CALCULATOR / FREE
Dispatcher fee calculator
Enter a dispatcher's quote to see the fee in dollars each week and year, what share of your gross it really takes after per-load and setup fees, your rate per mile after it, and the weekly gross at which a flat fee would cost less.
How it is calculated
- Fee base = weekly gross, or gross × line haul share if the fee is charged on line haul only
- Weekly fee = fee base × percentage + per-load fee × loads a week
- Real share of gross = weekly fee ÷ weekly gross
- Rate per mile after the fee = (gross − weekly fee) ÷ all miles driven
- Yearly = weekly fee × weeks worked + any setup fee
- Flat fee yearly = weekly flat fee × 52, because flat fees are usually owed whether the truck runs or not
- Break-even gross = the weekly gross at which the percentage fee equals the flat fee
A worked example
An EXAMPLE quote: 10% of gross, against a competitor's $300 flat weekly fee. The owner grosses $6,000 a week over 2,500 miles and works 48 weeks a year.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Gross | $6,000.00 |
| Dispatch fee, 10% of gross | ($600.00) |
| NET | $5,400.00 |
The 10% quote costs $600 a week, $28,800 over 48 weeks, and leaves $2.16 per mile driven. The $300 flat fee costs $15,600 a year, paid all 52 weeks, and is cheaper in any week the truck grosses more than $3,000. At our 5% for one truck with 6+ months authority, the same week costs $300 and a week the truck sits costs nothing.
What a good or bad result means
A good quote is one you can check against your own rate cons: a clear percentage on a clear base, no setup fee, no minimums and nothing on loads you decline. A bad one has a low headline percentage with extras that push the real share of gross well above it, or a flat fee that keeps running through slow weeks.
The fee is only half of the question. A dispatcher who raises your rate per mile can be worth a higher fee than one who books whatever is easiest. The dispatch ROI calculator shows the rate increase a fee needs to pay for itself. Compare that with what loads pay in owner-operator rates per mile, and keep fuel in view with the trip fuel cost calculator. If you bill your own loads, our guide to the owner-operator trucking invoice covers what goes on it.
Before you sign with anyone, ask three things in writing: what exactly the percentage is charged on, whether any fee applies to a week the truck doesn't run, and what it costs to leave. Then put each answer into the calculator and compare the yearly totals side by side.
See how our fee works on dispatch for owner-operators, or apply.
Calculator questions
Q01What is a normal dispatcher fee?
Many owner-operator dispatchers charge a percentage of each load, often around 8% to 12% of gross, and some charge a flat weekly fee or per-load fee instead. Ours is 5% of gross for one truck with 6+ months authority. The percentage only means something next to what it is charged on and what extra fees come with it.
Q02Is a percentage or a flat dispatcher fee better?
A percentage costs nothing in a week the truck doesn't run and rises with good weeks. A flat fee is cheaper in high-grossing weeks but is usually owed every week, including slow weeks and weeks in the shop. The calculator shows the weekly gross where they cost the same.
Q03Should a dispatcher charge on gross or line haul?
Either can be fair if it is written down clearly. Gross includes fuel surcharge and accessorials, so the same percentage costs more on gross. Compare quotes on the dollars they take from the same week, not on the percentage alone.
Q04What fees should I watch for besides the percentage?
Setup or onboarding fees, per-load or paperwork fees, monthly minimums, and fees on loads you turn down. Ask for every charge in writing before you sign, and check the agreement contains no others.
By Daniel
UPDATED OCTOBER 2026
One fee, written down, nothing on weeks you don't haul
5% of gross for one truck with 6+ months authority, 7% while your MC is under 6 months, 4% for 2+ trucks. No setup fee, no minimums, month to month. You sign or refuse every rate con.