FIVE STOPS / NO SURPRISES
How truck dispatch works, from gate in to first load
Here is how truck dispatch works on our desk, in the order it happens. Five stops, who does what at each one, and the paperwork to have ready. The rule that runs through all of it: you see every rate con and nothing is booked without your signature.
How does truck dispatching work?
A dispatcher finds loads for your truck, negotiates the rate with the broker, and handles the calls and paperwork around each load. With us, the broker sends the rate confirmation straight to you. You sign it or say no, and only then is the load booked.
How do dispatchers get paid?
Most charge a percentage of each load's gross. We charge 5% for one truck with an MC at least 6 months old, 7% for a newer MC and 4% for two or more trucks, only on loads you haul.
Do I approve every load before it is booked?
Yes. The rate con comes straight to you and nothing is booked until you sign. You can turn down any load, for any reason, and it costs you nothing.
DISPATCH ONBOARDING
Carrier setup with a dispatcher, stop by stop
Tap a stop. Green is what the desk handles, amber is what we need from you.
Apply: the desk does
- Review your truck, authority and lanes
- Check your MC and safety record on FMCSA
Apply: you do
- Answer three short steps, about 2 minutes
- Pick the best time for a call
Intro call: the desk does
- Learn your home base, lanes and home time
- Agree your floor rate: the lowest rate per mile you'll run
- Walk through the dispatch agreement line by line
Intro call: you do
- Tell us what you run and what you won't
- Ask anything about fees and billing
Paperwork: the desk does
- Collect your documents once
- Build your carrier packet
Paperwork: you do
- Send MC/DOT, W-9 and certificate of insurance
- Send your Notice of Assignment if you factor
Broker setups: the desk does
- Send packets to brokers that fit your lanes
- Set up power only programs and trailer interchange (UIIA) where needed
- Check broker credit before we book
Broker setups: you do
- Sign broker carrier agreements that come to you
Broker approval time varies. A newer MC usually waits longer, and some brokers require a minimum authority age.
First rate con: the desk does
- Find and negotiate a load that fits
- Have the broker send the rate con to you
- Run check calls and paperwork after you sign
First rate con: you do
- Read the rate con: pickup, delivery, miles, pay
- Sign it, or say no and we keep looking
HOW A LOAD GETS BOOKED
The rate con goes to you, not to us
We find the load and negotiate it against your floor. The broker then emails the rate confirmation directly to you, the carrier. You read the pickup and delivery times, the miles, the pay and any terms, then sign it or decline it.
After you sign, the desk takes over the calls: check calls, appointment changes, delivery updates and any detention claim.
- To
- YOUR MC
- Equipment
- 48 FT FLATBED
- Pickup
- BIRMINGHAM, AL 06:00
- Delivery
- NASHVILLE, TN 14:00
- Loaded miles
- 192
- Linehaul, all-in
- $760
- Terms
- TARP PAY $75
RATE PER MILE
$3.96
YOUR CALL
This lands in your inbox, not ours. Nothing is booked until you sign.
A NORMAL WEEK
When you hear from us
Once you are rolling, the rhythm is simple. We call when there is something to decide, and stay quiet when there isn't.
- 01 Before the weekWe plan the first load and the likely reload around your home time.
- 02 Every loadA rate con lands in your inbox. You sign or pass.
- 03 On the roadWe take the broker's check calls and push back on appointment changes.
- 04 At the dockIf you wait past free time, we start the detention claim.
- 05 End of the weekYou get a report: loads, miles, gross and our fee.
PAPERWORK LIST
Have these ready
Sending these in one go is the fastest way through setup. Print this list or keep it on your phone.
- MC number and USDOT number
- W-9 with your business name exactly as it appears on your authority
- Certificate of insurance showing auto liability and cargo coverage
- Notice of Assignment, if you use a factoring company
- Truck and trailer details: year, length, and for box trucks the box length (26 ft and up)
- For power only: trailer interchange coverage, plus UIIA if you will pull intermodal equipment
- For CDL carriers: proof you are in a DOT drug and alcohol testing program. Not set up yet? Read who needs a consortium or Join a DOT consortiumWe may earn a referral fee if you sign up through this link. It does not change your price. Affiliate disclosure Non-CDL box trucks and hotshots don't need one.
YOUR FLOOR RATE
The number we never go under
On the intro call we ask for your floor rate: the lowest all-in rate per mile you will run, counting the empty miles to the pickup. It comes from your own costs, fuel, truck payment, insurance and what you need to take home.
We use it two ways. We don't bring you loads under it, and when a broker offers less, the floor is where our counter starts. If the market in your lane sits under your floor for a while, we tell you straight and show you which nearby lanes pay better.
Don't know your number yet? Work it out with the cost per mile calculator before the call.
WHAT SLOWS SETUP DOWN
Four delays and how to dodge them
Name mismatch
The name on your W-9 has to match your authority exactly. One missing LLC stops a broker approval.
Insurance holder
Brokers want to be listed as certificate holder. Ask your agent to turn new certificates around the same day.
Young MC
Some brokers won't load an authority under a set age. We send packets to the ones that will first.
Missing NOA
If you factor, brokers need the Notice of Assignment before they pay. Send it with your packet, not after the first load.
MORE QUESTIONS
Before you start
Fees in full are on dispatch cost. New MC? See new authority dispatch.
01How long does dispatch setup take?
Our part, the intro call and sending your carrier packets, moves as fast as you get us your documents. The wait is broker approval, which varies by broker and by how old your MC is. We tell you on the call which brokers are approved and which are still pending, so you know where you stand.
02Who sends invoices to brokers?
Invoicing stays with you, or with your factoring company if you factor, unless your dispatch agreement says otherwise. We make sure you have the signed rate con, bill of lading and proof of delivery for every load so the invoice goes out clean.
03Can I keep working with my own brokers?
Yes. If you already have brokers or shippers you like, tell us on the intro call. We keep booking with them, negotiate for you, and fill the gaps around those loads with new freight. The rate con still comes to you either way.
04What happens if a load goes wrong?
Call the desk. We work the problem with the broker while you drive: late appointments, a load that is not ready, a canceled load after you were dispatched, or a dock that holds you past free time. We document what happened and file the claim the rate con allows.
STOP 01 STARTS HERE
Start my setup
Pick your truck and go straight to the application. Factoring too? Dispatch and factoring together.
What do you run?
NO CONTRACT / YOU SIGN EVERY RATE CON
Five stops. Then you roll.
Most of the work in setup is ours. Send your documents once and we take it from there.