ENTRY 01 / OWNER-OPERATOR DISPATCH
Dispatch service for owner operators who run it like a business
Our dispatch service for owner operators starts where your business starts: your cost per mile and what you need to take home. We set your floor rate from those numbers, book above it, take the broker calls and plan the week around your home days. From 4% of gross, no contract, and every rate con comes to you to sign or refuse.
It is built for one-truck owners and small fleets running their own MC on any equipment we dispatch, from a 26 ft box truck to a step deck, who are tired of running the office from the sleeper at midnight.
- Your floor, not ours
- You sign every rate con
- Cancel with 30 days notice
ENTRY 02 / OWNER'S DASHBOARD
Put in your costs. See the rate your truck needs.
Every number below is yours to change. The dashboard turns your truck payment, insurance, fuel and miles into three readings: what a mile costs you, the lowest rate that still pays your goal, and what the truck takes home at the rate you get today.
Cost per mile
Your floor rate
Take-home now
At $2.10/mi you keep about $1,224 a week, $376 short of your goal. Your floor is $2.26/mi; break-even is $1.58/mi.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Gross at $2.26/mi | $5,645.93 |
| Fuel | ($2,346.32) |
| Truck payment | ($553.85) |
| Insurance | ($300.00) |
| Plates, ELD, other | ($138.46) |
| Maintenance reserve | ($425.00) |
| Dispatch fee 5% | ($282.30) |
| NET | $1,600.00 |
The floor rate is the line we dispatch to. It covers the truck, the reserve for repairs and your pay before a single broker call is made. For a deeper look, the take-home pay calculator, the break-even rate calculator and the maintenance reserve calculator each go one level further on a single number.
Break-even
The rate where the truck pays its own bills and you earn nothing. Below it, every mile costs you money. We treat it as a hard wall, not a target.
Floor rate
Break-even plus the pay you need to take home. This is the number we book to. A load that pays less after counting the empty miles to reach it doesn't reach your inbox.
The market
What brokers are paying on a lane this week. When the market sits above your floor, we push for the top of it. When it sits below, we tell you so and plan lanes that get you back above it.
ENTRY 03 / WHAT CHANGES WITH A DESK
Owner operator dispatch services take the office out of the cab
Nobody can promise you more money per week, and you should hang up on anyone who does. What a good desk changes is where your hours go and which loads you say yes to. Here is the same owner's week, without and with a dispatcher.
| THE JOB | SELF-DISPATCHED | WITH OUR DESK |
|---|---|---|
| Finding the next load | Refreshing boards at fuel stops and at night | Loads searched while you drive, matched to your floor and lanes |
| Getting the rate | First offer, because the load will be gone in ten minutes | A counter on every load, using lane history and the broker's own urgency |
| Planning the reload | Figured out after delivery, often with deadhead | Lined up before you deliver, inside your deadhead limit |
| Detention and layover | Often never billed; the paperwork goes stale | Clock tracked and claimed with the delivery paperwork |
| Broker calls and check calls | Taken while driving or ignored | Handled by the desk; you hear about what needs you |
| Packets and paperwork | A new packet for every new broker | Your W-9, insurance certificate and authority already on file |
| Home time | Whatever the last load allows | The week planned backward from your home days |
A WEEK ON OUR DESK · EXAMPLE, NOT A REAL CARRIER
Sunday night: the owner of a dry van out of Columbus, OH tells us the truck is empty Monday at 6 a.m., home again Friday night, floor $2.05 a mile, no loads into New York City. Monday: three rate cons reach the owner's inbox before breakfast; two are declined by text because the pickups are tight, one is signed. Tuesday: while that load is rolling, the reload is lined up 40 miles from delivery, after a counter moved the rate up. Wednesday: a receiver holds the truck four hours; the desk logs the times and sends the detention claim with the POD. Thursday and Friday: two shorter loads walk the truck back toward Ohio, and the last delivery is 50 miles from home. Saturday: the weekly report lands with every load, every mile and the fee on one page.
The owner signed or declined every load. Nothing was booked in their name without their signature.
If you would rather keep booking yourself, our guide on how to get loads as an owner-operator covers boards, direct shippers and broker relationships without a dispatcher in the middle.
ENTRY 04 / THE RATE CON IS YOURS
You stay the owner. We work the phones.
The broker sends every rate confirmation to you, made out to your company. You read it and sign it, or you say no. We never accept a load in your name, and a load you turn down costs you nothing.
That is the rule underneath everything else on this page. A desk that can book you without asking is a desk you have to watch. Ours has to earn your signature on every load.
Some days no load in your market clears your floor. When that happens we call you with the real options: wait a few hours for the board to turn, take a short load that repositions you into a better market, or run a little deeper into a lane that pays. You pick. We never sneak a cheap load past you to keep the truck moving, because a cheap load is still your cheap load.
Your floor rate
Set from your own numbers. Loads below it after deadhead are not sent to you.
Your lanes and states
Where you like to run and where you won't. We book inside the map you draw.
Your home days
Planned in from the start of the week, not squeezed in at the end.
Your broker list
Any broker you have had trouble with goes on a do-not-book list.
Your truck, your hours
We plan to your hours of service and how you like to run.
Your exit
Month to month. Either side can end it with 30 days notice.
ENTRY 05 / LEASED ON OR LEASE-PURCHASE?
Own authority, leased on, lease-purchase: who dispatches whom
"Owner-operator" covers three different businesses. Dispatch companies for owner operators can only help the first one. If you are leased on or in a lease-purchase program, your carrier dispatches you under its authority, and the lease, not a dispatcher, decides your pay.
| Question | OWN AUTHORITY | LEASED ON | LEASE-PURCHASE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whose authority | Yours (your MC and DOT) | The motor carrier's | Usually the carrier's |
| Who dispatches you | You, or a dispatcher you hire | The carrier | The carrier |
| Who sets the rate | You sign every rate con | Carrier pay plan (often % of line haul or per mile) | Carrier pay plan, with lease payments deducted |
| Who pays insurance | You buy your own policies | Split per the lease; often charged back | Usually charged back on the settlement |
| What you keep | Gross minus all your costs | Settlement minus chargebacks | Settlement minus chargebacks and the truck payment |
| The rules that protect you | Your broker contracts | Truth-in-leasing, 49 CFR Part 376 | Truth-in-leasing, 49 CFR Part 376, plus the purchase terms |
| Where to start here | Apply for dispatch | Read your lease, learn your numbers | Run the deal through the analyzer |
SOURCE: 49 CFR PART 376, LEASE AND INTERCHANGE OF VEHICLES (TRUTH IN LEASING). TERMS VARY BY LEASE; READ YOURS AND ASK AN ATTORNEY ABOUT ANYTHING UNCLEAR. ECFR.GOV
If you are leased on, the federal truth-in-leasing rules are your protection. Among other things, 49 CFR 376.12 requires the lease to be in writing, to state your compensation clearly, to list every item the carrier can charge back to you, and to explain how any escrow is held, how interest is handled and when the balance comes back after the lease ends. If your settlements don't match what the lease says, that is a question for the carrier first and an attorney second.
Running your own MC
You are who this desk is built for. Apply for dispatch.
Brand new MC
The first six months work differently. Read dispatch for new authorities.
In a lease-purchase
Check whose authority you run under first. See lease-purchase and dispatch.
New to the terms? What an owner-operator is explains the three paths in plain words, and owner-operator expenses lists every cost that ends up on a one-truck ledger.
ENTRY 06 / THE FEE, LINE BY LINE
The fee is one line on your settlement. Here it is.
This EXAMPLE week grossed $6,200. Our fee at the standard 5% is $310. The same week with a dispatcher at 10% costs $620, and at 12% it costs $744. Many dispatch services sit in the 8-12% range.
The rate tiers depend only on how old your MC is and how many trucks run on it, never on the equipment: 7% under 6 months, 5% after, 4% for two or more trucks. No setup fee, no minimum, and nothing for a week the truck sits. All of it is on the dispatch pricing page.
The percentage covers the whole desk: load searches on the major boards and our direct broker contacts, negotiation on every load, broker and check calls, deadhead planning, detention and layover claims, carrier packet setup and the weekly report. There is no extra charge for packets, no charge for a load you decline, and no charge for nights and weekends.
| DESK | FEE | LEFT FOR COSTS AND PAY |
|---|---|---|
| BuddyLoads 5% | ($310.00) | $5890.00 |
| A 10% dispatcher | ($620.00) | $5580.00 |
| A 12% dispatcher | ($744.00) | $5456.00 |
What we need from you to start
Brokers check these before they release a load, so having them ready is the fastest way to a first rate con.
Running a CDL truck under your own authority also means you need a DOT drug and alcohol testing program in place, and more brokers ask to see it. Non-CDL 26 ft box trucks and non-CDL hotshots are not under those rules. The details are in owner-operator drug testing requirements.
- Active MC and DOT number, with your BOC-3 process agent on file.
- Certificate of insurance showing auto liability and cargo coverage.
- A signed W-9 for your business.
- Your notice of assignment, if you factor.
- Truck and trailer details, plus your ELD provider.
ENTRY 07 / CHOOSING A DISPATCHER
Comparing dispatch companies for owner operators? Use the same questions on us.
The best dispatch service for one owner is the wrong one for the next. Ask every desk the same things: what the fee is charged on, who signs the rate con, how you leave, and how they handle a load you don't want. We wrote three guides so you can check us the same way you check anyone else.
- Questions to ask a truck dispatcherGood answers and red-flag answers, with a scorecard.
- Sample dispatch carrier agreementEvery clause explained, with what to push back on.
- How to compare truck dispatch servicesA worksheet for up to three dispatchers side by side.
Whatever you decide, get the agreement in writing before the first load and read the termination clause twice. A fair agreement says what the fee is charged on, who signs rate confirmations, and how either side can walk away.
Short on cash between loads? Factoring for owner-operators explains how invoices turn into cash in days, what it costs and what to read before you sign.
ENTRY 08 / OWNER QUESTIONS
What owner-operators ask before they sign up
Q01What reports will I get each week?
A weekly earnings report that lists every load: lane, loaded and empty miles, the rate, accessorials like detention or layover, the gross, and the dispatch fee as its own line. It is built so you can drop it next to your fuel and settlement records and see the real week, not a summary.
Q02What if I want to run only certain lanes?
Tell us on the first call and we book inside them. Lanes, states you avoid, how far you will deadhead and the brokers you refuse all go into your profile. If the only loads leaving a market break your rules, we call you with the options instead of quietly booking around them.
Q03Can a dispatcher plan my home time?
Yes, and it is one of the main reasons owners hire a desk. Give us your home days and home base, and we plan the week backward from them, so the last load ends near home instead of 600 miles out. Plans change with freight, but the target stays on the board.
Q04How fast can I start?
Apply, take the first call, and we send your carrier packets to the brokers we book with. Some brokers approve quickly; others take longer, especially for newer MCs. Have your W-9, insurance certificate and authority details ready and the first rate con usually follows the packet approvals.
Q05Can leased-on owner-operators use a dispatcher?
Not an outside one. A leased-on owner-operator runs under the motor carrier's authority, and the carrier dispatches the truck under the lease. An outside dispatcher fits once you hold your own MC. The table on this page shows how the three paths differ.
Q06How do I pay the dispatcher?
You pay a percentage of the gross on loads you haul: 5% standard, 7% while your MC is under 6 months, 4% for two or more trucks. There is no setup fee and no monthly minimum. If the truck sits, there is no fee for that week.
Q07Do I need my own authority?
Yes. You need an active MC and DOT number, insurance on file and a W-9, or you need to be in the process of getting them. If your authority is still pending, apply now and we will have your packets ready for the day it goes active.
Q08Do you work with owner-operators who factor?
Yes. If you factor, we note your notice of assignment on every carrier packet so brokers pay the factor. If you don't factor yet and cash flow is tight, we refer carriers to our factoring partner; we may be paid for that referral, and factoring is never required.
Your floor rate, your lanes, your signature
Apply in about a minute. On the first call we set your floor from your numbers, and every load after that comes to you to approve.
Cost per mile · EXAMPLE
Floor rate · EXAMPLE
Take-home · EXAMPLE