Dry van dispatch service that plans the reload before you deliver
The 53 ft dry van is the workhorse of trucking, which means more freight than any other trailer and more trucks chasing it. Our dry van dispatch service finds the loads worth hauling, pushes for drop and hook, and lines up the reload while you're still rolling. Every load comes to you first, and the rate con goes to you.
We don't take the first load on the board. We take the one that leaves you somewhere good.
PICK YOUR TRUCK
Dry van
The enclosed trailer most people picture on an 18-wheeler.
- FREIGHT
- Packaged goods, paper, palletized retail freight
- CDL
- Yes
OUR FEE
5%
of gross (7% while your MC is under 6 months)
CH 02
A dry van offer, the way it reaches you
Here is an example of what lands on your phone: lane, miles, deadhead, rate, the all-in rate per mile, and whether it's live or drop. Take it, pass on it, or see the counter.
Dry van rates get compared against every other van in the market, so the details that separate a good load from an average one are rarely the posted rate. They're dock time, where the load ends, and whether the broker pays on time. Those are the things we check before an offer reaches you.
CH 03
Load the trailer: floor or weight, whichever runs out first
A 53 ft van holds 26 standard 48 by 40 inch pallets on the floor, two across and thirteen deep, when they're loaded straight. Tap the spots to load or unload, then set the weight per pallet and your own legal cargo limit.
Light freight like paper towels runs out of floor long before it hits the weight limit. Heavy freight like beverages or tile runs out of weight with half the floor empty. Brokers price both, and knowing which kind you're looking at helps you judge a rate. A full floor of light freight at a low weight is easy on fuel and brakes; a heavy load needs a rate that covers the extra wear.
Your real cargo limit depends on your tractor, trailer and the roads you use. Work it out with the trailer dimension fit checker before you rely on a number.
CH 04
An example week: one owner, one van, two plans
EXAMPLE Without a plan
- Monday: the highest posted rate out of Dallas, into a market with little freight out.
- Tuesday: live unload, four hours at the dock with no detention on the rate con.
- Wednesday: 180 miles empty to the nearest decent reload.
- Thursday and Friday: two short loads at average rates, home late Friday.
EXAMPLE With the desk planning
- Monday: a slightly lower rate, drop and hook, into a city with strong freight out.
- Tuesday: reload booked before delivery, 20 miles empty.
- Wednesday to Thursday: a longer run with detention written on the rate con.
- Friday: a load that ends near home, delivered by mid-afternoon.
Both weeks are made up to show the idea, not real results. The point is the shape: the planned week gives up a little on the first rate to win back far more in paid miles and time. For how a tractor and a van fit together, our guide to the 18-wheeler truck walks through every part.
CH 05
Dry van dispatch costs 5% of gross
A single dry van on an MC older than six months pays 5% of the rate con gross, load by load. During an authority's first six months the rate is 7%, and carriers with two or more vans get 4% for as long as the fleet offer runs.
Nothing to start, no minimum week, and no bill for freight you say no to. Our dispatch costs page shows the same numbers worked through on example loads.
Live loads, drop and hook, and dock time
Dock time is where dry van carriers lose the most money without noticing. A live load means you wait while the shipper loads your trailer; a live unload means you wait while the receiver empties it. Two or three hours at each end of a run can take a third of your driving day.
Drop and hook skips most of that. You drop an empty trailer and hook a loaded one, often in under an hour. Not every shipper offers it, and drop loads sometimes pay a little less, but the hours you keep are usually worth more than the difference.
When a load is live, we want detention written on the rate con before you accept: how many free hours, then how much per hour after that. Track the times with the detention pay calculator and we file the claim.
The habit that makes detention claims work is simple: note your arrival time when you check in at the gate, and your departure time when you get your paperwork. Text both to the desk. Without those times, most detention claims die in an email thread. With them, we can usually show the broker exactly what the rate con promised and what the shipper actually took.
What dry van brokers expect from you
- Trailer details: inside dimensions, door type, logistics posts or e-track, and how many load bars and straps you carry.
- A clean trailer, with no smell or leftover debris, especially for food-grade freight.
- Seals left in place until the receiver breaks them, and seal numbers written on the paperwork.
- Tracking through an app or check calls, depending on the broker.
- Clear photos of the signed bill of lading and proof of delivery, sent the same day.
None of this is hard, but missing one of them is how a good broker stops calling. We keep your carrier packet complete and remind you of the broker-specific rules on each load.
Some freight adds its own rules. Food-grade loads may require a washed trailer and a washout receipt. High-value freight may require team drivers, no stops within a certain distance of pickup, or a specific kind of lock. We read those requirements before the offer reaches you, so a surprise at the shipper's gate doesn't turn into a canceled load and a wasted morning.
Dry van freight through the year
Retail build-up
Stores stock up ahead of holidays and seasons, which pulls van freight out of ports and distribution centers in the months before.
Produce overflow
In produce season, reefer trucks get busy, and some shippers move freight that can ride dry onto vans, which can change what is moving around farm regions.
Quiet stretches
After big holidays, van freight often slows for a few weeks. Planning lanes and keeping costs tight matters most then.
These are broad patterns, not forecasts. Markets move week to week, and your lanes matter more than the national picture. We watch your lanes and tell you when it's worth waiting for a better load and when it's time to move.
One more thing that matters in any season: your own cost per mile. A dry van that knows its real cost can turn down a cheap load with confidence and wait a few hours for a better one. A van that doesn't know it tends to take whatever is posted, and that is how slow months get slower. If you haven't worked yours out yet, do that before your first call with us.
CH 06
Dry van dispatch questions
CH 01How much does dry van dispatch cost?
5% of gross for one truck with authority older than six months, 7% while the MC is newer, and 4% for fleets of two or more trucks on the limited-time fleet rate. No setup fee, no minimum, and nothing on loads you turn down. Cancel with 30 days notice.
CH 02What is a dry van trailer?
An enclosed box trailer with no temperature control, usually 53 ft long, pulled by a semi tractor. It carries packaged and palletized freight that only needs protection from weather and theft: consumer goods, paper, packaging, non-perishable food and retail stock. It's the trailer most people picture when they think of an 18-wheeler.
CH 03How many miles a week does a dry van run?
It varies with the lanes, the loads, dock times and home time. Hours-of-service rules cap daily driving, and live loads and long waits eat into that. Rather than chase a mileage number, we plan for paid miles: fewer empty miles between loads and less time sitting at docks. Your weekly report shows both.
CH 04Can you find drop and hook loads?
Yes, when they're available in your lanes. Drop and hook means you leave a trailer and take a loaded one without waiting for anyone to load or unload. It saves hours and keeps your clock for driving. We look for them first, and when a load is live, we tell you the expected dock time up front.
CH 05Who pays lumper fees?
Usually the shipper or receiver, through the broker. You often pay the lumper at the dock and get reimbursed, so get a receipt every time and make sure the rate con says lumper fees are reimbursable. We check that before you accept, and we chase the reimbursement if it's slow.
CH 06Do I confirm each load?
Yes. Every load comes to you as an offer with the lane, miles, deadhead, rate, live or drop, and appointment times. You say yes or no, and a no costs nothing. After you accept, the broker sends the rate confirmation straight to your company to sign.
Fill your dry van with loads that lead somewhere
Tell us your home base, your lanes and how often you want to be home. We'll plan the reloads, and every load still needs your yes.