Dry van dispatch service that covers the tractor and the trailer
Most dry van owner-operators pay for two pieces of equipment: a tractor and a 53 ft trailer. Our dry van dispatchers book the loads that cover both, negotiate every rate, and handle the brokers, the check calls and the paperwork. You choose every load.
Quick answers on dry van dispatch
How much does dry van dispatch cost?
What is a good rate per mile for dry van?
How many miles a month cover a truck and trailer payment?
Should I buy or lease a dry van trailer?
Can you find drop and hook loads?
Who pays lumper fees?
Do I have to take the loads you find?
The Payment Ladder: miles that climb both payments
Set your tractor and trailer payments, your rate per mile and your running cost per mile. The first rung fills when the tractor is covered and the second when the trailer is. The rate starts at the DAT national van linehaul average of $2.19 for August 2026; change it to the rate your lanes actually pay.
Left per mile after fee and costs
$1.13
Miles to cover the tractor
1,858 mi
Miles to cover both
2,433 mi
100% of both payments covered
National averages hide wide lane-to-lane swings. EXAMPLE payments; fee 5% of gross. Rate source: DAT Freight & Analytics monthly report for August 2026, released 2026-09-15.
Check a single offer with the rate per mile calculator before you say yes to it.
Drop-and-hook or live load: what changes for your week
Two dry van loads can pay the same and leave you in very different places by Friday. Our dry van dispatcher compares them on these points:
| Drop-and-hook | Live load | |
|---|---|---|
| Time at the dock | Usually short: swap trailers and go | Can run hours while they load or unload |
| Detention risk | Low | Higher, so detention terms matter |
| Trailer | Often a shipper or pool trailer | Your own trailer |
| Planning | Easier to stack the next load | Harder until you know when you are empty |
| What we push for | Rate and a clean trailer swap | Rate, appointment time and detention pay |
Lumpers and detention: the money most owners leave behind
Live unloads at grocery and retail warehouses often use lumpers, and the bill can surprise a new owner. We get lumper terms on the rate con before you load, so you know who pays and how you get reimbursed.
Detention is the other leak. Most rate cons give a set number of free hours before detention pay starts. We log your arrival time, track the clock and file the detention claim with the broker. That money belongs to you, and on a slow receiver it can be the difference between a good week and a flat one.
Buy, lease, or skip the trailer?
The trailer is the payment many dry van owners forget to question. Owning one makes sense if you run your own drop-and-hook freight or want the equity. Leasing keeps cash free. Power only removes the trailer payment entirely but changes the loads you can take.
Read the lease vs buy guide for the full cost of each path, and see how power only dispatch works if you are thinking of dropping the trailer.
What our dry van dispatcher handles
The work around a van load eats more hours than the driving. This is what comes off your plate:
- Load searches on the major boards and with our direct broker contacts
- Rate negotiation on every load, against your floor rate
- Carrier packets with each new broker
- Appointment setting, check calls and delivery confirmations
- Lumper and detention terms written into the rate con
- A weekly earnings report showing gross, miles and rate per mile
How we plan a dry van week
A van week is won on the reload. Before you deliver Monday's load, we look at what moves out of that receiver's area and line up the next one, so you are not sitting at a truck stop waiting for the board to refresh. When a market is weak, we tell you early and plan a shorter leg toward a stronger one.
We also watch your hours. A load that pays well but forces a reset in the wrong place can cost you a day. We plan around your hours of service, not just the rate.
What van owners ask before they sign
Will you only book cheap freight to keep me moving?
No. We work against your floor rate, and you decide every load. We would rather plan a short repositioning move than lock you into a long, cheap run into a dead market.
Can I keep my own customers?
Yes. Tell us which shippers you already work with and we will leave them alone, or handle the paperwork for them if you like. Your direct freight stays yours.
Questions to ask any dry van dispatcher
Dry van dispatch is the most crowded corner of the business. These questions sort the desks quickly:
Do I approve every load?. You should, and the rate con should come to you in your company name.
What is the fee charged on?. Gross revenue, linehaul only, or a flat fee. Ask for the exact basis in writing.
How do you plan reloads?. A good answer talks about the next load before the current one delivers.
Who files detention?. Someone has to track the clock and send the claim. Find out who.
What do I get each week?. A report with gross, miles and rate per mile lets you judge the work.
You approve every dry van load
- 1Dispatcher finds and negotiates
- 2Broker sends the rate con to you
- 3You sign it, or you say no
We bring you the lane, the rate, the stops and whether it is drop or live. If you take it, the broker sends the rate con straight to your email in your company name. You sign it or you pass.
Turning down a load never costs you anything. We would rather keep looking than book you a cheap van load into a dead market.
Dry van dispatch pricing
Same schedule for every rig: 7% while your MC is under 6 months, 5% for one truck and 4% for two or more on one MC. The new authority rate drops on its own in month 7.
No setup fee, no minimum, no long contract. The full breakdown is on the pricing page.
- 7%MC under 6 months, any fleet size
- 5%1 truck, MC 6+ months
- 4%2+ trucks on one MC, MC 6+ months
- Of gross load revenue. No setup fee, no minimums, month-to-month, 30 days notice, no haul no pay.
Cover the tractor and the trailer, then keep the rest
Tell us your lanes and your floor rate. A dispatcher calls you back.