A dispatch service for owner operators that never takes the wheel
You bought the truck so you could run your own business. Our desk finds the freight, works the rate and handles the broker calls, then brings each load to you. You decide. The rate con goes to you, and turning a load down costs nothing.
5% of gross for one truck past six months of authority. No setup fee, no contract to get out of, and you only pay on loads you haul.
What do you run?
Start my applicationCH 02
Three ways to run a truck, side by side
Most owner-operators have lived at least two of these. You drove for a company, then you went out on your own and found out how much of the job happens off the road. A dispatcher is the third option, and it is closer to the second than the first: you stay the owner, the carrier and the one who says yes.
| Company driver | Owner-operator, self-dispatched | Owner-operator with our desk | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who finds the load | The company dispatcher | You, on load boards and calls | Our desk, from boards and broker contacts |
| Who negotiates the rate | Nobody, you get a cents-per-mile or percent rate | You, between drives | Our desk, on every load |
| Who says yes to a load | The company | You | You |
| Who signs the rate con | The company | You | You, sent straight to your inbox |
| Hours a day on the phone | Few | Often the most of the three | Few, mostly a yes or no |
| What you keep | Your pay rate | All of the gross, before costs | Gross minus 5%, before costs |
| Who carries the costs | The company | You | You |
The money side of the switch
As a company driver, your pay is your pay. As an owner-operator, the gross is not yours yet. Fuel, the truck note, insurance, maintenance, tires, permits and your own health coverage all come out of it before you see a dollar. That is why the rate per mile matters so much more once the truck is yours, and why a load that looked fine to a company driver can lose money for an owner.
A dispatcher doesn't change your costs. What a good one changes is the other side: fewer empty miles between loads, rates that cover your real cost per mile, and fewer days sitting while you wait for a broker to call back. If you don't know your own cost per mile yet, work out your cost per mile first. It is the number every rate gets measured against.
CH 03
Your yes, your rate con
Here are three loads the way they'd reach your phone, all examples from one Monday on a dry van out of Texas and Georgia. Run through them on the card. We'd pass on the first two and take the third, and the card tells you why, but the point is that you get to disagree. Maybe Jacksonville is home. Maybe you don't mind a four hour wait if you need the hours anyway.
When you take a load, three things happen. The broker sends the rate confirmation to your email. You read it and sign it as the carrier. Then we handle the rest: we send any setup paperwork the broker still needs, give the shipper your ETA and start working on what you'll haul next.
When you pass, we don't sulk and we don't charge you. We go back to the board, the broker list and the shippers we know, and we bring you the next one. Some weeks you'll pass on a lot. That's fine. Our fee comes out of loads you haul, so our job is to bring loads you'd actually want.
What a load offer from us always includes
- Pickup and delivery city, date and appointment window.
- Loaded miles, the empty miles to get there, and the all-in rate per mile.
- Live load or drop and hook, and any known dock wait.
- Weight, commodity and any tarp, temperature or lumper notes.
- The broker and what we know about how they pay.
If an offer from any dispatcher is missing one of those, ask before you answer. A rate without the deadhead, or a pickup time without the dock wait, is only half the story. You should never have to find out at the shipper that the load was a four hour live unload with no detention pay.
CH 04
What the desk handles while you drive
Picture a normal Tuesday. You're loaded out of Dallas at 7 in the morning. While you run, the desk is already pricing tomorrow. Here's how the work splits between you and us on a day like that.
- 6:30 AMYou roll to the shipper. We already sent the broker your arrival time, so nobody calls you on the way in.
- 9:00 AMLoaded and rolling. We confirm pickup with the broker and send the updated ETA.
- 11:00 AMWe have three possible reloads near your delivery. Two don't pass our checks. One does.
- 1:30 PMOn your break, you get one text: the reload with rate, miles and pickup. You say yes.
- 2:00 PMThe rate con lands in your inbox. You sign it. We send your setup packet if the broker needs one.
- 5:00 PMDelivered. You send the signed bill of lading, and it goes to invoicing or your factoring company.
The day above is an example, not a promise. Freight moves on its own schedule, and some days the reload doesn't exist until the next morning. But it shows the shape of the job. You made one decision all day. We made the calls.
The full list of what's included
- Load searching on the major boards and with our direct broker and shipper contacts.
- Rate negotiation on every load, including detention, tarp and layover terms.
- Broker setup packets, with your insurance certificate and W-9 sent once.
- Check calls, ETA updates and delivery confirmations to the broker.
- Deadhead and backhaul planning around your home time.
- Detention and layover claims when a shipper holds you past free time.
- A weekly earnings report with gross, miles and rate per mile.
Want to see it step by step, from your first call with us to your first paid invoice? Read how our dispatch process works.
CH 05
What it costs one truck
For one truck with authority older than six months, the fee is 5% of the gross on each load you haul. If your MC is newer, it's 7% until the six-month mark. Run a 26 ft box truck or a hotshot and it's 7%, whatever the authority age.
That's all of it. No setup fee, no monthly minimum, no charge for loads you turn down, and 30 days notice if you want to stop. The calculator uses the same rules our invoices do. See every line of our dispatch pricing.
Here is an example week. You haul three loads that gross $2,100, $1,850 and $2,400, for $6,350 in total. At 5%, the dispatch fee is $317.5. If you took Friday off and only hauled the first two, the fee would be $197.5. Nothing is charged for the day you stayed home.
One honest note: the fee only makes sense if the desk saves you more than it costs, in time, in better rates or in fewer empty miles. If you want to check a rate per mile before you call us, try the rate per mile calculator.
CH 06
What owner-operators ask us straight out
“Will you push me into cheap freight?”
No. You see the rate and the all-in rate per mile before you say yes. We would rather bring you one good load than three bad ones, because a bad load costs you a day and costs us your trust.
“I don't want a contract I can't get out of.”
Good, because we don't have one. The agreement runs month to month, and you can leave with 30 days notice. If we're not finding you loads worth hauling, you shouldn't stay.
“I can do this myself.”
You probably can. Plenty of owner-operators self-dispatch well. The question is whether the hours you spend on it are worth more on the road, at home or asleep. If you already have steady direct customers, you may not need us.
“Will you send me to brokers who pay late?”
We check broker payment history before we bring you a load, and we tell you what we know. If a broker has a bad record with us or with other carriers, we don't book with them, and if you'd rather avoid one, it goes on your do-not-use list.
“I'm brand new and I don't know freight yet.”
That's what the desk is for. You know the truck. We'll explain lanes, rates and brokers as we go, and you'll pick it up fast. New authorities pay a higher fee for the first six months while we build your history.
“What do you need from me?”
Your MC and DOT numbers, a certificate of insurance, a W-9 and, if you factor, your notice of assignment. Then your preferences: home base, lanes you like, lanes you hate and how often you want to be home.
New to running your own truck and still learning the trade? Our guide to what truck drivers actually do covers the driving side, and the truck driver career path walks through the move from company seat to your own authority.
CH 07
When you don't need a dispatcher, and how to pick one if you do
Skip dispatch if this sounds like you
- You have one or two direct shippers who keep your truck full at rates you like. Protect those relationships and keep the fee.
- You run a dedicated lane for a carrier or customer, same route every week. There is little for a dispatcher to find.
- You enjoy the phone work and you're good at it. Some drivers like negotiating more than driving, and they do fine on their own.
- Your lease or contract doesn't allow outside freight. Then a dispatcher can't legally book you anyway.
If two or more of those fit, you probably don't need us right now. Bookmark the page. Plenty of drivers come back when a dedicated contract ends or a direct customer slows down.
Six questions to ask any dispatcher, including us
- Who receives and signs the rate confirmation? The right answer is you.
- Can I turn down a load without a fee or a penalty?
- Is the fee a percent of gross, and is it charged only on loads I haul?
- How long is the contract, and how do I cancel?
- Will you tell me the broker's name and payment record before I accept?
- Who answers at night and on weekends when a load falls apart?
Our answers: you, yes, yes, month to month with 30 days notice, yes, and the desk. Any dispatcher who hesitates on the first two is someone to walk away from.
CH 08
Owner-operator dispatch questions
CH 01Should a new owner-operator use a dispatcher?
If you are spending hours a day on load boards and broker calls, or you don't have broker relationships yet, a dispatcher usually pays for itself in time and better loads. If you already have steady direct freight and enjoy the phone work, you may not need one. Try the math on our fee calculator before you decide.
CH 02What does a dispatcher do for an owner-operator?
Finds loads that fit your truck, lanes and home time, checks the broker, negotiates the rate, and brings the offer to you. Once you say yes, the desk handles carrier packets, check calls and updates to the broker, detention claims and the weekly report. You drive, sign the rate con and send your paperwork.
CH 03Do I have to accept every load?
No. Every load comes to you as an offer with the rate, miles, deadhead and pickup time. You can say no for any reason, and it costs you nothing. The broker sends the rate confirmation directly to you only after you accept, so nothing is booked under your authority without your yes.
CH 04Can leased-on owner-operators use a dispatcher?
Usually not. When you are leased on to a carrier, you haul under their authority and most leases require you to take their freight. Some leases allow outside loads, so read yours or ask the carrier. Once you have your own MC, we can dispatch you directly.
CH 05Do I need my own authority?
Yes. We dispatch carriers with their own active MC and USDOT numbers, because the broker contracts with your company and sends the rate con to you. If your authority is still pending, apply anyway and tell us the status. We can get your broker setups ready so you can start once it goes active.
CH 06How much do owner-operator dispatch services cost?
We charge 5% of gross for one truck with authority older than six months, 7% while your MC is newer than that, and 7% for 26 ft box trucks and hotshots. No setup fee, no monthly minimum and no long contract. You pay only on loads you haul, so a week at home costs nothing.
CH 07How fast can I start?
The call and paperwork can happen the same day you apply. How fast the first load comes depends on how quickly brokers approve your setup and on your authority age. Some brokers approve new carriers in hours and others take days. We won't promise a date, but we start working your lanes right away.
Bring your truck to a desk that asks first
Tell us what you drive, where you like to run and how often you want to be home. A dispatcher calls you back.