ENTRY 01 / POWER ONLY DISPATCH
Power only dispatch services for owners who skipped the trailer
Running power only lowers the cash it takes to start and saves hours at the dock, but it adds trailer pools, interchange rules and drop windows to every load. Our power only dispatch services book preloaded and drop-and-hook freight to your floor rate, and check the trailer terms before the rate con reaches you. You sign every load.
- 5% of gross
- Trailer terms checked
- You sign every load
Tractor only, or a tractor that sometimes pulls your own trailer and sometimes runs power only. We dispatch both.
ENTRY 02 / HOW POWER ONLY WORKS
How power only dispatch works, start to finish
In power only, someone else owns the trailer: a shipper with its own trailer fleet, a broker with a trailer program, or a trailer pool. You hook a preloaded trailer at a yard or a shipper, deliver it, and often drop it at the receiver or bring it back empty to a yard.
Because the trailer belongs to someone else, there is paperwork the trailer owner cares about: an interchange agreement that sets your responsibility for the trailer, insurance for damage to it, inspection at hook-up and rules about where and when you drop it.
- 01Setup. We get you approved with the power only programs and brokers that fit your MC and insurance.
- 02Load offer. A rate con comes to you with the yard, trailer number, drop instructions and any empty return.
- 03Hook and inspect. You inspect the trailer before you leave and note damage on the paperwork.
- 04Deliver and drop. Drop at the receiver or yard per the instructions, with photos and times.
- 05Next trailer. We line up the next preload near the drop, so you aren't running empty to find one.
Trailer interchange insurance. Trailer owners usually require coverage for physical damage to their trailer while you have it, and some set minimum limits. Your regular physical damage policy covers your own tractor, not their trailer. Confirm what each program needs with your insurance agent before the first load.
Renting instead. Some owners rent a trailer by the week or month to run regular loads. The rental fee becomes a fixed cost; our dictionary entry on the trailer rental fee explains how it shows up on a settlement.
ENTRY 03 / TRAILER COST LEDGER
Power only, your own trailer, or a rental: which pays more?
A trailer can open more loads and some higher rates, but it costs money every week whether it rolls or not. Power only skips that cost and usually pays a bit less per mile. Put in your numbers and see which column leaves more before truck costs.
POWER ONLY · EXAMPLE
| Gross | $5,280.00 |
|---|---|
| Before truck costs | $5,280.00 |
OWN TRAILER · EXAMPLE
| Gross | $5,880.00 |
|---|---|
| Trailer payment | ($150.00) |
| Trailer upkeep | ($40.00) |
| Before truck costs | $5,690.00 |
PAYS MOST AT THESE NUMBERS
RENT A TRAILER · EXAMPLE
| Gross | $5,880.00 |
|---|---|
| Trailer rental | ($250.00) |
| Before truck costs | $5,630.00 |
Truck costs, fuel and the dispatch fee are the same in all three columns, so they are left out. Estimates from your inputs.
To check a single power only load against your costs, use the load profitability calculator. It counts the empty miles to the yard and any empty trailer return, which is where power only loads often lose their margin.
ENTRY 04 / WHAT WE CHECK
What a power only dispatcher checks before you sign
Power only rates look simple until the details show up at the yard: a trailer that isn't ready, a drop that requires an empty return 80 miles away, or an interchange agreement you haven't signed. These go on the rate con, or the load doesn't reach you.
- Trailer owner and program. Whose trailer it is, and whether you are approved and insured for it.
- Interchange terms. Your responsibility for the trailer, and what happens with damage found at drop.
- Pickup and drop windows. When the preload is ready, and the drop hours at the receiver or yard.
- Empty return. Whether you have to bring the empty back, how far, and whether it is paid.
- Detention and TONU. Pay if the trailer isn't ready or the load is cancelled after dispatch.
- Trailer condition. Who to call about tires, lights or a reefer unit problem before you leave the yard.
Who power only fits, and who it doesn't
Power only suits owners who want to start with less cash, like drop and hook work, and run near freight hubs with trailer pools. It suits owners less who run rural lanes where preloads are scarce, or who want specialized freight that needs their own reefer, flatbed or step deck.
New authority? Some trailer programs want time in business. The plan for new carriers is on dispatch for new authorities.
Mixing modes. Plenty of owners keep a trailer and still take power only loads when they beat the trailer's next option. We look at both every week.
What we need. MC and DOT, a certificate of insurance including trailer interchange if you have it, a W-9, your ELD provider and your notice of assignment if you factor.
Why power only owners hire a power only dispatcher
Chasing the next preload
Power only margins depend on hooking the next trailer close to the last drop. Finding it while driving is hard.
Approvals with many programs
Each trailer program and broker has its own setup. A desk keeps you approved with the ones on your lanes.
Empty returns that eat the rate
An unpaid 90-mile empty return can turn a good rate into a poor one. We price it in before you sign.
Where power only freight comes from
Large shippers with their own trailer fleets, brokers that run trailer programs, and trailer pools near freight hubs and ports post most of it. Freight volume follows the trailer pools: dense around big distribution markets, thin in rural areas. That is why where you live and where you are willing to run shape whether power only works for you.
We map the pools and programs near your home base on the first call, so you know before the first load how much preloaded freight your lanes really have.
ENTRY 05 / POWER ONLY QUESTIONS
Power only dispatcher questions
Q01How does power only dispatch work?
You supply the tractor and the driver; the shipper, broker or a trailer pool supplies the trailer. Most power only loads are preloaded trailers picked up at a yard or shipper and dropped at the receiver. We find those loads, check the trailer terms and send you the rate con to sign or refuse.
Q02Is power only good for a new owner-operator?
It can be. Skipping a trailer purchase lowers the cash you need to start, and drop and hook freight saves dock time. The trade-offs: fewer loads to choose from in some markets, trailer rules to follow, and rates that reflect not bringing a trailer. Compare the numbers before you decide.
Q03Do I need trailer interchange insurance?
Often, yes. When you pull a trailer you don't own under an interchange agreement, the trailer owner usually requires trailer interchange coverage for physical damage to their trailer, and some programs set minimum limits. Check what each program requires and confirm your coverage with your insurance agent.
Q04How much do power only dispatchers charge?
Dispatchers price power only like other equipment; percentages vary. We charge 5% of gross with one truck and an MC past 6 months, 7% while the MC is newer, and 4% for two or more trucks, the same as every equipment type. No setup fee, no contract.
Q05Can a new MC run power only?
Yes, though some power only programs and trailer pools have their own requirements for authority age, insurance limits and safety record. We start with options that take new carriers and add more as your MC qualifies.
The fee on a power only week
Power only pays the same tier as every truck we dispatch: 5% of gross with one truck and an MC past six months, 7% while the MC is newer, 4% for two or more trucks. On an EXAMPLE $5,300 power only week, that is $265 at the standard rate. Nothing on a load you decline, no setup fee and no contract. Every number is on the dispatch pricing page.
Preloads booked to your floor, trailer terms checked first
Apply in about a minute. Tell us your home base and which trailer programs you are already approved with; we take it from there.
Power only rate · EXAMPLE
Your floor · EXAMPLE
Trailer cost/wk · EXAMPLE