DRY VAN / 53 AND 48 FT
Dry van dispatch service that finds the reload
You compete with big fleets for the same general freight. We work the boards and the brokers, push for drop and hook, chase detention, and line up the backhaul before you deliver. The rate con comes to you to sign.
VAN LANE BOARD
Where the market actually is
DAT's national dry van spot rate averaged $2.17 to $2.21 per mile in September 2026, linehaul only, before fuel. That average hides a wide spread. Outbound from big freight markets pays more; headhaul into consumer markets often pays less.
The board shows how we think about it: five example lanes priced around the national number. These are illustrations, not quotes. On the call we pull current numbers for the lanes you actually run.
SOURCE: DAT Freight & Analytics, WEEKS ENDING SEPT 4 TO 25, 2026
Example rates built around DAT's September 2026 national average. Short hauls usually pay more per mile because fixed time at the docks is spread over fewer miles.
WHAT WE BOOK
Dry van dispatch for every kind of box
Different van freight asks different things of your trailer. We match the load to what your van can actually pass at the dock.
Retail and consumer goods
The bread and butter of van freight. Appointments at DCs, often palletized, sometimes floor loaded.
Clean, dry floor; load locks or straps
Paper and packaging
Heavy rolls and corrugated. Good backhaul freight out of mill towns.
Sound floor, no holes; weight check
Beverages
Heavy for its size. Water and canned drinks can max out legal weight fast.
Weight check before booking
Food-grade dry
Shelf-stable food and ingredients that need a clean, odor-free trailer.
Washout receipt when required
Drop and hook programs
Preloaded trailers at shipper yards with set pickup windows.
Trailer swaps per the program
Dedicated and repeat lanes
The same lane each week once a broker or shipper trusts you.
On-time history and clean scans
More on the equipment in what a dry van is and the 53 ft dry van dimensions guide. Planning pallets? Use the trailer load planner.
LIVE VS DROP
Same pay. Different day.
Two loads can pay the same and cost you very different days. A live load and live unload can tie up five or more hours at docks. Drop and hook can be done in an hour.
That is why a good dry van dispatcher looks at pay per hour, not only pay per mile. Flip the toggle. When drop and hook is on the table in your lane, we go after it, and when it isn't, we make sure the waiting gets paid. See drop and hook vs live load.
- Wait to load: 2h
- Live load: 2h
- Drive: 8h
- Wait to unload: 1.5h
- Live unload: 2h
- LOAD PAY
- $1,100
- HOURS ON IT
- 15.5
- PER HOUR
- $71
- DETENTION OWED
- $175
7.5 hours at the docks. With 2 hours free at each stop and $50/hour after that, 3.5 hours are billable, but only if someone logs the times and files the claim.
DETENTION
Waiting gets logged and claimed
- 01Before you sign, we read the free time and hourly rate on the rate con.
- 02You text us your check-in time and send a photo of the gate or check-in sheet.
- 03We update the broker while you wait, so there is a paper trail.
- 04When free time runs out, we file the claim and follow it to payment.
Check what a wait is worth with the detention pay calculator.
LUMPERS
Paid back, not forgotten
Many grocery and retail receivers use lumpers to unload. The broker or shipper usually pays it back when you send the receipt, and the rate con should say how.
We confirm the lumper terms before you sign, set up a comcheck or reimbursement with the broker when needed, and make sure the receipt goes in with your bill of lading and proof of delivery so it lands on the invoice.
THE BACKHAUL
Plan the way back first
The load out is easy to find. The load back is where a van week is won or lost. Headhaul markets like Chicago and Los Angeles ship more than they receive, so freight out pays well and freight in is cheap. We price the round trip, not the first leg.
Before you sign the first load
We check what freight leaves the delivery area and what it pays. A strong load into a dead market can lose money once the empty miles out are counted.
While you are rolling
We start booking the reload so it is lined up before you unload, not after you are sitting in a truck stop waiting for a board refresh.
When the reload is weak
We look at a short move to a better market instead of taking a cheap load straight back. We show you both options and you pick.
53 VS 48
Know your box before the broker asks
A dry van dispatcher needs your trailer length, your empty weight and your door type on file, because brokers ask, and heavy freight like beverages and paper runs into legal limits fast.
| 53 ft van | 48 ft van | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it fits | Most shippers and long-haul freight | Regional, retail and tighter docks |
| Load board share | The large majority of van postings | Fewer, often specific shippers |
| Weight | Federal Interstate limit is 80,000 lb gross. Your cargo limit is that minus what your tractor, trailer and fuel weigh. | |
SOURCE: eCFR, 23 CFR 658.17, CHECKED OCTOBER 2026. STATE LIMITS AND PERMITS CAN DIFFER.
THE FEE
A dry van dispatcher at 5%
Same rate card for every truck: 5% with an MC at least 6 months old, 7% before that, 4% with two or more trucks. See full pricing. Factoring your van loads? Dry van factoring.
- Loads
- 4
- Loaded miles
- 2,780
- Gross, linehaul plus detention
- $7,200
- Our fee at 5%
- $360
- A 10% desk
- $720
DRY VAN QUESTIONS
Dry van dispatch, answered
Market context: dry van rates and where van loads come from.
01How much does dry van dispatch cost?
5% of gross for one van with an MC at least 6 months old, 7% while your MC is newer, and 4% for two trucks or more. No setup fee, no contract, and nothing on weeks you don't run.
02What freight do dry van dispatchers book?
Anything that rides dry and enclosed: retail and consumer goods, paper and packaging, beverages, food-grade dry products, building supplies in boxes and auto parts. We match the freight to your trailer's condition, your weight limits and the lanes you want.
03Can you find drop and hook loads?
Yes, and we look for them on purpose. Drop and hook usually means far less time at the dock. Availability depends on the shipper and lane, so a normal week mixes drop and hook with live loads, and we tell you which is which before you sign.
04Who pays lumper fees?
Usually the broker or shipper, by reimbursing you when you send the receipt. The rate con should say so. We check the lumper terms before you sign and send the receipt with your paperwork so the reimbursement is on the invoice, not forgotten.
05How do you handle detention on dry van loads?
We log your check-in time against the appointment on the rate con, update the broker while you wait, and file the claim when free time runs out. The rate con sets the free time and the hourly rate, so we read those terms before you sign.
06Can a new MC get dry van loads?
Yes. Dry van has the most brokers and the most freight, which helps a new authority. Some brokers want a minimum MC age, so we start with the ones that don't. Your fee is 7% until month 6.
07Do you dispatch 48 ft vans?
Yes. 48 ft vans still haul plenty of regional and retail freight, and some docks and city routes prefer them. We filter for loads that fit 48 feet and tell brokers your trailer length up front so nobody is surprised at the shipper.
YOUR VAN, OUR DESK
Keep the van loaded
Apply in two minutes. We plan the first load and the reload with you, and every rate con comes to you to sign or decline.
Fee on gross load revenue, only on loads you haul. 7% while your MC is under 6 months.