New MC, one hotshotExample
Four loads worth ,900 in linehaul, plus a 50 TONU when a load cancelled after dispatch. Fee at 7% of ,050: 83.50. A scale ticket for 4 passes straight back. In month 7 the same week would cost 02.50.
Pricing
Truck dispatch fee: 5% of gross, nothing when you don't haul, nothing on lumper money.
Our truck dispatch fee is one percentage, and it only touches two kinds of money: the linehaul and the accessorial pay we collect for you. Everything else on the settlement, including every reimbursement, is yours in full.
- 7%New authorityMC under 6 months, any equipment
- 5%Standard1 truck, MC 6+ months
- 4%Fleet2+ trucks, MC 6+ months
Put a load on the stack and watch where the fee lands.
The stack is one load's money. The carton-colored and wheat blocks are revenue: the linehaul and any detention, layover or TONU we collected. The pale blue blocks are pass-through money: a lumper you paid at the door, the tolls on the route, a scale ticket. They come back to you because you spent them, so they're never in the fee.
Change the amounts to match a load you ran last week, and switch the situation to see the fee at each rate. The figure under the stack is what you keep after our fee, with the reimbursements added back in.
That's the difference worth checking when you compare dispatch services. Ask two questions: what is the percentage, and what is it charged on? A lower rate charged on every dollar that passes through your account can cost more than ours.
- $
- $
- $
- $
- $
- $
- $
Total $2,862
Dispatch fee at 5%: $128 on $2,550. Pass-through money is never in the fee. You keep $2,735.
Three carriers, three rates, worked out to the dollar.
These weeks are made up to show the math, not a promise of what any truck earns. The rate depends on how old your authority is and how many trucks you run. The equipment never changes it.
One reefer, two years inExample
Three loads worth ,300, 25 in detention from a long shed wait, and 80 in lumper fees reimbursed. Fee at 5% of ,525: 26.25. The 80 in lumper money never touches the fee.
Three flatbedsExample
Nine loads worth 7,400 across the fleet, plus 00 in tarp pay and 00 in layover. Fee at 4% of 7,900: 16. A truck that sat for two days in the shop adds nothing to it.
Dispatch service cost: percentage, flat fee or per load?
Dispatch services price their work three common ways, and each one shifts the risk differently.
A percentage of each load means you pay more in a good week and less in a slow one, and nothing in a week you don't run. The question to ask is what the percentage applies to. Ours applies to linehaul and accessorial pay only.
A flat weekly fee stays the same whether you haul five loads or none. That suits a carrier who runs steady, full weeks and wants a fixed cost. It hurts when the truck is down for repairs or you take a week at home.
A flat fee per load costs the same on a 00 local run and a ,000 cross-country load, which makes short, cheap loads expensive to dispatch.
Picture a made-up week of ,000 in linehaul. At 5%, that's 00. A flat weekly fee would need to be under 00 to beat it that week, and you would still owe it in a week with no loads at all. Run your own numbers before you compare quotes.
What the percentage covers, with no add-ons later.
Load search
Load boards and our broker contacts, matched to your lanes, your equipment and the lowest rate you'll run for.
Negotiation
The rate and the accessorial terms, before an offer ever reaches you.
Broker calls and check calls
We take the calls so you can drive, and keep the broker updated on pickup and delivery.
Carrier packets
Your MC, insurance and W-9 on file with each new broker, so loads aren't held up by setup.
Accessorial paperwork
Times logged, notices sent, claims filed for detention, layover, TONU and lumper reimbursement.
Weekly earnings report
Loads, miles, gross and what each accessorial claim brought in.
Nights and weekends
Dispatch desk: nights and weekends included. Problems on the road don't wait for Monday.
Planning ahead
The next load lined up before you deliver this one, to cut empty miles.
What you never pay for.
A dispatch service cost is more than its headline rate. These are the charges worth asking any dispatch service about before you sign. None of them exist here.
- A setup fee, an onboarding fee or a deposit before your first load.
- A monthly minimum, or a fee for a week the truck sat.
- A long contract. It's month to month, and you can leave with 30 days notice.
- A percentage of lumper reimbursements, tolls or scale tickets.
- Anything at all for a load you turned down.
- Extra charges for filing a detention, layover or TONU claim.
The fee only starts when you say yes.
Some carriers worry a percentage gives a dispatcher a reason to book anything that moves. Here it can't, because nothing moves without you. Every offer arrives with the lane, the rate and the terms. You accept or decline, and the rate con goes straight to you to sign. Decline as many as you like; it costs nothing.
Our interest and yours line up the other way: a load you're happy to run, with the accessorials paid, is the load that keeps you with us next month.
Load offer 1 of 2
ExampleMemphis, TN to Dallas, TX
- Miles
- 452
- Rate
- $1,150
- Per mile
- $2.54
Pickup Mon 06:00
How billing works.
The fee is worked out after delivery, from the loads you hauled and the accessorial pay that was actually collected. If a detention claim is still open, it isn't in the bill. When it pays, it is. The billing schedule and how you pay are set in the short dispatch agreement we send after our first call, so you see them in writing before any load is booked.
If you factor your invoices, nothing about your factoring changes; we work with whatever company you use. Want to check the math for your own numbers first? Try the dispatcher fee calculator, or see whether dispatch pays for itself on your lanes with the dispatch ROI calculator.
More on the rates for your situation: dispatch for a new MC, dispatch for small fleets, and what happens from the first call to the first paid invoice.
Questions about the dispatch fee
How much do truck dispatchers charge?
Most dispatch services charge a percentage of each load, and some charge a flat amount per week or per load instead. Published percentages vary a lot between companies, so compare what the percentage is charged on, any setup or monthly fees, and how long you're locked in. A low rate on a wide base can cost more than a higher rate on a narrow one.
Is the dispatch fee charged on gross or net?
On gross load revenue, but only part of it: the linehaul and the accessorial pay we collect, such as detention, layover and TONU. It's not charged on your net after fuel and expenses, and it's not charged on reimbursements like lumper fees, tolls or scale tickets. At 5%, a $2,550 load with $2,400 linehaul and $150 detention carries a fee of $127.50.
Is the dispatch fee charged on detention pay?
Yes, when we collect it. Getting detention paid takes work on our side: terms on the rate con before you accept, your times logged, the broker warned before free time ends and a claim filed with proof. So detention, layover and TONU count as load revenue. If the broker never pays the claim, there is nothing to charge a fee on.
Is the dispatch fee charged on lumper reimbursements?
No. A lumper reimbursement only pays you back for cash you spent to get unloaded, so it isn't income and we don't take a percentage of it. The same goes for tolls and scale tickets that a broker reimburses. On our settlement math they sit outside the fee, and you keep every dollar of them.
Why is the fee 7% for a new MC?
A new authority takes more work per load. Fewer brokers will book an MC that is weeks old, carrier packets take longer to approve, and the first invoices need more checking. That extra work is what the higher rate pays for. It ends on its own: in month 7 you move to 5% with one truck, or 4% with two or more.
When is the dispatch fee invoiced?
After the loads are delivered, never before. The fee is worked out from the loads you actually hauled and the accessorial pay actually collected, and the billing schedule and payment method are written into your dispatch agreement before your first load. Nothing is charged for loads you declined or weeks you didn't run.
Do I pay anything for loads I decline?
No. Saying no to a load costs nothing and doesn't count against you. We bring you an offer with the lane, the rate and the terms, and if it doesn't work for your truck, your schedule or your rate floor, we keep looking. You pay only on loads you accepted and hauled.
Is the dispatch fee a business expense?
For most owner-operators a dispatch fee is an ordinary cost of running the trucking business, the same way factoring fees or load board subscriptions are. How you deduct it depends on how your business is set up, so confirm the details with your tax preparer and keep our invoices with the rest of your records.
Get the rate in writing before your first load.
Send the application and we confirm your tier on the first call: 5%, 4% or 7%, and exactly what it's charged on.
You approve every load. No setup fee. No contract.