ENTRY 01 / PRICING
Truck dispatch fees: 5%, 7% or 4%. Nothing hidden.
Our truck dispatch fee is a percentage of the gross on loads you haul. Which percentage depends on two things only: how long your MC has been active and how many trucks run on it. Not your trailer, not your lanes, not how hard the week was. Here is every number, and the same week priced three ways.
- No setup fee
- No contract
- No haul, no pay
ENTRY 02 / PERCENTAGE VS FLAT FEE
How dispatchers charge, compared honestly
There are three common ways a dispatch service prices its work. None is a scam on its own; each puts the risk in a different place. Read the agreement for what the fee is calculated on, because a percentage of gross and a percentage of net are very different numbers.
| MODEL | HOW IT WORKS | GOOD WHEN | WATCH OUT FOR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Percentage of gross | A set % of each load's line haul and accessorials | Revenue swings week to week; you want to pay only when you haul | Desks above 10% on top of a low rate, and fees charged on fuel surcharge you never saw |
| Flat weekly fee | A fixed amount every week, loaded or not | Steady, high-grossing weeks with little downtime | Paying in full during breakdowns, home time and slow markets |
| Flat per load | A fixed amount per booked load | Few long, high-paying loads | Incentive to book many short loads, regardless of rate |
Watch the word "net" in any quote. A percentage of net sounds cheaper, but net can mean different things to different desks: after fuel, after the factoring fee, after broker deductions. If the agreement doesn't define it in one sentence you can check against a settlement, ask for gross instead.
We chose a percentage of gross because it ties our pay to your loads. If you want to run your own numbers against any quote you have, the dispatcher fee calculator compares any two fee models side by side.
ENTRY 03 / THE THREE RATES
One schedule for every truck we dispatch
7%
NEW AUTHORITY
MC under 6 months, any equipment, any fleet size
Drops to 5% (or 4% with 2+ trucks) in month 7, automatically.
5%
STANDARD
One truck, MC 6 months or older, any equipment
The rate most owner-operators pay.
4%
FLEET
Two or more trucks on one MC, 6 months or older
Limited-time rate, per truck, on each truck's gross.
Why new MCs pay 7%. The first months take more desk time per load: more broker setups, more packets rejected for missing history, more calls to land a rate that clears your floor. The extra two points pay for that work, and they stop on their own when the MC turns six months old. You don't have to ask.
One load, worked out. A $2,400 load at the standard 5% carries a $120 fee. If we also claim $150 of detention on it, the gross is $2,550 and the fee is $127.50. A load you declined carries no fee at all, because it never became gross.
Box trucks start at 26 ft. We don't dispatch cargo vans or sprinters at any price.
ENTRY 04 / FEE SETTLEMENT
Price the same week three ways
Set your authority age, trucks and a normal week's gross. Then put in the percentage or flat fee another dispatcher quoted you.
BUDDYLOADS 5% · EXAMPLE WEEK
| Gross | $6,000.00 |
|---|---|
| Dispatch fee | ($300.00) |
| After the fee | $5,700.00 |
Per month: $1,300 in fees. Effective rate 5.0%.
A 10% DESK · EXAMPLE WEEK
| Gross | $6,000.00 |
|---|---|
| Dispatch fee | ($600.00) |
| After the fee | $5,400.00 |
Per month: $2,600 in fees. Effective rate 10.0%.
FLAT $250/WK · EXAMPLE WEEK
| Gross | $6,000.00 |
|---|---|
| Dispatch fee | ($250.00) |
| After the fee | $5,750.00 |
Per month: $1,083 in fees. Effective rate 4.2%.
Standard: 5%. A flat fee is charged even in a slow week; ours is charged only on loads you haul. Estimates from your inputs.
A fee only makes sense against what the desk adds. The dispatch ROI calculator weighs the fee against a better rate per mile, fewer empty miles and the hours you get back.
ENTRY 05 / INCLUDED
What the dispatch service cost covers
- Load searches on the major boards and our direct broker and shipper contacts
- Rate negotiation on every load, before the rate con is written
- Broker calls, check calls and delivery confirmations
- Deadhead planning and reloads lined up before delivery
- Detention and layover claims sent with the paperwork
- Carrier packet setup with every broker we book
- A weekly earnings report with the fee shown as its own line
- Dispatchers on nights and weekends
ENTRY 06 / NEVER CHARGED
What you will never pay for
- A setup or onboarding fee
- A monthly minimum or a weekly retainer
- A load you decline: the rate con is yours to refuse
- A week the truck doesn't haul
- Carrier packets, paperwork or calls
- A long contract: it is month to month, 30 days notice
ENTRY 07 / HOW BILLING WORKS
Dispatch fee trucking math, start to finish
What it is charged on
The gross of each load you haul: the line-haul rate plus accessorials on the rate con, such as detention or layover we claim for you. Never on a load you turn down.
When it is billed
The billing schedule and method are written into the dispatch agreement you get after the first call, so you read the exact terms before your first load with us.
How you leave
Month to month. Give 30 days notice and you are done.
At tax time, dispatch fees are usually a deductible cost of running the business. The IRS covers the general rule on its deducting business expenses page, and our guide to owner-operator tax write-offs lists the common ones. Confirm your own situation with a tax professional.
Want to see how the first week runs before you commit? How truck dispatch works walks from application to the first settlement.
What a fair dispatch agreement says about money
Whoever you hire, read the money clauses before the first load. A low percentage with bad terms around it can cost more than a higher one with clean terms. These are the lines we would check on anyone's agreement, including ours.
- 01What the fee is charged on. Gross load revenue, net, or line haul only. Gross is simplest to check against your rate cons.
- 02Who signs rate confirmations. If the dispatcher can sign for you, you can be booked on a load you never saw.
- 03Setup fees and minimums. Any fee that is due whether or not the truck moves changes the math in a slow month.
- 04How you leave. The notice period, and whether anything is owed after you go.
- 05What is included. Packets, detention claims and paperwork should be part of the fee, not extras.
ENTRY 08 / DISPATCH FEES, ANSWERED
Dispatch fee questions
Q01How much do truck dispatchers charge?
Most charge a percentage of each load's gross, commonly somewhere in the 8-12% range, and some charge a flat weekly or per-load fee. Ours is 5% with one truck and an MC past 6 months, 7% for newer MCs and 4% for two or more trucks, with no setup fee.
Q02Is a percentage or a flat weekly dispatch fee better?
A flat fee can cost less in a very strong week and more in a slow one, because you pay it whether the truck moves or not. A percentage moves with your revenue and costs nothing in a week you don't haul. For most one-truck owners, the percentage carries less risk.
Q03Is the dispatch fee a tax-deductible business expense?
Generally, ordinary and necessary costs of running your trucking business can be deducted, and a dispatch fee is usually treated that way. Your situation decides it, so confirm with a tax professional. The IRS explains the rules on its page about deducting business expenses.
Q04Is there a contract? Can I cancel anytime?
There is no long-term contract. Service runs month to month and either side can end it with 30 days notice. Because the fee only applies to loads you haul, you never owe anything for a load you decline, during the notice period or any other time.
Q05How do I pay my dispatch fee?
The fee is worked out on the gross of each load you haul and shown as its own line on your weekly report. How and when you are billed is written into the dispatch agreement you receive after the first call, before you haul anything with us.
Q06Does the fee change with my truck type?
No. A 26 ft box truck, a hotshot, a reefer and a step deck all pay the same tier. The rate depends only on how long your MC has been active and how many trucks run on it: 7%, 5% or 4%.
See 5% as one line on your own settlement
Apply in about a minute. Your fee tier is set from your MC age and truck count on the first call, and it never changes because of the trailer you pull.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Gross, EXAMPLE week | $6,000.00 |
| Dispatch fee 5% | ($300.00) |
| NET | $5,700.00 |