LoadHoller
POST 01 / BOX TRUCK, 26 FT AND UP

Box truck dispatch for 26 ft trucks and longer

Let's get the rule out of the way first: our box truck dispatch starts at 26 feet. Not 24, not 25 and a half. If your box is shorter, we're not the right desk for you, and our free calculators are still yours to use.

If you run a 26-footer or longer, you know the freight is different from a 53 ft van. Partials, pallet loads, liftgate deliveries, appointments at loading docks, expedited runs and a lot of loads priced per trip instead of per mile. We read those postings for what they leave out, check the broker, counter, and bring each load to you to approve.

Keep my 26-footer booked
  • 26 ft minimum
  • 7% of gross
  • 4% for 2+ trucks
  • No setup fee

IS YOUR BOX 26 FT OR LONGER?

Yes: keep reading. No: try the calculators.

We dispatch box trucks 26 ft and longer only. If yours is shorter, the rate per mile calculator and the box truck business profit calculator still work for any truck.

26 ft, not a foot less

POST 02 / POSTING DECODER

Three EXAMPLE postings for a 26 ft box, decoded

Box truck postings tend to be short on the details that decide whether a load pays. Here are three typical ones, the way they look on a board and what we find out before we counter. Tap any field on the card to see what it hides.

  • EXAMPLE

    PARTIAL 6 PALLETS 410 MI $1,050

    On the board: $2.56/mi. Leaves out: whether the pallets stack, total weight, and whether a second partial can share the box. We check: dims and weight against your box and payload, then whether a second pickup on the route turns it into a $1,600 trip.

    ask about dims

  • EXAMPLE

    LIFTGATE DELIVERY 2 STOPS 180 MI $650

    On the board: $3.61/mi. Leaves out: a liftgate requirement, an inside delivery at stop two and a 7 a.m. appointment. We check: that your liftgate is rated for the freight and that inside delivery pays extra. Two stops can eat a whole day.

    price the stops

  • EXAMPLE

    EXPEDITED TEAM PREFERRED 760 MI $2,300

    On the board: $3.03/mi. Leaves out: that the delivery time only works with a team or a nonstop run. We check: whether a solo driver can deliver legally on hours of service before we say yes for you. If not, we pass.

    check the hours

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POST 03 / STRAIGHT ANSWERS

Box truck dispatcher questions

How much does box truck dispatch cost?
It's 7% of the gross on loads you haul, with no setup fee, no monthly minimum and no contract beyond 30 days notice. If you run two or more trucks, the fleet rate is 4% while it lasts. A week you don't haul costs nothing, and you approve every load before it's booked.
Do you dispatch box trucks under 26 ft?
No. Our minimum is 26 feet of box, not a foot less. It's how our desk is set up, so we'd rather say so now than after you apply. If your truck is shorter, our free calculators still work for it, but we can't put it on our dispatch board.
What loads can a 26 ft box truck haul?
Partial truckloads, LTL-sized pallet loads, liftgate and dock deliveries, final-mile freight, retail and furniture loads, and expedited runs. A typical 26 ft box fits around a dozen standard pallets on the floor, but your real limit is your truck's payload, which comes from its GVWR minus its empty weight.
Are box truck loads on regular load boards?
Yes, many are, usually under straight truck or box truck equipment types, or as partials and LTL. Others move through broker and shipper relationships and expedite networks. Filtering only for full truckloads will make the board look empty, so search partials too and price each one per mile and per hour.
Do box truck loads pay per mile or per load?
Mostly per load, especially short and local work. Some longer runs and expedited loads are quoted per mile. Either way, convert it to an all-in rate per mile with the empty miles counted, and think about the hours the stops take, so you can compare it fairly against your floor.
Do I need a liftgate to get more loads?
A liftgate opens up deliveries to places without a dock, like stores, job sites and homes, which is a big share of box truck freight. Without one, you'll be limited to dock-to-dock loads. If you have one, tell us its rated capacity so we don't book freight that's too heavy for it.
Do I need a CDL for a 26 ft box truck?
It depends on the truck's GVWR, not its length. A vehicle rated at 26,001 pounds or more needs a CDL, and so does any truck hauling placarded hazmat. Many 26 ft boxes are rated just under that line, but check the label on your door jamb rather than assuming.
Can you dispatch a new MC box truck?
Yes. New authorities take more broker setups and more calls to get booked, and we plan for that. The fee is 7% either way for a box truck. Have your MC, insurance certificate, W-9 and truck details ready so carrier packets can go out on day one.
Do I have to take every load?
No. Every load comes to you with the lane, rate, stops, appointment times and terms. You say yes or no. If it's yes, the broker sends the rate confirmation straight to you to read and sign. If it's no, you owe nothing and we keep looking.
Do you dispatch cargo vans or sprinters?
No. We don't dispatch cargo vans, sprinter vans or box trucks under 26 feet. We dispatch 26 ft box trucks and longer, plus hotshots, dry vans, reefers, flatbeds, step decks, power only, car haulers, dump trucks, oversize and hazmat tankers.
POST 04 / WHAT A BOX TRUCK DESK DOES

What our box truck dispatchers do differently

Dispatching a straight truck isn't the same job as dispatching a semi. The loads are smaller, the stops are more frequent and the details that kill a day hide in the notes. Here's where our desk spends its time on a box truck.

  • Combining partials. Two or three partials going the same direction can pay far more than one full load. We look for shared routes and check that the freight fits together by dims and weight.
  • Per-hour thinking. A $600 local load with four hours of stops isn't the same as a $600 run with one stop. We look at time as well as miles before we counter.
  • Equipment fit. Liftgate capacity, pallet jack, straps, blankets and load bars. If a posting needs gear you don't have, it doesn't reach you.
  • Accessorials. Inside delivery, residential delivery, extra stops and waiting time should pay. We ask for them in writing before you say yes.
  • Hours of service. Expedited and team-preferred loads only work if a solo driver can deliver legally. We check before we commit you to anything.
  • Broker checks. Every broker is looked up on FMCSA's public records before we counter, the same as every truck we dispatch.

Partial freight has its own rules, and our guides to partial loads and LTL loads for carriers explain how they're priced and booked. Want to see what your box truck should earn in a month? The box truck business profit calculator takes loads, rate, payment and insurance and gives you a monthly number.

POST 05 / YOUR CALL

Every load comes to you first

Box truck drivers tell us the same story about bad dispatchers: loads booked without asking, a day of stops for a rate that barely covered fuel, and a rate confirmation they saw for the first time at the dock. That doesn't happen here.

We find the load, check the broker and counter. Then it comes to you with the lane, the stops, the appointment times and the terms. You say yes or no. Say yes and the broker sends the rate confirmation straight to you, and you sign it. Say no and it costs you nothing.

Try the flow on the card. It's an EXAMPLE, but it's the real order of things for every load we send a box truck.

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POST 06 / WHERE THE FREIGHT IS

Where 26 ft box truck freight actually comes from

Box truck freight is spread across more places than van freight, which is why searching one board for full truckloads makes the market look dead. Here's where we look for a straight truck, and what each source tends to pay for.

  • Load boards, searched for partials and straight trucks. Many box-sized loads are posted as partials or LTL, not under box truck equipment. Searching only full loads hides most of them.
  • Expedite networks and brokers. Time-sensitive freight often needs a straight truck that can leave now. It pays for speed, and it pays only if the delivery time is legal for your driver.
  • Retail, furniture and appliance deliveries. Liftgate and inside delivery work, often multi-stop, often paid per stop or per day rather than per mile.
  • Freight forwarders and LTL overflow. Pallet freight that a carrier or forwarder needs moved between terminals or to a customer the same day.
  • Direct shippers. Local manufacturers and distributors who need a reliable box truck more than a cheap one. Slow to find, steady once you have them.

Each source has its own rhythm. Expedite comes in bursts, retail is heavier before holidays, and direct shippers want consistency over price. A good week for a box truck often mixes two or three of them, which is exactly the kind of juggling a desk does better than a driver at a fuel island.

POST 07 / YOUR FLOOR

Setting a floor rate for a box truck

A box truck's costs don't look like a semi's. Fuel mileage is usually better, the truck payment is often lower, and insurance can be cheaper. But the loads are smaller and the stops take longer, so a per-mile floor alone can mislead you.

We help you set two floors: a per-mile one for longer runs and a per-hour one for local, multi-stop days. EXAMPLE: if your truck costs $1.10 per mile to run and you want 20% on top, your per-mile floor is $1.32 all-in. If your day costs $380 in fixed costs, fuel and your own pay, a local job that takes eight hours needs to clear about $48 an hour before it's worth taking.

Those numbers are yours, not ours. Use the box truck business profit calculator to build them from your real payment, insurance and fuel. Once they're on your card, every load we counter starts above them, and anything that can't clear them comes to you with a clear warning instead of a quiet booking.

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POST 08 / THE FEE

7% of gross for a box truck, 4% for two or more

Box trucks are dispatched at 7% of the gross on loads you haul. Box truck loads are smaller and often have more stops, so the desk does about the same work for less revenue per load. If you run two or more trucks under your authority, the fleet rate of 4% applies while it lasts.

No setup fee, no monthly minimum, month-to-month and 30 days notice to cancel. A week you don't haul costs nothing. Use the sheet to see an EXAMPLE week, and the fee breakdown shows the fee in cents per mile.

Convert every load to all-in dollars per mile with the rate per mile calculator before you decide. Per-load pricing hides a lot.

WANTED

26 ft box trucks that know their floor rate.

5% standard, 7% new authority, 4% fleets. No haul, no pay.

Keep my 26-footer booked