7%
New authority, 26 ft box, hotshot
- Any equipment while your MC is under 6 months old
- A single 26 ft box truck or hotshot at any authority age
- Hotshot wedge car haulers count as hotshots
Truck dispatch fee: 7%, 5% or 4%
Nothing hidden: one percentage of the gross on loads you haul. No setup fee, no minimums, no contract, and no fee on loads you turn down. Here is which rate is yours and why.
MILE02SIX FAST ANSWERS
Six fast answers on dispatch cost
- How much do dispatchers charge?
- Most charge a percentage of gross, commonly 5% to 10%. Ours is 7%, 5% or 4%.
- Is it on gross or net?
- Gross load revenue on the loads you haul.
- Any setup fee?
- No. $0 to start.
- Monthly minimum?
- None. A week off costs you nothing.
- Contract?
- Month to month. Cancel with 30 days notice.
- Fee on loads I turn down?
- Never. You only pay on loads you said yes to and hauled.
MILE03THE THREE RATES
Three rates, checked in order
5%
Standard
- One truck
- Authority 6 months or older
- Dry van, reefer, flatbed, step deck, power only, semi car hauler, dump, oversize, hazmat/tanker
4%
Fleet
- Two or more trucks
- Authority 6 months or older
- Any mix of equipment, box trucks and hotshots included
Rules are checked in order: new authority first, then fleet size, then equipment. A new MC with three trucks pays 7% until month six, then 4%. A single reefer moves from 7% to 5% on its own at month six; you don't have to ask.
MILE04DECISION TICKET
Print your rate
Set your truck, fleet size and authority age. The ticket runs the same checks we do, then shows the fee for a week, a month and a year next to a 10% and a 12% dispatcher.
DECISION TICKETEXAMPLE
- 01 MC under 6 months?NO
- 02 2 or more trucks?NO
- 03 Single 26 ft box or hotshot?YES = 7%
- 04 Everything else
YOUR RATE7% OF GROSS
- WEEK
- MONTH
- YEAR
- Our fee
- $350
- $1,516
- $18,200
- 10% dispatcher
- $500
- $2,165
- $26,000
- 12% dispatcher
- $600
- $2,598
- $31,200
Gross on loads you haul: $5,000 a week. Kept vs a 10% dispatcher over a year: $7,800.
Why new authority comes first: in the first months, a lot of brokers won't book you yet, so every load takes more calls, more setup packets and more vetting to find. That work is the same whether you run one truck or four. Once the authority has six months of history, the doors open and the rate drops to match.
Want to compare against your own numbers? Try the dispatcher fee calculator or the dispatch ROI calculator.
MILE05INCLUDED AND NEVER CHARGED
Included in the fee
- Load sourcing on the major boards and through direct broker and shipper contacts
- Rate negotiation on every load
- Broker credit and days-to-pay checks
- All broker calls, check calls and delivery confirmations
- Reload and deadhead planning
- Carrier packets with new brokers
- Detention and layover requests
- Weekly earnings report
- Night and weekend dispatchers
Never charged
- Setup or onboarding fees
- Monthly minimums
- Fees on loads you turn down
- Fees on weeks you don't run
- Cancellation fees (30 days notice is all it takes)
- A markup hidden between the broker's rate and yours
What you never give up
You approve every load before it's booked. The broker sends the rate con straight to you, and you sign it. Pass on any load, any time, and it costs nothing.
MILE06HOW FEE MODELS COMPARE
How fee models compare
Dispatchers charge in three main ways. None is a scam on its own; what matters is what you pay in a slow week, what you pay on a big load, and whether the price is written down before you start.
| Model | Slow week | Big load | Watch for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Percentage of gross (ours) | Costs less | Costs more | Fees on loads you didn't approve, fees on net vs gross |
| Flat weekly fee | Same price, even at home | Same price | Minimum terms, paying for weeks you don't run |
| Per-load fee | Costs less | Same price | Short loads costing as much as long ones |
| Self-dispatch | Your time | Your time | Board subscriptions and hours on the phone every day |
26 FT BOX WEEK
EXAMPLE
- 5 loads gross
- $3,200
- Fee 7%
- $224
Kept$2,976
REEFER WEEK
EXAMPLE
- 3 loads gross
- $7,500
- Fee 5%
- $375
Kept$7,125
3-TRUCK FLEET WEEK
EXAMPLE
- Fleet gross
- $18,000
- Fee 4%
- $720
Kept$17,280
Those are example weeks, not promises. Your gross depends on lanes, season and how much you want to run. The point is that the fee is a fixed share you can check on every rate con, because every rate con comes to you.
MILE07HOW BILLING WORKS
How the fee is figured
- 01You haul a load you agreed to. The gross is the broker's rate on the rate con you signed.
- 02Your rate applies to that gross. Example: a $2,400 load at 5% is a $120 fee.
- 03Every fee shows on your weekly earnings report, next to the load it came from. The invoice schedule and payment method are set in the dispatch agreement you receive after your first call.
- 04Want to stop? Give 30 days notice. No exit fee, no buyout.
See the whole process on how we dispatch.
MILE08FAQ
Dispatch fee questions
Q01Why are hotshot and 26 ft box truck dispatch 7%?
Smaller trucks haul smaller loads, so it takes more posts, more calls and more booked loads to fill a week. A box truck or hotshot often runs two or three shorter loads where a semi runs one. The 7% covers that extra work. It's the same desk and the same service as every other truck.
Q02Do fleet rates apply to hotshots and box trucks?
Yes. With two or more trucks and authority older than 6 months, the fleet rate of 4% applies on any equipment, including 26 ft box trucks and hotshots. A new authority stays at 7% until month six, whatever the fleet size.
Q03Do I pay a fee on loads I turn down?
No. We present every load before it's booked, and you can pass on any of them. The fee only applies to loads you accepted and hauled. Passing doesn't count against you and doesn't change your rate.
Q04Is the dispatch fee a business expense?
For most owner-operators a dispatch fee is a normal cost of running the business, the same as load board subscriptions or factoring fees. Your weekly report lists every fee so it's easy to hand to whoever does your books. Ask your tax preparer how it applies to you.
Q05Is a percentage fee better than a flat weekly fee?
A flat fee is predictable but you pay it even in a slow week or a week at home. A percentage moves with your revenue, so a bad week costs less. It does mean a bigger load carries a bigger fee, which is why we keep the percentage low and publish it.
Q06Is the dispatch fee on gross or net?
Gross load revenue on loads you haul. We don't take a cut of your fuel savings, and we don't add a markup between the broker's rate and what you see. The rate con comes to you, so you see exactly what the broker is paying.
Q07When and how am I billed?
The billing schedule and payment method are written into the dispatch agreement you get after your first call, before any load moves. The rate in that agreement is the one on this page.
Q08Do you charge a setup fee?
No. Carrier packets, broker setups and the first call are part of the service. You pay nothing until you haul a load you agreed to.
Know your rate first
Apply in about 2 minutes. A dispatcher confirms your rate on the phone, and it's the same one on this page.
YOUR FEENO. 0001
EXAMPLE
- Weekly gross (example)
- $5,000
- Standard rate 5%
- $250
- Setup fee
- $0
You keep$4,750