same in both weeks, so they cancel out and aren't included. The fee follows our pricing for the equipment you pick.
A worked example
A dry van owner-operator runs 2,500 loaded miles a week at $2.40 a mile, spends 15 hours a week on boards and calls, pays $149 a month for a load board, and values an hour at $30.
- DIY net
- $5,516
- Dispatched net
- $5,640
- Gain
- $124
- Hours back
- 13
With no change in rate at all, this carrier comes out about $124 a week ahead, because 13 hours of their time is worth more than the $300 fee plus the board they no longer need. Set the hour value to zero and the dispatched week is about $265 behind, which a dispatcher would cover by finding roughly 11 cents a mile more on the same miles.
The board price in the example is a real one: $59 to $339 per month across DAT One carrier plans (Standard $59, Enhanced $149, Pro $169, Select $259, Office $339).
Source: DAT load board pricing page, October 2026
Reading your result
A positive gain means a dispatcher pays for itself on your numbers, even before any better loads. A negative gain isn't a verdict against dispatch; it's the target. Look at the break-even figure: if a dispatcher can realistically find that much more per mile, or cut enough empty miles, the numbers flip.
Be honest with the hours. Count everything: searching boards, calling and emailing brokers, carrier packets, check calls, chasing paperwork. Many owner-operators find the real number is higher than they guessed once they write it down for a week. A simple way to get it: jot down the start and end time of every booking session for one normal week, then enter the total.
And be careful with the rate change. It's an assumption, not a promise. Nobody controls the market. What a good dispatcher can do is counter weak offers, get extras like detention written on the rate con and plan loads so fewer miles run empty. Our approach is on better rates dispatch.
Using it for more than one truck
The calculator works per truck. For a small fleet, run it for each truck with its own miles and rate, then add the results. Two things change with a fleet: the fee drops to 4% per truck once you run two or more, and the hours spent on dispatch grow with every truck, so the time saved usually matters more than it does for a single truck.
When self-dispatch makes more sense
If you have steady direct customers paying good rates, few hours spent booking and you enjoy the broker side of the business, keep doing it yourself. The calculator will show it. Dispatch tends to pay off for new authorities still building broker relationships, for carriers running long weeks who need the hours for driving and rest, and for anyone losing money to empty miles and slow weeks.
If you do try a dispatcher, you shouldn't lose control. With us, nothing is booked until you say yes, the broker sends the rate confirmation straight to you, and there's no setup fee, no minimum and no contract beyond 30 days notice. Run the calculator again after a month with your real numbers. See the full terms on pricing.