Dispatch ROI calculator
Enter your hours on load boards, what an hour is worth, your rate and miles, and the fee. You see whether dispatch pays for itself, and by how much.
By Gustavo · Updated October 2026
NET PER WEEK WITH DISPATCH
- Gross now
- $4,840
- Gross with dispatch
- $4,840
- Dispatch fee
- -$242
- Hours back, valued
- $420
About $178 a week better once your hours count, with the rate gain you set. Want to test it for a month?
How it is calculated
- Gross now = your loaded rate per mile x loaded miles a week.
- Gross with dispatch = (your rate + the rate gain you set) x the same miles.
- Dispatch fee = gross with dispatch x fee %.
- Hours back, valued = (your hours on boards and calls - 1) x what an hour is worth.
- Net change = gross with dispatch - fee - gross now + hours back.
Worked example
EXAMPLE
- Gross now, $2.20 x 2,200
- $4,840
- Rate gain set to
- $0.00
- Dispatch fee 5%
- -$242
- 14 hours back x $30
- +$420
With no rate gain at all, the hours back cover the fee. Set the gain to 15 cents a mile and the net change is about $492 a week. Set the hour value to zero, and with no gain, dispatch costs $242 a week.
Dispatch fees vs your time
Most owners never count the hours. Track one week: time on load boards, broker calls, setting up packets, check calls and invoices. Many owners find 10 to 20 hours. Those are hours you could drive, rest or spend at home.
What a dispatcher changes
- Time. Almost always. The searching, calling and paperwork move off your plate.
- Empty miles. Often, when reloads are planned before delivery.
- Rates. Sometimes. Negotiating every load helps, but markets set the range.
- Bad lanes. Not by itself. If your lanes don't pay, a dispatcher can show you better ones, but you have to run them.
Dispatch fee trucking terms to check
Fees on gross or net? Any setup fee? Contract length? Do you approve each load? Who signs the rate confirmation? Use the dispatcher fee calculator to compare quotes.
Track one month, then decide
The honest test is a month of real numbers. Before you start, write down last month's gross, loaded and empty miles, and the hours you spent booking. After a month with a dispatcher, compare the same four numbers and the fee you paid. Run both months through this calculator and the answer is no longer a guess.
Good and bad results
A positive net with the rate gain at zero is a strong case: the time alone pays. Positive only with a big rate gain is a maybe; test it for a month with real numbers. Negative even with the hours counted means self-dispatch is likely right for you now, and that's a fair answer.
Try it on real loads
No setup fee, month to month, cancel with 30 days notice. You approve every load, and the broker sends the rate confirmation straight to you. After a month, run this calculator with your real numbers. See rates and fees.
Questions about this calculator
Q01What are typical dispatch fees in trucking?
Many dispatch services charge a percentage of each load's gross, commonly somewhere between 5% and 10%, and some charge a flat weekly fee. Ours is 7% for new authorities, hotshots and 26 ft box trucks, 5% standard and 4% for fleets of two or more trucks with 6+ months of authority.
Q02Is a truck dispatcher worth it?
It depends on how many hours you spend booking, how well you negotiate and how much you drive empty. If the fee costs less than the time you get back plus any rate gain, it pays. This calculator shows where that line is for you.
Q03Why does the rate gain default to zero?
So the tool doesn't promise anything. Many owners do see better rates or fewer empty miles with a dispatcher, but nobody can guarantee it. Try a small number you think is realistic, then zero, and compare.
Q04Why does it subtract one hour?
With a dispatcher you still review and approve each load, and sign the rate confirmations. The tool assumes about an hour a week for that.
Q05Is the dispatcher fee charged on loads I turn down?
Not with us. The fee is only on loads you haul. If you don't haul, you don't pay.