15 questions to ask a truck dispatcher, and the answers that should worry you

Hiring a dispatcher is hiring someone to negotiate with your money and your time. Most owner-operators ask about the percentage and stop there. The percentage matters, but the questions that protect you are about control, payment flow and how you get out. Here are 15 questions to ask a truck dispatcher, grouped the way the answers affect your business, with a good answer and a red-flag answer for each. Use the scorecard to mark them during the call, then print it and compare dispatchers side by side.

Questions to answer yourself first

A dispatcher can only book to rules you give them. Before any call, write down your own answers:

• What does a mile cost you? Truck payment, insurance, fuel, repairs and everything else, divided by your miles. If you don't know, the break-even rate calculator will get you close.
• What is the lowest rate you will run? Your cost per mile plus what you need to take home, counting empty miles to the pickup.
• Where do you want to run, and where won't you go? Regions, states, cities and customers.
• When do you need to be home? Days, and how firm they are.
• What do you want off your plate? Load search, negotiation, broker calls, paperwork, detention claims, or all of it.

A dispatcher who never asks you these on the first call is planning to book whatever is easiest, not what fits your business.

How to run the call

Ask every dispatcher the same questions in the same order, so the answers are easy to compare. Let them talk; specifics are a good sign, and vague promises are not. Write down the answers word for word, especially on fees, rate con signing and termination. At the end, ask them to send the agreement before you decide, and check that it says what they told you. A good dispatcher won't rush you, won't ask for logins to your accounts, and won't promise you a weekly income.

Run the interview with the scorecard

Mark each answer as good, a red flag, or not asked. The gauge shows the share of good answers. A single red flag on a money or control question is worth more attention than several small ones.

Money questions

1. What is the fee charged on: gross, net or line haul? Good answer: a percentage of gross on the rate con, including accessorials, stated in the agreement. Red flag: "net" without a one-sentence definition you can check, or a refusal to put it in writing.

2. Are there setup fees, minimums or charges on declined loads? Good answer: no setup fee, no minimum, and no fee on any load you don't haul. Red flag: an upfront fee before a single load, a weekly minimum, or fees for packets and paperwork on top of the percentage.

3. How and when do you bill me? Good answer: a clear schedule, an invoice that lists each load and the fee on it, and terms you can plan around. Red flag: "we just take it out", or no invoice at all.

4. Do brokers pay me directly, or does money pass through you? Good answer: brokers pay you or your factor; you pay the dispatcher separately. Red flag: freight payments routed to the dispatcher, who pays you what is left.

Control questions

5. Who signs the rate confirmation? Good answer: you do, every time; the broker sends it to your company. Red flag: the dispatcher signs on your behalf by default, or asks for a power of attorney without limits.

6. Can I turn down any load without a penalty? Good answer: yes, for any reason. Red flag: minimum loads per week, "forced dispatch", or pressure after you decline.

7. How do you set my minimum rate, and will you book below it? Good answer: from your costs and take-home goal, counting empty miles, and nothing below it without asking you. Red flag: "we'll get you the market rate" with no talk about your costs.

8. How do you plan my home time? Good answer: home base and home days set on the first call, with the week planned backward from them. Red flag: "we'll try to get you home."

Paperwork questions

9. Do you set up my carrier packets, and what do you need? Good answer: yes, with a clear list: MC and DOT, insurance certificate, W-9, notice of assignment if you factor. Red flag: asking for logins to your load board, bank or factoring account.

10. Do you track and claim detention and layover? Good answer: terms on the rate con before you sign, times logged, claims sent with the paperwork. Red flag: "that's between you and the broker."

11. What do your weekly reports show? Good answer: every load, the rate, miles, accessorials and the fee. Red flag: no report, or only a total.

Communication questions

12. Who answers at night and on weekends? Good answer: a named team with real hours that match how freight moves. Red flag: one person who is "always available."

13. Do you know my equipment and lanes? Good answer: specific talk about the freight, brokers and seasons for your truck type. Red flag: the same pitch whether you run a 26 ft box truck or a step deck.

Exit questions

14. How do I end the agreement, and is anything owed after? Good answer: month to month, written notice, fees only for loads already hauled. Red flag: a long term, automatic renewal, or an exit fee.

15. Is there a non-solicitation clause, and how long does it last? Good answer: none, or a short one limited to brokers they truly introduced. Red flag: years-long restrictions that cover brokers you already worked with.

Red flags that should end the call

Some answers are bad enough on their own to walk away:

• A promised weekly income or "guaranteed" loads. Nobody controls the market.
• An upfront fee before any load is booked.
• A request for your load board, bank or factoring login.
• Broker payments sent to the dispatcher instead of to you or your factor.
• Signing rate confirmations in your name without your approval on each load.
• A long contract with an early exit fee.
• Pressure to sign today.

One of these is a reason to slow down and ask for the answer in writing. Two or more is a reason to keep looking. Write down the answers word for word: if a dispute ever comes up, notes from the call and the written agreement are what you will rely on.

Our answers, for the record

We are a dispatch service, so here are our own answers to the same questions. The fee is a percentage of gross on loads you accept and haul, with no setup fee, no minimums and nothing on declined loads. Brokers send every rate con to your company and you sign it or say no; we never sign for you. Brokers pay the carrier named on the rate con, or your factor. You can turn down any load. Service is month to month with 30 days notice. The rates themselves are on our dispatch for owner-operators page.

After the interview

Ask for the agreement before you commit and check that it matches what you were told on the call. Our sample dispatch carrier agreement walks through each clause and what to push back on. If you are comparing several desks, how to compare truck dispatch services has a worksheet for that.