POWER ONLY / TRACTOR, NO TRAILER NEEDED
Power only dispatch services that keep you hooked
You bring the tractor. We find the preloaded trailers, set you up with the pools and plan the next hook before you drop. 5% of gross, no contract, and the reload is planned before the first load delivers.
HOW YOU RUN
Pick your setup
HOW POWER ONLY WORKS
Hook, haul, drop, hook again
Power only means a broker, shipper or carrier program owns the trailer and you supply the tractor and driver. The work is in the setup and the sequence. Here is the loop, in plain words.
SETUP
Program approval
Your packet, insurance and interchange terms accepted by the program or broker.
YARD
Pool or drop yard
You check in at a yard or shipper lot where preloaded trailers wait.
HOOK
Hook the loaded trailer
Walk-around inspection, photos, seal number checked against the paperwork.
HAUL
Deliver and drop
Drop at the receiver or a yard, get the empty or loaded release.
RELOAD
Next trailer nearby
We line it up before you drop, so the empty leg stays short.
WHAT YOU NEED
- Your own MC and USDOT, or a lease that allows power only
- Liability and cargo, plus trailer interchange or non-owned trailer coverage
- An ELD and a clean inspection history
- UIIA participation only if you will pull intermodal containers or chassis
WHAT YOU DON'T
- A trailer payment or trailer plates
- Trailer tires, brakes and annual inspections on equipment you don't own
- A yard to park a trailer at home
DROP YARD PLANNER
Tell us how you run. See the week.
Switch between pool trailers and your own trailer. Every number is an example you can change to match your lane: rate, loaded miles, empty miles to yards, and what the trailer costs you each week.
With these numbers, pulling your own trailer leaves $263 more this week. Change the inputs to match your lane; the answer flips more often than people expect.
Deeper numbers: power only vs owning trailers, power only rates per mile and the deadhead cost calculator.
AN EXAMPLE WEEK
One sleeper, four trailers
This is an example, not a client story. A sleeper based near Atlanta runs power only through two broker programs. Monday it hooks a preloaded trailer at a yard 18 miles from home. Tuesday the receiver keeps it three hours past the appointment, and we file detention while the driver waits.
Wednesday and Thursday it shuttles two trailers between shipper lots, and each next hook is under 40 miles from the last drop. Friday's trailer delivers 60 miles from home.
Every one of these rate cons went to the carrier to sign. One more load was offered Thursday and declined: it paid less than the carrier's floor.
POWER ONLY VS OWNING A TRAILER
Who pays for what
The rate per mile is only one line. This is how the three ways to run compare, side by side.
| Power only (pool trailer) | Own trailer | Leased trailer | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rate per loaded mile | Usually lower, since you don't supply equipment | Usually higher | Usually higher |
| Trailer cost | None | Purchase or note, plates, tires, repairs | Weekly or monthly lease payment |
| Insurance | Trailer interchange or non-owned trailer coverage | Physical damage on your trailer | Per the lease terms |
| Flexibility | Tied to where pools and yards are | Take any van load you like | Like owning, while the lease runs |
| Empty miles | Driving to yards can add up | Pickup to pickup | Pickup to pickup |
| Waiting | Often drop and hook, less dock time | More live loads and unloads | More live loads and unloads |
| Best for | New carriers, day cabs, carriers near busy yards | Carriers with steady van lanes | Testing a lane before buying |
General comparison. Actual rates and costs depend on your lane, season and program; use the planner above with your own numbers.
PROGRAMS AND POOLS
A power only dispatcher who does the setup
Most of the work in power only happens before the first hook. Brokers and shippers that run trailer pools each have their own approval, their own interchange terms and their own yard rules. We send your packet, follow up until you are approved, and keep a list of which programs and yards you can use.
Be wary of anyone who promises trailers everywhere. Access depends on your region and on each program. On the intro call we tell you what your lanes can actually support. See how power only carrier programs work and our power only dispatch guide.
Broker power only programs
Preloaded trailers posted as power only, often drop and hook.
Shipper and carrier pools
Trailers staged at plants, DCs and drop yards for repeat lanes.
Intermodal moves
Containers and chassis under UIIA, where you also need a port or rail pass.
New to the terms? Read what power only is, where power only loads come from and trailer interchange and dispatch.
HOW WE WORK WITH YOU
Power only dispatch, your rules
01
The rate con comes to you
We negotiate; the broker sends the rate confirmation to you. You sign it or say no.
02
Your floor is respected
We count the empty miles to the yard in the all-in rate, and we don't bring you loads under your floor.
03
Broker credit checked
Before you hook, we check who is paying and how they pay.
04
Interchange read first
Damage terms, return deadlines and inspection rules checked before the first hook.
05
Waiting gets claimed
Arrival logged against the appointment; detention and layover filed when free time runs out.
06
Weekly report
Hooks, drops, loaded and empty miles, gross and our fee on one page.
THE FEE
5% on the week above, not 10%
Same rate card as every truck we dispatch. A new MC pays 7% until month 6; fleets of two or more pay 4%. Full breakdown on dispatch cost. If you factor, see factoring for van and power only loads.
- Gross, four loads
- $2,400
- Our fee at 5%
- $120
- A 10% desk
- $240
01How much does power only dispatch cost?
The same as any other truck: 5% of gross for one truck with an MC at least 6 months old, 7% while your MC is younger, and 4% for two trucks or more. No setup fee, no minimums, and nothing in a week you don't haul.
02Do I need my own trailer insurance for power only?
Yes, in most programs. When you pull a trailer you don't own, brokers and trailer owners usually require trailer interchange or non-owned trailer physical damage coverage on top of your liability and cargo. Limits vary by program, so we check the requirement before we set you up and before you hook.
03What is a trailer interchange agreement?
It is the contract that says who is responsible for a trailer while it is in your possession: inspection at pickup, damage, return terms and insurance. Intermodal equipment uses the UIIA. Broker and shipper power only programs use their own versions. We read the terms with you before the first hook.
04Can a new MC get power only loads?
Often, yes, but fewer programs approve a brand-new authority. Some want a minimum authority age or a clean inspection history. We apply to the ones that will take you first, and your fee is 7% until month 6. More on that in new authority dispatch.
05Do power only loads pay less than dry van?
Per loaded mile they often do, because you are not supplying the trailer. That is not the whole story. You also have no trailer payment, plates, tires or repairs to cover. Run your own numbers in the planner on this page; the answer depends on your lane and your empty miles.
06Can you set me up with power only programs?
Yes. Program setup is part of the dispatch fee. We send your packet, handle the interchange paperwork and keep track of which yards and programs approve you. Access depends on your region and each program's rules, so we tell you honestly what your area can support.
07How do you avoid deadhead to drop yards?
We plan the week around the yards, not just the load. The next trailer is picked near the last drop wherever possible, and we count the empty miles to every yard in the all-in rate before we bring you a load.
08Do you dispatch day cabs for power only?
Yes. Day cabs work well for regional power only and drop yard shuttles that get you home most nights. We plan the loop to fit hours of service and your home time.
TRACTOR READY?
Get my trailer pools set up
Apply in about two minutes. We start the program applications after the intro call, and the first rate con comes to you to sign.