Finding loads
Load boards, broker contacts and direct shippers, searched all day so you don't have to.
Dispatch service for owner operators who want their evenings back
One truck, one owner, and every hour counts. We take the load boards, broker calls, counteroffers and check calls off your plate. You keep the authority, the lanes, the home time and the final say on every load.
MILE02TAKE-HOME CALCULATOR
Run your own numbers
Most owner-operators measure a dispatcher by the fee. The bigger number is usually the hours. Put in your week, what an hour is worth to you, and whatever rate gain you think is realistic. The ticket shows both sides with your time counted.
TAKE-HOME ESTIMATENO. 0001
EXAMPLE
- Self-dispatch gross
- $5,000
- Your time (15 hrs)
- -$450
- Self-dispatch, time counted
- $4,550
- Dispatched gross
- $5,000
- Fee 5%
- -$250
- Your time (1 hr)
- -$30
Dispatched, time counted$4,720
About $170 better a week once your time counts, mostly from 14 hours back ($420).
Want a deeper version with costs per mile? Use the dispatch ROI calculator.
MILE03WHAT YOU KEEP CONTROL OF
You still run the business
- Load approval. Every load is an offer. You say yes or pass, and passing costs nothing.
- Your signature. The broker sends the rate con straight to you, and you sign it. We never sign for you.
- Home time. You set the days. We plan the week around them.
- Lanes. Where you'll run, where you won't, and how far from home.
- Floor rate. The lowest all-in rate you'll take. Offers below it don't reach you.
- Broker list. Any broker you won't work with goes on a do-not-book list.
LOAD OFFER
- EQUIPMENT
- 53 ft dry van
- PICKUP
- Memphis, TN · Mon 06:00
- DELIVERY
- Columbus, OH · Tue 08:00
- LOADED MI
- 585 (deadhead 18)
- WEIGHT
- 38,000 lb, 24 pallets
- BROKER
- Credit checked, pays in 30 days
- TERMS
- Live load, detention after 2 hrs
- RATE
- $1,500 ($2.56/mi loaded)
YOUR CALL. NOTHING IS BOOKED UNTIL YOU SAY YES.
MILE04WHAT WE HANDLE
What comes off your plate
Negotiating
Every offer countered with current lane rates, not accepted at the first number.
Vetting brokers
Credit, days to pay and history checked before an offer reaches you.
Paperwork
Carrier packets, insurance certificates and setups with new brokers.
Check calls
Updates to the broker while you drive, so your phone stays quiet.
Reloads
The next load lined up before you deliver this one.
MILE05A DAY WITHOUT THE BOARDS
What a dispatched day looks like
- MORNINGYou're driving. We're on the phones countering offers for tomorrow and checking brokers.
- MIDDAYA load offer lands on your phone with every detail. You read it at your next stop and answer yes or pass.
- AFTERNOONOn a yes, the rate con is in your email. You sign it. We handle the check call when you pick up.
- EVENINGYou're done driving. No load board, no callbacks. Tomorrow's load is already set.
MILE06CHOOSING A DISPATCHER
An honest checklist
We're not going to tell you we're the number one dispatcher in America. Here's what to ask any dispatcher, us included, before you sign anything.
- Is the fee a percentage of gross, net, or a flat amount, and is it written down?
- Is there a setup fee, a minimum or a long contract?
- Do I approve every load, and does the rate con come to me?
- Do the broker setups stay under my MC if we part ways?
- Do they ask about my truck's limits and my home time before searching?
- Can I talk to a real person at night and on weekends?
Our answers: gross, no setup fee, no contract beyond 30 days notice, yes, yes, yes, yes. See rates and fees for the details.
MILE07YOUR FIRST MONTH
Your first month with a dispatcher
Week 1
First call, paperwork on file, carrier packets out to brokers on your lanes. First offers arrive.
Week 2
We learn how you like to run: which offers you take, which you pass, and why. The offers get sharper.
Week 3
Reloads start lining up before you deliver. The gap between loads shrinks.
Week 4
We review the month together: rates, deadhead, home time. You decide what to change, or whether to keep going.
Month to month means a bad fit costs you 30 days, not a year. If after the first month the numbers don't work for you, say so.
MILE08BY EQUIPMENT
Owner-operators on every rig
The same desk handles every equipment type to the same standard, and each one has its own page with its numbers and what we check. If you run a hotshot, see hotshot dispatch; a 26 ft box, box truck dispatch; a van, dry van dispatch. New to your own authority? Start with dispatch for new MCs.
Thinking about whether to lease on or run your own authority? Our guides on hot shot owner-operators and hotshot companies to lease on to walk through the trade-offs. Waiting on broker payments? Read about owner-operator factoring.
MILE09WHEN YOU DON'T NEED US
When you don't need a dispatcher
Some owner-operators are better off without one, and we'd rather say so than sign you up and disappoint you.
- You have steady direct freight. If a shipper keeps your truck full at a good rate, a dispatcher adds little except backup for the slow weeks.
- You enjoy the booking side. Some owners like working brokers and do it well. If that's you and your rates show it, keep doing it.
- You run a dedicated route. Same lanes, same customer, every week. There's nothing to dispatch.
Where we help most: owners who lose hours every day on boards, who take first offers to avoid sitting, or who drive home empty more often than they should.
MILE10OBJECTIONS
What owner-operators ask us
- "I don't want someone telling me where to drive."
- Nobody will. We bring offers that fit the lanes and home time you set; you decide. A dispatcher works for you, not the other way around.
- "I've been burned by a dispatcher before."
- It happens: forced loads, hidden fees, rate cons signed without asking. That's why ours is month to month, the fee is published, and the rate con always comes to you.
- "The fee eats my margin."
- Run the calculator above with a 0% rate gain. If the hours you get back aren't worth the fee to you, don't hire a dispatcher, us included.
MILE11FAQ
Owner-operator dispatch FAQ
Q01Is a dispatcher worth it for one truck?
It depends on how many hours you spend finding loads, how good your rates are now and what your time is worth. If boards and broker calls eat two or three hours a day, a dispatcher usually pays for itself in time alone. If you already have steady direct freight, maybe not. The calculator on this page runs your numbers.
Q02Do you work with owner-operators who factor?
Yes. Send us your notice of assignment and we make sure brokers have it, so payments go to your factoring company. If you don't factor yet and want to, we can refer you to our factoring partner.
Q03What if I want to run only certain lanes?
Then those are the lanes we search. You set the lanes, the radius, the states you avoid and the home time. Loads outside them don't reach you unless you tell us to widen the search.
Q04How do I pay the dispatcher?
The fee is 5% of the gross on loads you haul (7% for an MC under 6 months or a single 26 ft box truck or hotshot). The billing schedule and payment method are written into the dispatch agreement you get after your first call.
Q05Can a dispatcher plan my home time?
Yes, and it's one of the first things we ask. Tell us your home-time days and we plan the last load of each stretch to end near home and the first load out to start nearby.
Q06Can leased-on owner-operators use a dispatcher?
If you're leased on, the carrier whose authority you run under handles loads booked under its MC. Our service is for carriers with their own authority. If you're getting your own MC, apply and tell us; we'll be ready when it's active.
Q07How fast can I start?
Usually within a day or two of applying. The first call takes about 20 minutes; after that it depends on how quickly your paperwork comes back and how fast brokers approve your packets. Some approve within hours, some take a few days.
Q08What if a load goes wrong on the road?
Call us. Breakdowns, late pickups, changed appointments and detention are ours to handle with the broker while you deal with the truck. You'll hear from us before the broker starts calling you.
Q09Do I keep my broker relationships?
Yes. Broker setups and history are under your MC, not ours. If you stop working with us, they stay yours.
Q10Do I approve every load?
Every one. We present each load with the details; you say yes or pass. On a yes, the broker sends the rate con straight to you to sign. Passing costs nothing.
Q11Can I keep my own customers and still use you?
Yes. Keep hauling for shippers you already have. Tell us on the first call which customers are yours, and we fill the open days around them instead of competing with them.
Q12What equipment do you dispatch for owner-operators?
All 11 types we dispatch: 26 ft box trucks, hotshots, dry vans, reefers, flatbeds, step decks, power only, car haulers, dump trucks, oversize and hazmat or tanker. No cargo vans, sprinters or boxes under 26 ft.
See the full process on how we dispatch.