ENTRY 01 / LEASE-PURCHASE AND DISPATCH

Lease purchase dispatch: who actually dispatches you, and when we can

If you are in a lease-purchase program, there is a good chance an outside dispatcher can't help you, and we would rather say that up front. Most lease-purchase drivers run under the carrier's authority, and the carrier dispatches them. This page shows how to tell which side you are on, what the lease numbers really mean, and when lease purchase dispatch with us does fit.

Check if dispatch fits my lease

Read the lease first
49 CFR 376 protects you
Own MC: we can help

We never take on a driver who is leased to a carrier. If you run under your own MC, we dispatch any equipment we cover, from a 26 ft box truck to a step deck.

ENTRY 02 / DECISION FLOW

Three questions decide who dispatches your truck

Answer them for your own setup. The authority on your truck, who picks your loads and who pays for big repairs tell you whether you are leased on or running your own business. Each answer links to what to read next.

YOUR LEASE, YOUR AUTHORITY

Whose MC number is on the truck and the bills of lading?

STEP 1

See all answers

Your carrier dispatches you.
You are leased on under the carrier's authority. An outside dispatcher can't book your truck. Focus on your lease terms and your weekly numbers.
Still the carrier's authority.
Even if you choose loads, they run under the carrier's MC and its rules. Read your lease on load selection, and ask the carrier before involving anyone else.
We can dispatch you.
You run your own authority and pay your own costs. That is exactly who our desk is built for.
Dispatch for owner-operators
Check your paperwork.
A carrier deducting your truck payment usually means a lease-on arrangement. Confirm whose authority you operate under before talking to any dispatcher.

ENTRY 03 / NUMBERS THAT MATTER

A lease-purchase week next to an own-authority week

Both settlements are EXAMPLE values you can edit. On a lease-purchase, the carrier keeps part of the revenue and deducts the truck payment and escrow before you see a dollar. With your own authority, you get the full rate and pay every cost yourself, including our fee.

LEASE-PURCHASE SETTLEMENTONE WEEK · EXAMPLE

Item	Amount
Driver pay on settlement	Driver pay on settlement amount
Truck lease payment	Truck lease payment amount
Maintenance escrow	Maintenance escrow amount
Insurance chargeback	Insurance chargeback amount
Fuel	Fuel amount
Other chargebacks	Other chargebacks amount
NET	$1,180.00

OWN AUTHORITY WEEKONE WEEK · EXAMPLE

Item	Amount
Gross load revenue	Gross load revenue amount
Truck payment	Truck payment amount
Insurance	Insurance amount
Fuel	Fuel amount
Maintenance reserve	Maintenance reserve amount
Plates, permits, ELD, other	Plates, permits, ELD, other amount
Dispatch fee 5%	Dispatch fee 5% amount
NET	$2,130.00

What the weekly settlement hides: the balloon payment at the end, the total you will have paid compared with what the truck is worth, and what you lose if you leave early. A balloon payment can turn a good-looking weekly number into a bad deal. Some programs are sold as a walk-away lease; read what walking away really costs.

Run your own offer through the lease-purchase deal analyzer, then compare it against buying a truck yourself with the lease-purchase vs own calculator. Both use your numbers, not ours.

ENTRY 04 / CLAUSES TO READ TWICE

Lease clauses to check, and what federal rules require

The federal truth-in-leasing rules in 49 CFR 376.12 set what a lease must say. They don't make every lease fair, but they give you a checklist. These cards show EXAMPLE clause types, not any real company's lease.

Escrow kept after you leave
RARELY FAIR
Escrow funds may be retained to cover any amounts the Carrier determines are owed. EXAMPLE
In plain words: The carrier could hold your escrow with no clear accounting.
What to ask: Ask for the escrow accounting and the return date. The rules require return no later than 45 days after termination, with allowed deductions itemized.
SOURCE: 49 CFR 376.12(k)
Chargebacks not itemized
READ CLOSELY
Contractor agrees to reimburse Carrier for miscellaneous expenses. EXAMPLE
In plain words: Costs can come off your settlement without a clear list.
What to ask: Every chargeback item and how it is calculated must be spelled out, with documents on request.
SOURCE: 49 CFR 376.12(h)
Percentage pay without the freight bill
READ CLOSELY
Contractor shall receive 70% of line-haul revenue. EXAMPLE
In plain words: You are paid a share, but can you see the total?
What to ask: If you are paid a percentage, the carrier must give you a copy of the rated freight bill before settlement.
SOURCE: 49 CFR 376.12(g)
Required purchases from the carrier
RARELY FAIR
Contractor shall purchase insurance and fuel through Carrier programs. EXAMPLE
In plain words: You might be forced to buy services at the carrier's price.
What to ask: The lease must say you are not required to buy products or services from the carrier as a condition of the lease.
SOURCE: 49 CFR 376.12(i)
Large balloon at the end
READ CLOSELY
Upon completion of payments, Contractor may purchase the equipment for the residual amount. EXAMPLE
In plain words: A big final payment can decide whether you ever own the truck.
What to ask: What is the residual, and what is the truck likely to be worth then?
Clear termination terms
COMMON AND FAIR
Either party may terminate this lease with 30 days written notice; escrow will be returned per the lease. EXAMPLE
In plain words: You know how you can leave and what you get back.
What to ask: What happens to the truck and the equity you built if you leave early?

SOURCE: 49 CFR 376.12, CORNELL LII, OCT 2026

For a full walkthrough, read our truck lease-purchase agreement guide. This is general information, not legal advice; have an attorney read your actual lease before you sign or leave one.

Six questions to ask any lease-purchase program before you sign

Ask in writing and keep the answers. A program that won't answer clearly is telling you something.

Then put the answers into the deal analyzer. The weekly payment is the number every program advertises; the total cost and the exit terms are the numbers that decide whether you end up owning a truck or just renting one for years.

01What will I pay in total? Every weekly payment, the balloon, and fees, added up, next to the truck's likely value at the end.
02How are loads assigned? Can you turn loads down, and does turning them down affect what you are offered next?
03What comes off my settlement? Every chargeback, with how each is calculated.
04How is escrow handled? Amount, uses, monthly accounting, interest and the return date after you leave.
05Who pays for major repairs? Engine, transmission and aftertreatment failures, and whether payments continue while the truck is down.
06What happens if I leave early? Do you lose the truck, the equity and the escrow, and is anything still owed?

When lease purchase dispatch with us does fit

If you financed a truck yourself and run it under your own MC, you are an owner-operator with your own authority, whatever your loan is called. That is our whole business: we book to your floor rate, you sign every rate con, and the fee is 5% of gross with one truck and an MC past six months (7% for a newer MC).

If you are finishing a lease-purchase and planning your own authority, read is lease-purchase trucking a good idea and plan the move before the last payment. We can have packets ready for the day your MC is active.

What we won't do

We won't book a truck that is leased to a carrier, advise you to break a lease, or tell you a lease is good or bad without seeing the numbers. Lease and escrow disputes belong with an attorney.

Researching programs? Our list of lease-purchase trucking companies explains how to compare them with public information.

ENTRY 05 / LEASE QUESTIONS

Lease-purchase and dispatch: straight answers

Q01Can a lease-purchase driver use a dispatcher?

Usually not an outside one. Most lease-purchase programs keep you leased on to the carrier, under its authority, and the carrier dispatches you. An outside dispatcher fits only if you run under your own MC, for example when you bought or financed a truck independently rather than through the carrier's program.

Q02Who dispatches a lease-purchase driver?

The motor carrier you are leased to. Federal truth-in-leasing rules give the carrier exclusive possession, control and use of the equipment during the lease, and its dispatch assigns your loads. Your lease and the carrier's policies decide how much choice you have over loads and home time.

Q03Is lease purchase trucking a good idea?

Sometimes, but the numbers decide it, not the pitch. Compare the total you will pay with what the truck is worth at the end, check the balloon payment, the escrow terms and what happens if you leave early, and estimate your weekly take-home after every deduction. Our guide and deal analyzer walk through it.

Q04What happens to escrow if I leave a lease-purchase?

Under 49 CFR 376.12(k), the lease must spell out how escrow can be used, give you an accounting, pay interest on it, and return the balance, minus allowed deductions, no later than 45 days after the lease ends. Read your lease for the exact terms, and talk to an attorney if escrow is withheld.

Q05Can I get my own authority while on a lease-purchase?

You can apply for your own MC while leased on, but you generally can't run under it in a truck that is leased to the carrier, and leaving the lease early may cost you the truck and equity. Read the termination and buyout terms first. Once you run under your own MC, our dispatch is open to you.

Running your own MC now? Let's book it.

Apply in about a minute. Your truck, your authority, your signature on every rate con.

SETTLEMENTWEEK OF EXAMPLE · EXAMPLE

Item	Amount
Own authority week, EXAMPLE	$5,600.00
Dispatch fee 5%	($280.00)
NET	$5,320.00

Start owner-operator dispatch