How truck dispatch works, step by step
No mystery and no surprises. Below is every step from your application to your first load, what we do, what you do, and how long each takes. We follow one example carrier the whole way.
EXAMPLE CARRIER · one reefer · own MC, 8 months old · home base Fresno, CA · wants West Coast lanes, home every other weekend
Six stops to your first load
MILE 1 · 2 minutes
Apply
We: Read your application the same day.
You: Tell us your truck, authority and how to reach you.
MILE 2 · About 20 minutes
The call
We: Ask for your truck's numbers, lanes, home time and lowest rate.
You: Tell us what you want to run and what you won't.
MILE 3 · Usually a day
Paperwork
We: Collect documents and send the dispatch agreement.
You: Send W-9, COI, MC/DOT and NOA if you factor.
MILE 4 · 1 to 3 days
Broker setups
We: Send carrier packets to brokers on your lanes.
You: Answer any broker verification calls.
MILE 5 · When one fits
Load offer
We: Find, vet and negotiate, then present it with every detail.
You: Say yes or pass. Passing costs nothing.
MILE 6 · Minutes after yes
Rate con
We: Ask the broker to send it to you.
You: Read it, check it and sign it yourself.
For the example reefer, that meant applying on a Monday, a call that afternoon, paperwork back Tuesday and broker setups through Wednesday. The first load offer came Thursday. Times vary with your paperwork and lanes, so treat these as typical, not promised.
Nothing moves without your yes
- 01We search the boards and our broker contacts for loads that fit your truck, lanes and floor rate.
- 02We check the broker's credit and days to pay, then negotiate the rate.
- 03We send you the offer: pickup, delivery, miles, weight, rate, broker and terms.
- 04You say yes or pass. A pass costs nothing and we keep looking.
- 05On a yes, the broker emails the rate con straight to you. You read it and sign it.
- 06We handle check calls and updates while you drive, and start on the reload.
- EQUIPMENT
- 53 ft reefer, 34 °F continuous
- PICKUP
- Salinas, CA · Thu 14:00
- DELIVERY
- Phoenix, AZ · Fri 10:00
- LOADED MI
- 690 (deadhead 40)
- WEIGHT
- 40,000 lb, produce
- BROKER
- Credit checked, pays in 30 days
- TERMS
- Pulp temps at pickup
- RATE
- $2,300 ($3.33/mi loaded)
YOUR CALL. NOTHING IS BOOKED UNTIL YOU SAY YES.
When you hear from us
MON
Load offers for the week; you pick
Rate cons signed by you
TUE
Check calls and delivery updates
Reload offered before you unload
WED
Rate negotiation on the next leg
Detention clock watched
THU
Backhaul lined up toward home
You approve or pass
FRI
Weekend and Monday loads lined up
Home time protected
SAT-SUN
Desk open nights and weekends
Weekly earnings report sent
When a load goes sideways
Most loads run clean. The ones that don't are where a dispatcher earns the fee. Here is what we do in the situations that come up most.
- Stuck at the shipper
- We tell the broker when the clock passes the free time on your rate con and request detention in writing, with your in and out times.
- Load cancelled after dispatch
- If the rate con covers truck ordered not used (TONU), we file for it. Either way, we start on a replacement load right away.
- Appointment or weight changes
- A changed load is a new decision. We bring it back to you with the new details before you agree to anything.
- Breakdown on the road
- We update the broker so they hear it from us first, and work on recovering the load or moving your next one.
- Broker slow to pay
- We follow up with the broker and resend the signed rate con, BOL and proof of delivery so nothing is missing on their end.
- Bad broker experience
- Tell us. We note it and stop offering you loads from that broker.
What we need to start
- Active MC and DOT numbers
- W-9 for your business
- Certificate of insurance with auto liability and cargo
- Factoring notice of assignment (NOA), if you factor
- Truck and trailer details: ratings, lengths, equipment
- Your lanes, home time and the lowest rate you'll take
CDL carriers: brokers and FMCSA expect your DOT drug and alcohol testing program to be in place before the first load. Read about a DOT drug testing consortium, or see consortium pricing (referral link, disclosure).
Non-CDL 26 ft box trucks and hotshots: not required. DOT testing only applies to drivers who need a CDL.
Calls, texts and a weekly report
Load offers come in writing so you can read them when you're parked. Anything urgent, like a changed appointment or a broker asking about detention, comes by phone. Once a week you get an earnings report: every load, the rate, the miles, the fee and what you kept.
New authority? See how the first months work on dispatch for new authorities. Factoring too? Read about dispatch and factoring together.
EXAMPLE
- Fresno to Phoenix
- $2,300
- Phoenix to Ontario
- $1,450
- Ontario to Fresno
- $1,250
- Gross
- $5,000
- Dispatch fee 5%
- $250
Dispatch onboarding questions
Q01How do dispatchers get paid?
Most charge a percentage of gross, a flat weekly fee or a fee per load. We charge a percentage of gross on loads you haul: 7%, 5% or 4% depending on authority age, fleet size and equipment. No setup fee, and nothing on loads you turn down.
Q02Do I have to accept the loads you find?
No. Every load comes to you as an offer with the details laid out. You say yes or pass. We never book a load you haven't approved, and passing doesn't count against you.
Q03Who signs the rate confirmation?
You do. After you say yes, the broker emails the rate con straight to you. Check that it matches the offer, then sign it. If anything is different, tell us and we sort it out with the broker before you roll.
Q04Can I pause dispatch for home time?
Yes. Tell us the days you want off and we plan the last load of the week to finish near home. Since the fee only applies to loads you haul, a week at home costs you nothing.
Q05Who sends invoices to brokers?
The rate con is in your name, so the invoice goes out under your MC, either from you or from your factoring company. We help put the packet together: the signed rate con, the BOL and the proof of delivery.
Q06What do you need from me every week?
Your availability and home-time plans, quick answers on load offers, and photos of signed BOLs and PODs after each delivery. Everything else, the broker calls, check calls and paperwork chasing, is on us.
Q07How do I talk to my dispatcher?
By phone and text, whichever is easier from the cab. Load offers come with the full details in writing, so you can read them at a fuel stop and answer when you're parked.
Q08What paperwork does a dispatcher need?
Your MC and DOT numbers, a W-9, a certificate of insurance listing cargo coverage, and your factoring notice of assignment if you factor. CDL carriers also need their drug and alcohol testing program in place before the first load.
Start your carrier setup
Pick your equipment and start the 2-minute application. A dispatcher calls you back.
Questions about cost first? Rates and fees, or go straight to the application.