OTR dispatch service that plans the whole loop, not just the next load
Over the road, the load you take today decides where you sit tomorrow. Our desk plans the chain: each reload lined up before you deliver, the run built around your hours, and the last leg ending at home when you said. Every load still comes to you first, and the rate con goes to you.
5% OF GROSS · NO CONTRACT · YOU CONFIRM EVERY LOAD
CH 02
Ten days out, planned from the end of each load
Here is an example loop for a dry van based in Dallas. Tap a leg to see why it's there. The miles are rough and the map is simplified, but the planning is the real point: every delivery city was chosen with the next pickup in mind.
CH 03
OTR in plain words
Over the road means long hauls across many states, with the driver out for days or weeks and sleeping in the truck. It's different from regional work, where you stay in a few neighboring states, and from local work, where you're home most nights.
The pace is set by federal hours-of-service rules. A property-carrying driver needs 10 hours off before driving, can drive up to 11 hours inside a 14-hour on-duty window, needs a 30-minute break after 8 hours of driving, and is capped at 60 or 70 on-duty hours across 7 or 8 days, with a 34-hour restart to reset that count 49 CFR 395.3 Maximum driving time for property-carrying vehicleseCFR (Office of the Federal Register), 2026. Checked 2026-10-10.Open the source.
Those limits are why OTR planning is hard. An appointment that looks easy on a map can be impossible once you count the clock, the traffic outside a big city and a two-hour wait at the dock. A good OTR plan uses your hours on loaded miles, not on waiting or deadheading.
Planning an appointment before you accept it? Our hours of service calculator shows what fits your clock, and the trip fuel cost calculator tells you what a long leg will cost at the pump. For the driver's side of life on the road, read our guide to the OTR truck driver.
CH 04
What an OTR desk does that a load board can't
Reloads before delivery
We look for your next load while you're still loaded, so you're not sitting in a strange city on a Friday afternoon refreshing a board.
Restarts in good places
When your weekly hours run low, we plan the 34-hour restart in a city with freight out and a safe place to park, not wherever the clock runs out.
Home time protected
We book the load home early in the run. If something slips, the desk rebuilds the plan around your home date, not the other way around.
Markets, not just loads
Some cities send far more freight out than they receive. We use that to pick deliveries that lead somewhere, instead of high rates into dead ends.
You still decide every leg. If you'd rather sit in Denver for a weekend than run the mountain load, say so. The plan exists to give you good options, not to box you in. The fee is a percent of gross on loads you haul, and the full price list is on our dispatch pricing page.
Running with a partner and want the truck moving around the clock? Two drivers split the clock and cover more ground in a day, which changes the planning completely. That's a different setup, and we plan it differently.
CH 05
OTR costs to plan for, and what to settle before the first loop
Costs that grow with time out
A long run earns more gross, but it also piles up costs a local driver never sees. Count them in your rate floor before you head out, not when the card gets declined in Wyoming.
- Fuel for the truck and for comfort. Idling or running an auxiliary power unit for heat and air on a 34-hour restart adds up.
- Parking. Safe overnight parking near big cities fills early. Reserved spots cost money but can save hours of searching after your clock runs out.
- Food and showers. A week of truck stop meals costs far more than home cooking, so many OTR drivers stock the cab.
- Tolls and scales. Some routes are toll heavy; check before you accept a load that runs through them.
- Maintenance on the road. A repair far from your regular shop usually costs more and takes longer. Keep a reserve.
What we settle on the first call
- How many days out you want, and which days you need at home.
- States, cities or terrain you won't run, for example winter mountain passes.
- Your rate floor per all-in mile, so we never bring you a load below it.
- Whether you'll take weekend loads, and how early you like to start.
- Where you prefer to take your restart, if you have favorites.
With those written down, we can plan loops that fit your life instead of chasing the highest rate on the board. You can change any of them by text, any time. If you want to be home this Friday instead of next Tuesday, tell us and we'll rebuild the plan around it, even mid-loop.
One honest note: the further out you run, the more the market decides. A storm, a holiday week or a slow freight month can stretch a loop. When that happens, we tell you early and give you choices: wait for a better load, take a shorter one, or head home light.
CH 06
OTR dispatch questions
CH 01What is OTR dispatch?
Dispatch for trucks that run over the road: long hauls across several states, out for days or weeks at a time. An OTR dispatcher finds and negotiates each load, but the bigger job is planning the chain, so every delivery leaves you near your next pickup and the run ends at home when you planned. With us, you approve every load in that chain.
CH 02How long are OTR drivers gone?
It depends on the operation. Company OTR drivers are often out for two to three weeks at a time, while owner-operators set their own schedule. Some owner-operators like ten days out and three home; others prefer a week. Tell us your home time on the first call and we plan every loop around it.
CH 03How many miles does an OTR truck run per day?
Federal rules allow up to 11 hours of driving inside a 14-hour on-duty window, after 10 hours off. How many miles that becomes depends on traffic, terrain, weather, loading time and speed limits. Plan conservatively, and use an hours-of-service calculator rather than a best-case number when you promise an appointment.
CH 04Do OTR loads pay more?
Not always per mile. Long hauls often pay less per mile than short runs because fixed costs like loading time are spread over more miles, but they keep the truck moving and cut the number of empty repositioning trips. What matters is the all-in rate per mile across the whole loop, including deadhead.
18 wheels · 1 dispatcher · your call on every load
Plan your next loop with a desk that thinks two loads ahead
Tell us your home base, the lanes you like and how long you want to be out. Every load in the plan still waits for your yes.