DOCK 01PRICING
Truck dispatch fees: 7%, 5% or 4%. Nothing hidden.
Your truck dispatch fee is one percentage of the gross on loads you haul. No setup fee, no monthly minimum, no charge on weeks you sit. Here is exactly which rate you pay and why.
Start at my rateDOCK 02THE THREE RATES
Three rates, and which one is yours
7%
TICKET 01
New authority, box truck, hotshot
- Any truck while your MC is under 6 months old
- A single box truck (26 ft and larger) or a single hotshot, at any authority age
New MCs move off this rate automatically at month 6, to whatever rate your truck count and equipment qualify for.
5%
TICKET 02
Standard
- One truck with 6+ months of authority
- Dry van, reefer, flatbed, step deck, power only, car hauler, dump truck, oversize, hazmat or tanker
For one semi with 6+ months of authority.
4%
TICKET 03
Fleet, limited-time rate
- 2 or more trucks on one authority with 6+ months
- Any equipment, box trucks and hotshots included, mixed fleets included
One rate across every truck in the fleet. This is a limited-time rate.
Which rate am I? Read top to bottom; the first line that fits is your rate.
- 1.MC under 6 months old: 7%.
- 2.2 or more trucks: 4%.
- 3.One box truck or one hotshot: 7%.
- 4.One truck of any other kind: 5%.
DOCK 03CALCULATOR
Truck dispatch fee calculator
Pick your setup and a normal week's gross. See our fee in dollars, then put in any other dispatch quote you have and compare them on the same week.
YOUR WEEK
EXAMPLE- YOUR RATE
- 5%
- FEE / WEEK
- $300
- FEE / 4 WEEKS
- $1,200
- YOU KEEP / WEEK
- $5,700
Before fuel and your own costs. Charged only on loads you haul.
COMPARE ANOTHER QUOTE
Enter the fee from the quote you have to compare it with ours on this same week.
Fees are only half the comparison. Check what each quote includes and whether the dispatcher negotiates every rate.
Dispatcher fee calculator for any quoteDoes dispatch pay for itself?
DOCK 04PRICING MODELS
How much do dispatchers charge? The four pricing models
Quotes are hard to compare because dispatchers price in different ways. Here is how each model works and when it costs you more. We use the first one.
| Model | How it is calculated | When it costs you more | Ask before you sign |
|---|---|---|---|
| Percent of gross | A share of the rate on each load you haul | On high-paying loads, since the fee grows with the rate | Does it apply to accessorial pay like detention, or only to linehaul? |
| Percent of net | A share of what is left after certain costs | When the costs subtracted are few or vague | Which costs come off first, in writing |
| Flat fee per week | A fixed amount per truck each week | In slow weeks and weeks you sit, because it is due anyway | Is it charged when the truck is in the shop or you take time off? |
| Flat fee per load | A fixed amount for each load booked | On short, low-paying loads, where it eats a bigger share | Is a cancelled or TONU load still charged? |
DOCK 05WHAT IS INCLUDED
What the fee covers, and what we never charge
INCLUDED IN THE FEE
- Finding loads on the major load boards and through direct broker and shipper contacts
- Negotiating the rate on every load
- Every broker call, check call and delivery confirmation
- Deadhead planning between loads
- Carrier packet setup with every broker we book
- A weekly earnings report
NEVER CHARGED
- A setup or signup fee
- A monthly minimum
- A fee on loads you do not haul
- A fee for weeks your truck sits
- A cancellation fee (30 days notice)
DOCK 06HIDDEN COSTS
Dispatch service cost beyond the fee
The percentage is the number everyone compares. These are the costs that hide around it. Check every quote for them, ours included.
Setup or onboarding fees
Charged once, before the first load. Ours: none.
Minimums
Owed every week or month even when the fee on your loads would be lower. Ours: none.
Contract terms
Long terms, early exit fees or long notice periods. Ours: month-to-month, 30 days notice.
Required partners
Some dispatchers require their own factoring company or insurance. Ask whether you can keep yours.
Pass-through costs
Load board subscriptions, software or phone charges billed to you on top of the fee.
Low rates
The biggest hidden cost: a dispatcher who books the posted rate without negotiating costs you more on every load than any fee difference.
DOCK 07CHEAP VS LOW FEE
Cheap truck dispatch service vs a low fee
Searching for low cost dispatch makes sense. Every point of fee comes out of your gross. But the cheapest quote is not always the cheapest dispatcher, because the fee is the small number. The rate on the load is the big one.
For example, on a $2,000 load one point of fee is $20. Negotiating that same load up by ten cents a mile over 500 miles is $50. A dispatcher who skips the counteroffer to save time costs you more than the fee difference.
When you compare quotes, compare what is included, not only the percentage.
Ask every dispatcher, including us
1. Percentage of gross, percentage of net, or a flat fee?
A percentage of net sounds lower but depends on what they subtract. A flat weekly fee is due even in a slow week.
2. Do they negotiate every load or book the posted rate?
This decides your revenue far more than the fee does.
3. Is there a setup fee, a minimum or a contract term?
Those turn a low percentage into a fixed cost.
4. Can you turn down loads?
Forced dispatch fills the truck with freight you would never take yourself.
5. Who handles the broker calls and check calls?
Some low fees leave the calls with you.
6. What reporting do you get?
You should be able to check every fee against your loads.
DOCK 08HOW BILLING WORKS
How billing works
- LINE 01What we charge
- A percentage of gross load revenue on loads you hauled. Nothing on loads you did not.
- LINE 02Which rate
- Set by the fee matrix above, and it changes automatically when your MC turns 6 months old or your truck count changes.
- LINE 03Invoice and payment
- The written dispatch agreement you get after your first call spells out when we invoice and how you pay.
- LINE 04Leaving
- Month-to-month, cancel with 30 days notice. No cancellation fee.
DOCK 09FAQ
Dispatch fee questions
Q-01What is a fair truck dispatch fee?
A fair truck dispatch fee is one you can check: a clear percentage or flat amount, charged only for work done, with no setup fee or long contract attached. Compare quotes on the same week of your own loads, and on what each includes. Ours is 7%, 5% or 4% of gross depending on your truck, authority age and fleet size.
Q-02How much do truck dispatchers charge?
Dispatchers price their work a few ways: a percentage of gross (the most common), a percentage of net, a flat weekly fee or a flat fee per load. Ours is a percentage of gross: 7% for new MCs and single box trucks or hotshots, 5% for one truck of any other kind, and 4% for 2 or more trucks (limited-time rate).
Q-03Is the dispatch fee on gross or net?
On gross load revenue: the rate on the load as booked. We use gross because it is a number you and the broker both see on the rate confirmation. A percentage of net depends on what gets subtracted first, which makes two quotes hard to compare.
Q-04Why is box truck dispatch 7%?
A box truck load usually pays less than a semi load, but finding, negotiating and confirming it takes the same calls. 7% covers that work without a setup fee or minimum. Run 2 or more trucks for 6+ months and the rate is 4% (limited-time rate), box trucks included.
Q-05Do you charge a setup fee?
No. There is no setup fee, no signup fee and no monthly minimum. Setting up your carrier packets with brokers is part of the dispatch fee, which you only pay on loads you haul.
Q-06Is there a contract?
There is a written dispatch agreement so both sides know the terms, but no long-term contract. The service is month-to-month, cancel with 30 days notice, with no cancellation fee.
Q-07What if I do not haul a week?
Then you owe nothing for that week. The fee is a percentage of loads you haul, so a week at home, in the shop or on vacation costs you nothing in dispatch fees.
Q-08How do I pay my dispatch fee?
The written agreement you receive after your first call sets out when we invoice and how you pay. The amount is always the same calculation: your rate times the gross of the loads you hauled in that period.
Q-09Do fleet rates apply to box trucks?
Yes. The 4% fleet rate (limited-time rate) covers every truck on an authority with 2 or more trucks and 6+ months of history, box trucks and hotshots included. A fleet on a newer MC pays 7% until month 6, then moves to 4% automatically.
See your rate on a real week
Send your application and a dispatcher confirms your rate on the call, before anything is booked.