Power only dispatch services that count every empty mile
Power only looks simple: hook a preloaded trailer, pull it, drop it. The catch is that the day ends at somebody else's yard on somebody else's schedule, and then you bobtail to find a place to sleep. Our power only dispatch services plan the hook, the drop and the parking after it, and you say yes or no to every load before it is booked.
Day cab or sleeper. Your tractor, their trailer. The same fee schedule as every other truck we dispatch.
5% of gross for one truck, 4% for 2+, 7% while your MC is under 6 months. No haul, no pay.
What a power only load really pays per mile
A power only rate is quoted on loaded miles, but you drive more than that. There is the run to the yard where the trailer waits, and after the drop there is the bobtail to somewhere you can park, because most drop yards will not let you stay. Those empty miles are real fuel and real hours.
Put in a load you are looking at. The card shows the rate per mile the load board shows you, the true rate once the empty miles count, and what you keep after our fee for your tier.
DROP-AND-PARK CALCULATOR · EXAMPLE DEFAULTS
563 total miles · 8% empty
- Posted rate per mile
- $2.40
- True rate per mile
- $2.22
- Dispatch fee (5%)
- $63
- Net after fee, per mile
- $2.11
You keep $1,188 of the $1,250 rate, before fuel and your other costs. Every empty mile in this card is a mile the rate has to cover.
Run a few loads through it and a pattern shows up. A load with a slightly lower posted rate that drops near a truck stop can beat a higher one that drops in an industrial park 40 miles from the nearest legal parking. That is the comparison we make before an offer ever reaches you.
The clock matters as much as the miles. Bobtailing still counts as driving time, and the 14-hour window does not care that the trailer is gone. If the drop is late and the nearest parking is far, the bobtail can be the part of the day that runs you out of hours.
For a full picture of a load, with fuel, tolls and your own costs, use the load profitability calculator. This card is only about the empty miles and the fee.
Power only dispatch: where the loads come from
Power only freight comes from brokers and carriers who own trailer pools, and from shippers who keep preloaded trailers in their yards. Some large networks run their own programs. We only describe a program from what it says on its own page, and the details change, so check the page before you sign up.
Trailer pool programs
Uber Freight's Powerloop page says carriers can bring their truck and use a Powerloop trailer instead of owning one, with bundled loads such as drop/drop, drop/live and live/live.
Shipper and network requirements
Amazon Relay's page lists tractors among the equipment it accepts, and asks for interstate authority active at least 180 days, a valid MC and auto liability that includes $50,000 of trailer replacement coverage.
Brokers with trailer pools
Many brokers post power only loads on the same boards as van freight. The trailer type, the hook time and the drop location are on the load; the parking after it usually is not.
POSTED: Uber Freight, Powerloop program page · checked Oct 2026
POSTED: Amazon Relay, carrier requirements (relay.amazon.com) · checked Oct 2026
Drop yards and the night after
A drop yard is a lot where trailers wait. It is not a truck stop, and most do not want you parking there overnight once your trailer is dropped. Some have gate hours, some need a gate pass or a PIN from the broker, and some have no one on site at night. We ask for all of that before you accept.
Then we plan the bobtail. We look for the nearest truck stop, rest area or other legal parking within the time you have left, and we tell you how far it is when we pitch the load. If the drop is late in the day and the parking is far, we say so, and you can decide whether the rate covers it.
Power only also gives you one advantage the van world envies: drop and hook is normal. A preloaded trailer waiting at 05:30 means no hours at a dock. We look for those first, and for an empty or a loaded trailer to pull out of the same yard, so the day does not end with a long bobtail at all.
For the places you can stop once the trailer is gone, see our truck parking guide.
WE ASK BEFORE YOU HOOK
- Yard address, gate hours and whether it is staffed
- Gate pass, PIN or seal number from the broker
- Whether the trailer is preloaded, and who inspected it
- Trailer type and any temperature requirement
- Where you can park after the drop, and how far
- Whether there is a trailer to pull out of the same yard
Inspecting a trailer you do not own
On power only, the trailer is someone else's equipment, but the inspection is still yours. Check the tires, lights, brakes, air lines, mud flaps and doors before you hook, and note any damage on the paperwork before you leave the yard. A photo of each side takes two minutes and can save an argument later. If a trailer is not road ready, tell us, and we push back on the broker rather than letting you pull it.
The same goes at the drop. Take a photo of the trailer where you left it, note the seal number and the time, and get a drop receipt if the yard gives one. If a trailer goes missing or comes back damaged weeks later, that record shows what it looked like when it left your hands.
What a power only dispatcher does differently
Counts the empty miles
Every offer shows the run to the hook and the bobtail after the drop, not just the loaded miles the board shows.
Chains the yards
We look for a pull-out trailer in the yard where you drop, so the next load starts where the last one ended.
Checks the trailer type
Dry van, reefer, flatbed or container chassis. Reefer trailers on power only still need fuel and a temperature check.
Confirms hook and drop windows
A preloaded trailer is only useful if it is ready when the broker says. We confirm the hook time before you drive there.
Plans the parking
We name the place we think you will park after the drop, and how far it is, before you say yes.
Handles the paperwork
Gate passes, seal numbers and drop receipts go in your load file so detention and pay claims hold up.
Day cab or sleeper changes the plan more on power only than anywhere else. A day cab can run drop and hook loads all day and go home at night, which suits regional power only lanes near big yards. A sleeper opens longer runs, but the night after the drop has to be at real truck parking, so we plan it before you accept. Tell us which you run, and how many nights out you want, and we match the loads to it.
A power only offer, start to finish
This is how an offer from your power only dispatcher reads. It is an EXAMPLE, not a real load. Accept or decline it to see what happens next.
LOAD OFFER · EXAMPLE
from your dispatcher
Edwardsville, IL to Columbus, OH
- Miles
- 390
- Rate
- $1,100
- Per mile
- $2.82
- Pickup
- Tue 05:30 hook, preloaded
- Delivery
- Tue 14:00 drop
Preloaded 53 ft trailer, drop and hook both ends. Hook by 05:30, drop by 14:00, then 12 miles bobtail to a truck stop. An empty for the return is in the same yard.
Your call. Nothing is booked until you say yes.
The power only dispatcher fee
Power only pays the same tiers as every truck we dispatch. A new MC starts at 7% and drops automatically at month 6. The rest is on the fees and terms page.
YOUR TIER
Standard (1 truck, MC 6+ months)
5%of gross
- Weekly gross (1 truck)
- $6,000
- Dispatch fee
- $300
- You keep (before costs)
- $5,700
Month-by-month table
| MC month | Fee |
|---|---|
| 12 | 5% |
| 13 | 5% |
| 14 | 5% |
| 15 | 5% |
| 16 | 5% |
| 17 | 5% |
| 18 | 5% |
| 19 | 5% |
| 20 | 5% |
| 21 | 5% |
| 22 | 5% |
| 23 | 5% |
Same tiers for every equipment type. No setup fee, no minimums, month-to-month, cancel with 30 days notice. EXAMPLE math, not a promise of revenue.
Power only dispatch questions
How does power only dispatch work?
You bring the tractor, and someone else supplies the trailer, usually preloaded. We find the loads, check the hook time, the drop yard and the parking after it, and pitch each one to you with the full details. You decide. If you say yes, the rate con comes straight to you, and we handle the broker paperwork and check calls.
Can I park at a drop yard overnight?
Usually not. Most drop yards want the trailer, not the tractor, and many do not allow drivers to stay once the trailer is dropped. Some yards are unstaffed at night or close the gate. We ask about it before you accept, and plan the bobtail to the nearest legal parking that fits the hours you have left.
Does power only pay less per mile than dry van?
It can, because you are not supplying the trailer, and some power only loads post lower rates than similar van loads. But you also skip the cost of owning a trailer, and drop and hook can save hours at docks. The fair comparison is net per total mile, including the empty miles, which is what the calculator above shows.
Can a new MC run power only?
Yes, with some limits. Some programs and brokers set a minimum authority age; Amazon Relay's own page asks for interstate authority active at least 180 days. Others will work with a newer MC. A new authority pays 7% until month 6, then steps down automatically, and we start with the brokers who will book you now.
How much do power only dispatchers charge?
We charge 7% of gross while your MC is under 6 months old, 5% for one truck after that, and 4% per truck for two or more. No setup fee, no minimum and no contract, and nothing owed in a week you do not haul. The fee is the same for power only as for any other equipment.
Start power only dispatch
Loads planned from the hook to the place you park. No setup fee. No contract.