How truck dispatch works, from the first call to your first rate con
Signing up with a dispatcher should not feel like handing over the keys. Here is exactly how truck dispatch works with us, what happens each day of the first week, and what you keep control of the whole time.
Your first week with a dispatcher, on paper
Before anything else, it helps to see a week on paper. Tell the planner which days you want at home, how many days in a row you are willing to be out, and roughly how many miles you want to run. It lays out an EXAMPLE week with miles per day and a park-by time for each driving day.
It is not a promise of loads. Freight decides the real week. But it shows how a dispatcher thinks about your days: home time blocked first, then driving days filled without running you past your hours.
EXAMPLE WEEK
Mon
500 mi
park by 17:30
Tue
500 mi
park by 17:30
Wed
500 mi
park by 17:30
Thu
500 mi
park by 17:30
Fri
500 mi
park by 17:30
Sat
Home
Sun
Home
2,500 miles planned. EXAMPLE only: a 06:00 start, 50 mph average and an hour for pre-trip, fuel and the dock. Real loads set the real week, and you still confirm each one.
Planning around a weekly restart? Try the 34-hour reset and recap planner, and read how dispatch protects home time and parking.
What the first call covers
The first call sets up everything that follows, so we ask more questions than you might expect. Here is what we cover and why each answer matters later.
Where home is and how often you want to be there
This is the frame for every week. We plan outbound and return legs around it, not the other way around.
The lanes you like and the ones you avoid
Some drivers love the Southeast and hate the Northeast; others will not cross a mountain pass in winter. Knowing that up front stops us from pitching loads you would refuse anyway.
Where you like to park
Truck stop chains you have rewards with, rest areas you trust, customers that let you stay. We use this list when we plan where a day ends.
The rate you need
Your cost per mile tells us the floor. Below it, a load is not worth your truck, and we say so before offering it.
What you will not haul
Freight types, receivers, brokers you have had trouble with. We keep the list and respect it.
The documents, and why each one matters
Setup takes a handful of documents. You send them once and we put them to work with every broker you run for.
- MC or DOT number
- Brokers look up your authority and safety record before approving you. We need it to start every packet.
- W-9
- Brokers need it to pay you. It goes into each carrier packet.
- Certificate of insurance
- Brokers check your coverage before they tender a load, and many ask to be listed as certificate holders. Your agent sends updated certificates when a broker asks.
- Notice of assignment, if you factor
- Tells the broker to pay your factoring company. Sending it with the packet avoids payment mix-ups later.
- Truck and trailer details
- Length, weight limits, equipment like a liftgate or load bars, and anything that changes which freight fits.
Eight steps, and you decide at step five
01You apply
Three short steps: your truck, your authority and how often you want to be home. It takes about two minutes and nothing gets booked from the form.
02We call you
A dispatcher calls to talk through your lanes, the places you like to park, the rate you need per mile to cover the truck, and anything you will not haul. This is where your preferences go on file.
03Paperwork once
We need your MC or DOT number, a W-9, your certificate of insurance and, if you factor, your notice of assignment. We use them to set up carrier packets with brokers so you are approved before a good load shows up.
Running a CDL truck under your own authority? Your drug and alcohol testing program has to be in place before your first load. We check that during setup. See what a DOT drug testing consortium does, or join a DOT consortiumReferral link; it does not change your price. Disclosure
04We find a load
We work the load boards and our broker and shipper contacts, negotiate the rate, and check the pickup and delivery times against your hours and home time.
05You confirm it
The load comes to you with the lane, miles, pay and appointments. You decide. Nothing is booked until you say yes.
LOAD OFFER · EXAMPLE
from your dispatcher
Birmingham, AL to Knoxville, TN
- Miles
- 262
- Rate
- $950
- Per mile
- $3.63
- Pickup
- Mon 07:00
- Delivery
- Mon 15:00
Daylight receiver, tarps required. Done by mid-afternoon with time to reach a stop you know before dark.
Your call. Nothing is booked until you say yes.
06The rate con comes to you
Once you accept, the broker sends the rate confirmation straight to you. You read the numbers you agreed to and you sign it.
07You drive, we handle the calls
Check calls, broker updates and delivery confirmations come to us so your phone stays quiet on the road. If a receiver holds you past the free time, we file the detention claim.
08Weekly report
At the end of the week you get your loads, gross, miles and fee in one report. That is how you decide whether we are worth keeping.
Starting a new MC? The steps are the same, but the first loads can take longer while brokers approve a young authority. Our new authority page explains what to expect in the first weeks. Dispatch for a new authority. Factoring at the same time? See how dispatch and factoring work together.
What a good dispatcher never asks for
A few things we will never ask you for, so you can spot a bad dispatcher fast:
- Your load board or ELD logins. We use our own accounts. You keep yours.
- Money up front. There is no setup fee. The fee is 7% to 4% of gross depending on your tier, and only on loads you haul.
- A yes to a load you do not want. Turning a load down never costs you anything, and we do not keep score.
- A long contract. Service is month-to-month, cancel with 30 days notice.
- Cash for fuel or loads. We never ask you to send us money to get a load or to cover anything on the road.
The full fee and terms are on our fees and terms page.
Talking to your dispatcher on the road
On the road, most of our talk is by text and quick calls at times that suit your driving. We do not call you while you are rolling unless something on the load changes and you need to know now.
If you prefer to batch it, tell us. Some drivers want one call after they park for the night to look at tomorrow; others want every update as it happens. We set it up your way during the first call.
The three worries, answered
Three worries come up on almost every first call. Here are the straight answers.
"You will push me into bad loads."
We cannot. You see every load before it is booked, and no means no. If we keep offering loads you turn down, that is our problem to fix, not yours.
"You will book me with slow-paying brokers."
We tell you what we know about a broker before you accept, and you can name brokers you will not run for. They stay off your list.
"I will lose control of my business."
Your MC, your truck, your decisions. We do the phone work and the paperwork; you keep the final say on where the truck goes.
EXAMPLE
EXAMPLE day one: you apply on a Sunday night from a truck stop in Amarillo. Monday morning a dispatcher calls, takes your lanes and home dates, and asks for your documents. By Monday afternoon your packets are out to the brokers you are most likely to run for. Tuesday the first offer comes through: lane, miles, rate, appointments. You read it, say yes, and the rate con hits your email ten minutes later.
After the first month, things get easier. Your preferences are on file, brokers have approved your packets, and the weekly reports show which lanes paid best. Most of the early back-and-forth falls away, and offers get closer to what you would have picked yourself. If they do not, tell us; the setup is never locked.
Start dispatch in about two minutes
What do you run?
About 2 minutes. No setup fee. You confirm every load.
Prefer the full form? Go straight to the application.
Questions about how truck dispatch works
How do you plan my home time?
Your home days go on the calendar before we look for freight. We plan the outbound loads to leave from near home and the last load of the trip to deliver close enough to get you back on time. If a load would cost you a home night, we tell you before you decide.
Do I confirm every load before it is booked?
Yes, every one. You confirm every load before it is booked. We send you the lane, miles, rate and appointment times, and we only tell the broker yes after you do. If anything changes after you accept, we come back to you before agreeing to it.
Who receives the rate confirmation?
You do. The rate confirmation is sent directly to you. You can check that the rate, the pickup and delivery details and any accessorial terms match what we told you before you sign. It is your load and your agreement with the broker.
What happens if I say no to a load?
Nothing bad. You can say no to any load. No penalty, no pressure. We go back to the boards and our contacts and look for something that fits better. Saying no also tells us more about what you want, so the next offers get closer.
How do I talk to my dispatcher on the road?
By text and phone, whichever suits you. Most updates come by text so you can read them when parked. We call when something on a load changes and needs your answer, and we keep calls short. Tell us your preferences on the first call and we stick to them.
Can you plan around my 34-hour reset?
Yes. Tell us when your weekly hours will run low and where you like to take your reset, and we plan the week so the last load before it delivers near that spot. Our 34-hour reset planner helps you see how much time a restart gives back.
How long does dispatch setup take?
The first call is short: lanes, home time, the rate you need and anything you will not haul. After that, timing depends on how quickly you can send your documents and how fast each broker approves your packet. New authorities can take longer while brokers vet a young MC, and we tell you honestly where things stand.
How do dispatchers get paid?
We charge a percentage of the gross on loads you haul: 5% for one truck, 4% per truck for two or more, and 7% while your MC is under 6 months. No setup fee and nothing in weeks you do not haul.