Truck dispatch fees: 5% of gross, and nothing when you don't haul
Here's our whole truck dispatch fee, with nothing in small print. It's a percentage of the gross on loads you haul. There's no setup fee, no monthly minimum and no contract that runs past 30 days.
5% for one truck with authority 6 months or older. 7% for a new MC under 6 months, 26 ft box trucks and hotshots. 4% for two or more trucks, while the fleet rate lasts. Every load still comes to you to approve, so you never pay a fee on a load you didn't agree to.
- No setup fee
- No minimums
- Month-to-month, cancel with 30 days notice
- Fee is a percentage of gross load revenue
- No haul, no pay
EXAMPLE $2,000 LOAD 800 MI
$100 at 5%
That's 12.5¢/mi on an 800-mile load. At 7% it's $140 (17.5¢/mi). At 4% it's $80 (10.0¢/mi). A load you turn down is $0.
think in cents per mile
How much do dispatchers charge? Quick answers
How much is a 5% dispatch fee per mile?
Percentage or flat fee: which is better?
How do I pay my dispatch fee?
Is the dispatch fee on gross or net?
Why do some dispatchers charge 10% or more?
Is the dispatch fee a business expense?
Are there extra fees for detention or layover claims?
Is a percentage fee better than a flat weekly fee?
Do you charge a setup fee or a monthly minimum?
When does the new authority rate change?
Your fee in cents per mile, next to your load board bill
Carriers think in rate per mile, so here's the dispatch service cost in the same terms. Put in a load's gross and its total miles, loaded plus empty. The table shows our fee in dollars and in cents per mile at each of our three rates.
If you pay for a load board now, add your monthly bill and how many loads you haul a month. The calculator spreads the subscription across those loads so you can see both costs side by side. Use your own invoice for the subscription price, since board prices change and differ by plan.
Two honest notes. First, a dispatcher costs more per load than a board subscription in almost every case. What you're buying is the hours, the broker calls, the counters and the claims, not access to postings. Second, a board subscription costs the same in a week you don't haul. Our fee doesn't.
For a fuller comparison with your time and costs included, try the load board vs dispatcher cost comparison, or check a full week with the dispatcher fee calculator.
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Which rate is yours
Pick your truck, your number of trucks and how long you've had your authority. The sheet picks the tier from the same rates we put in writing and shows an EXAMPLE week, including the week you don't haul.
- 5% standard. One truck, your own authority 6 months or older. Dry van, reefer, flatbed, step deck, power only, car hauler, dump truck, oversize and hazmat tanker all start here.
- 7% new authority, box truck, hotshot. Any MC under 6 months old, plus 26 ft box trucks and hotshots. Smaller loads, more stops and more broker setups per dollar of freight take more desk time.
- 4% fleet. Two or more trucks under one authority. This is a limited-time rate, and we'll tell you in writing if it ever changes for new sign-ups.
Not sure which applies to you, or running a mix, like one box truck and one dry van? Ask on the first call. The rate goes in your agreement before your first load, so there's no guessing later.
A word on why the tiers differ at all. The work behind a load isn't the same for every truck. A new MC needs more broker setups and more calls before anyone says yes. A box truck or hotshot hauls smaller loads, so the desk does about the same work for less freight revenue per load. A second truck on the same desk lets us plan both trucks together, which is less work per load, and the fleet rate passes that on. We'd rather explain the reason than pretend every truck costs the same to dispatch.
Whatever your tier, the terms around it are the same for everyone: no setup fee, no minimum, month-to-month, 30 days notice to cancel, and a load you turn down never costs a cent.
The math on three EXAMPLE loads
The fee is the load's gross times your percentage. That's all. Here it is on three EXAMPLE loads so you can check the arithmetic yourself, the same way you can check any line on your weekly report against the rate cons you signed.
| Load | Gross | 7% | 5% | 4% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Short regional, 260 mi | $900 | $63 | $45 | $36 |
| Mid-haul, 720 mi | $1,800 | $126 | $90 | $72 |
| Long haul, 1,400 mi | $3,200 | $224 | $160 | $128 |
Notice what isn't in the table: no booking fee per load, no charge for the loads we presented that you turned down, no fee on detention claims we filed for you, no monthly charge. If it isn't gross from a load you hauled, it isn't in the fee.
Why we charge a percentage instead of a weekly flat fee
There are two common ways dispatch services charge: a percentage of each load, or a flat amount every week. We picked the percentage on purpose, and the reason is the slow week.
Every owner-operator has them. A breakdown, a market that goes soft for ten days, a family thing that keeps you home. With a flat fee, you pay the same in that week as in your best week. With a percentage, the fee follows what you actually hauled, and a week with no loads costs you nothing.
It also keeps our incentives where yours are. We earn more when your loads pay more, and nothing when they don't happen. There's no reason for us to keep you busy on cheap freight, because cheap freight pays us less too.
The trade-off is fair to name. In a very strong week, a flat fee can come out cheaper than a percentage. If you run steady, high-paying contract freight with the same gross every week, a flat fee might suit you better, and we'll tell you so.
| Week | Gross | 5% fee | A $300 flat fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strong week | $7,500 | $375 | $300 |
| Normal week | $5,000 | $250 | $300 |
| Slow week, truck in the shop | $1,200 | $60 | $300 |
| Week off | $0 | $0 | $300 |
The flat fee in that table is an EXAMPLE number for comparison, not any company's real price. Put your own weeks through it and see which one you'd rather pay over a year.
How to check every dollar of the fee yourself
You never have to take our word for the fee. Every load you haul has a rate confirmation that you read and signed, and the broker sent it straight to you. That rate con is the gross. Multiply it by your percentage and you have our fee for that load.
Your weekly report lists the same loads, the gross on each, our fee and your empty miles. Lay the rate cons next to the report and they should match line for line. If a number ever doesn't, call the desk and we'll walk through it with you.
That's also why we don't touch your freight money. Brokers pay you or your factoring company directly, and the dispatch fee is billed separately on the schedule in your agreement. Your money never sits in our account waiting for us to take a cut.
What the percentage covers, and what we never bill for
Some dispatch services quote a low rate and add charges later. Here's everything inside ours, so you can compare line by line.
- Load searching on the major load boards plus our direct broker and shipper contacts.
- Broker checks before every counter: authority, registration and payment terms.
- Rate negotiation on every load, starting from your floor rate.
- Carrier packet setup with every broker you haul for.
- Check calls and delivery confirmations with the broker.
- Deadhead planning and reloads lined up before you deliver.
- Detention and layover claims.
- A weekly report of loads, gross, fee and empty miles.
- Dispatchers on the desk nights and weekends.
- Never charged: setup, onboarding, cancellation, loads you turned down, weeks you didn't haul, or a minimum of any kind.
What happens after you apply is short: a call, a written agreement with your rate in it, carrier packets, then loads. See the sign-up process step by step, or send your application now. Brokers paying you in 30 days or more? Freight factoring is one way to get paid sooner, for a fee of its own. We refer carriers to a factoring partner and may be paid for referrals. Weighing a flat fee instead? Read percentage vs flat fee dispatch.
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5% standard, 7% new authority, 4% fleets. No haul, no pay.
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