How truck dispatch works, from the first call to the first weekly report
No surprises and no fine print. Here is how truck dispatch works with us: the documents we need and why, the steps from your application to your first load, and the things we will never ask you for.
Six steps, in order
- You apply in about 2 minutes
- A dispatcher calls you
- You send documents and sign
- We set up your carrier packets
- The first load is offered to you
- Your first weekly report arrives
The documents we need, and why
Tick what you already have. Each item says why brokers or we need it, and the list shows what is still missing. Most carriers have everything ready within a day.
6 to go: MC authority letter, Certificate of insurance, W-9, Truck and trailer details, Drug and alcohol program (CDL), Notice of assignment (if you factor)
CDL carriers need their drug and alcohol testing program in place before hauling. If you do not have one yet, the DOT drug testing consortium guide explains how owner-operators join a random pool. Factoring? Send your notice of assignment too, and see how dispatch and factoring work together.
Carrier setup with your dispatcher, step by step
This is the dispatch onboarding path every carrier follows. Timing depends on how quickly documents come in and brokers approve packets.
1. You apply. the application takes about 2 minutes: your rig, your authority and how to reach you.
2. A dispatcher calls you. at the time you picked, to talk lanes, home time, your floor rate and your truck.
3. Documents and the agreement. you send your papers and read a short month-to-month agreement with the fee in writing. Nothing starts until you sign.
4. Carrier packets. we set you up with the brokers on your lanes so the first load is not held up by paperwork.
5. Your first load is offered to you. with the rate, the stops and the broker. You say yes or no.
6. Your first weekly report. gross, miles, rate per mile and fee, so you can judge the work from week one.
What the first call covers
The first call is short and specific. We ask where you want to run and where home is, the days you want off, the lowest rate per mile you will take, and what your truck can carry. We also ask about your truck payment and costs, because the plan starts from what the truck has to earn.
You ask us anything you want. Who signs the rate con, how the fee works, how you leave if it is not working. If our answers do not suit you, you have lost nothing but a phone call.
Who does what, once you are set up
| Task | You | Us |
|---|---|---|
| Find and negotiate loads | Yes | |
| Decide on each load | Yes | |
| Sign the rate con | Yes | |
| Carrier packets and broker setup | Yes | |
| Check calls during the trip | Yes | |
| Send signed paperwork after delivery | Yes | |
| Detention and layover claims | Send times and receipts | File and follow up |
After the first month
By the end of the first month you have four weekly reports and a clear picture of what dispatch is doing for your truck. We review it with you: which lanes paid, which brokers were good to work with, and whether your floor rate needs to move. Then we adjust the plan for the next month.
If the numbers do not justify the fee, you can leave with 30 days notice. We would rather earn the next month than hold you to it.
If you are leased on today
Drivers leased on to another carrier are dispatched by that carrier, so we cannot dispatch you while you run under their authority. If you are planning to move to your own authority, start the filings early and talk to us before your last week leased on. We can have your lanes, floor rate and carrier packets ready so your first week under your own MC is not an empty one.
Your first load, and how every load works
- 1Dispatcher finds and negotiates
- 2Broker sends the rate con to you
- 3You sign it, or you say no
When we find a load that fits, we bring it to you with the rate, the stops, the weight and the broker. If you say yes, the broker sends the rate con to your email in your company name. You read it and sign it.
If you say no, we keep looking, and it costs you nothing. We never accept or sign a load for you. That is how it works on the first load and on the hundredth.
What a normal week looks like
Once you are set up, the rhythm is simple. We plan the week around your home time, offer loads as we find them, and line up the next load before you deliver the current one. During the trip we handle check calls with the broker so your phone stays quiet. After delivery, you send the signed bill of lading and we follow up on detention if you waited.
Every Monday the weekly report lands. If something is not working, tell us and we change the plan.
What we never ask for
A dispatcher does not need these to do the job, and you should be careful with anyone who asks:
- Your load board, bank or factoring logins and passwords
- An upfront or setup fee
- A credit check
- Permission to sign rate cons on your behalf
- A long contract with a fee to leave
What it costs once you start
7% of gross while your MC is under 6 months, 5% for one truck after that, 4% for two or more trucks. The fee only applies to loads you haul. New MC? See how new authority dispatch works.
Every line 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.
Straight answers before you start
How long until my first load?
It depends on how fast documents and broker approvals come through. Carriers with everything ready often get their first offer within days of signing. New authorities can take longer while brokers approve them.
Can I try it and leave if I do not like it?
Yes. The agreement is month-to-month with 30 days notice to cancel, and there is no setup fee to lose.
Dispatch onboarding questions
Do I approve every load?
How often will I get reports?
Who handles check calls?
Do I approve every load before it is booked?
What do you need from me every week?
Can I pause dispatch for home time?
Do I have to take the loads you find?
Two minutes now, a planned week next
Apply, and a dispatcher calls you back to set up the rest.