ENTRY 01 / HOW IT WORKS
How truck dispatch works, from application to first settlement
Hiring a dispatcher feels like handing over the keys. It isn't. Here is exactly how truck dispatch works with us, step by step, told through a hypothetical owner-operator we will call Owner A. Nothing is booked without your signature, nothing is charged until you haul, and you can see every step before you start.
- 4 steps
- You sign every rate con
- No setup fee
Owner A is EXAMPLE: one dry van tractor, own MC for two years, home every weekend near Columbus, OH. Not a real customer.
ENTRY 02 / FIRST SETTLEMENT WALKTHROUGH
Dispatch onboarding in four entries and one report
ENTRY 1
ABOUT A MINUTE
Apply
Truck type, trucks on your MC, whose authority you run under and how to reach you. That is the whole form. If you factor or you are still waiting on your MC, say so on the call; neither stops you applying.
ENTRY 2
AFTER YOU APPLY
The setup call
A dispatcher asks the questions that set your rules: cost per mile, the rate you won't go under, lanes you like, states and brokers you won't run, home days, and how you like to hear about loads. This is the most important twenty minutes of the whole setup.
ENTRY 3
RIGHT AFTER THE CALL
Paperwork and carrier packets
You send the documents below once. We use them to complete carrier packets with the brokers we book. Some brokers approve fast; others take longer, especially for new MCs. You get the dispatch agreement to read before any load.
ENTRY 4
WHEN PACKETS CLEAR
The first load
A load that clears your floor is negotiated and the broker sends the rate con to your email, made out to your company. You sign it or you say no. If you sign, we handle the check calls and you drive.
ENTRY 5 · THE FIRST WEEKLY REPORT
| LANE | MI | GROSS |
|---|---|---|
| Columbus, OH - Indianapolis, IN | 176 | 690.00 |
| Indianapolis, IN - Nashville, TN | 288 | 905.00 |
| Nashville, TN - Atlanta, GA | 250 | 820.00 |
| Detention, Atlanta (3 hrs) | 150.00 | |
| Atlanta, GA - Charlotte, NC | 245 | 760.00 |
| Charlotte, NC - Columbus, OH | 435 | 1,320.00 |
| GROSS | $4,645.00 | |
| DISPATCH FEE 5% | ($232.25) |
Loaded miles: 1,394. Each line matches a rate con Owner A signed. The fee line is the amount owed to the desk for the week.
What we ask on the setup call
The call is where your rules get written down. Nothing on it is a test, and there are no wrong answers; a new owner who doesn't know their cost per mile yet works it out with us on the call. Have rough numbers ready; we work out the rest together. Owner A's answers are shown as an EXAMPLE.
- What does a mile cost you?
- Owner A: about $1.15 with the truck payment, insurance, fuel and a repair reserve.
- What rate won't you go under?
- Owner A: $2.05 a mile all-in, counting the empty miles to the pickup.
- Where do you like to run?
- Midwest and Southeast, out Monday, back Friday.
- Where won't you go?
- No New York City deliveries, no loads into Florida in July.
- Which brokers are off the list?
- Two brokers from past payment problems.
- How do you want offers?
- Rate cons by email, a call only when there is a choice to make.
ENTRY 03 / A NORMAL WEEK
When you hear from us, and when you don't
Most owners worry they will lose control of their week. In practice the opposite happens: the decisions still come to you, and the noise doesn't. Owner A's phone rings for decisions, not for updates. A rate con lands when a load clears the floor; a short call comes when there is a real choice to make between two loads; the rest of the week the desk handles brokers on its own.
- Rate cons by email, to sign or decline.
- A call when the next load needs your choice.
- Check calls and ETAs handled by the desk.
- The weekly report at the end of the week.
Tap a day on the strip to make it a home day and watch the EXAMPLE week re-plan around it.
2 HOME DAYS · 1,394 MIGROSS $4,645
ENTRY 04 / PAPERWORK LIST
Carrier setup with a dispatcher: what to have ready
Send these once and you won't fill out another carrier packet by hand. Brokers check each one before they release freight, so a complete set is the fastest route to the first rate con. Our guide to the carrier packet for owner-operators explains what brokers look for in each document.
- MC and DOT number. Active, with your BOC-3 on file.
- Certificate of insurance. Auto liability and cargo; we tell you which brokers to add as holders.
- W-9. Signed, in your business name.
- Truck and trailer details. Equipment type, length, and for box trucks the liftgate and dock details.
- ELD provider. Many brokers ask for tracking.
- Notice of assignment. Only if you factor, so brokers pay your factor.
- Drug and alcohol testing program, CDL trucks only. If you drive a CDL truck under your own authority, your random testing program has to be in place before the first load. Most one-truck carriers use a DOT drug testing consortium; you can join a DOT consortium here (partner link: we may earn a referral fee; it does not change your price, see our disclosure). Non-CDL 26 ft box trucks and non-CDL hotshots don't need one.
Still waiting on your MC? Start anyway. Packets prepared before the authority is active save the first week. The plan for brand new carriers is on dispatch for new authorities.
Already factoring, or thinking about it? Dispatch and factoring work side by side; your notice of assignment just goes into each packet. See how the two fit on dispatch and factoring.
ENTRY 05 / QUESTIONS
Before you start: the questions everyone asks
Q01What does the weekly report show?
Every load from the week: lane, pickup and delivery dates, loaded and empty miles, the rate, any detention or layover we claimed, and the gross. The dispatch fee is its own line at the bottom, worked out on that gross, so you can check it against your rate cons in a few minutes.
Q02How long does dispatch setup take?
The application takes about a minute and the setup call about twenty. After that it depends on brokers approving your carrier packet. With documents ready, the first rate con can come within days; new MCs often take longer because some brokers want more history.
Q03Who signs the rate confirmation, me or the dispatcher?
You do, every time. The broker sends the rate con to your email in your company name. You read it and sign it, or you decline it. We never sign a rate con for you, and a load you decline costs you nothing.
Q04Who handles check calls?
We do. Brokers call the desk for location updates, ETAs and delivery confirmations, so your phone stays quieter while you drive. We only call you when something needs the driver: a dock change, a delay you need to know about, or a decision on the next load.
Q05Who sends invoices to brokers?
Brokers pay the carrier named on the rate con, so invoices go out in your company's name, from you or from your factoring company if you factor. Our part is making sure the signed rate con and proof of delivery are complete, because missing paperwork is what delays payment.
Q06What happens if a load goes wrong?
We get on the phone with the broker right away. A cancelled load at the dock means a TONU claim; a long wait means detention; a missed appointment means a reschedule and a new plan for the next load. Cargo damage is handled through your cargo insurance, and we help document what happened.
Fee: 5% of gross with one truck, 7% while your MC is under 6 months, 4% for 2+ trucks. Full pricing.
After the first couple of weeks, we look back at the reports together. If your floor was too low to cover a repair you didn't plan for, it goes up. If a lane kept paying, we look for more of it. Your rules are a living list, and you can change any of them with a call or a text.
That is the whole process. No long contract to sign before you see a load, no setup fee, and a month-to-month agreement you can end with 30 days notice. If the first weeks don't work for your business, you will know quickly, and leaving is simple. Owner A is an EXAMPLE; your first week depends on your lanes, your equipment, your MC age and the market that week.