DOCK 01SMALL FLEETS
A fleet dispatcher for the owner who is also the dispatcher
You run 2 to 10 trucks, answer every broker call and still do the books at night. Hand the desk to us: truck-by-truck planning, every rate negotiated, one weekly report. 4% of gross across the whole fleet (limited-time rate).
FLEET BOARD
EXAMPLE- TRUCK 1LOADED
- TRUCK 2PICKUP 14:00
- TRUCK 3LOADED
- TRUCK 4HOME TONIGHT
DOCK 02THE OWNER WHO DISPATCHES
The owner who dispatches
For a lot of small fleet owners, the day looks something like this.
- 05:40Two drivers need loads for tomorrow before you have looked at your own.
- 09:15A broker calls about a detention charge while you are on the phone with a shop.
- 13:30Truck 3 is sitting because nobody had time to work its backhaul.
- 18:00Rate cons, invoices and driver settlements wait until the kids are in bed.
- 22:10You realize you have not driven, planned or rested. You dispatched.
DOCK 03COST BOARD
In-house fleet dispatcher vs outsourced truck dispatch
Hiring a dispatcher is a salary every week. Outsourcing is a percentage of what your trucks haul. Move the sliders to your fleet.
Salary starts at the BLS national median for dispatchers (all industries, May 2025). 7.65% is the employer share of Social Security and Medicare; add benefits if you offer them.
WEEKLY DESK COST
EXAMPLEIn-house dispatcher
$1,042
Salary plus 7.65%, every week, loaded or not. One person, one schedule.
Our desk at 4% of $22,000
$880
Fleet rate (limited-time rate). Only on loads hauled; a slow week costs less.
On these numbers, outsourcing costs $162 a week less than one in-house dispatcher.
Estimate. Does not include load board subscriptions, phones or desk space for an in-house hire.
SOURCE:BLS OEWS, May 2025, OCT 2026;IRS Topic 751, OCT 2026
DOCK 04IN-HOUSE OR NOT
When an in-house fleet dispatcher makes more sense
Outsourcing is not right for every fleet. Here is an honest split.
| Hire in-house when | Outsource when |
|---|---|
| Your fleet is big enough that a salary is a small share of its weekly gross | A salary would eat a big share of what your trucks gross |
| You run steady contract freight that needs one person on site every day | You run spot freight and need someone working the boards and brokers |
| You want the dispatcher also doing payroll, maintenance scheduling or driver hiring | You only want loads found, negotiated and tracked |
| You can cover sick days, vacations and turnover | You do not want one person's absence to stop your trucks |
| You already pay for load boards and dispatch software | You would rather not add those costs |
Many fleets do both over time: outsource while small, hire once the fleet's gross makes a salary the cheaper line. Run your own numbers on the cost board above.
DOCK 05HOW WE RUN A FLEET
How we run a small fleet
01
Truck by truck
Each truck gets its own plan: where it delivers, what moves from there, and when its driver needs to be home.
02
Your rules, fleet-wide
One set of lanes, rate floors and brokers to avoid that we apply to every truck, with exceptions where you want them.
03
Driver communication your way
Load offers go to you, or straight to your drivers with you copied. You decide on the first call.
04
One weekly fleet report
Loads, gross and fees for every truck in one report, so you see which trucks earn and which sit.
05
One desk number
Brokers and drivers call one number for every truck. You stop being the switchboard.
DOCK 06GROWING THE FLEET
What changes when you add a truck
- Your rate
- Going from 1 truck to 2 moves the whole operation to 4% (limited-time rate), once your authority is 6 months old.
- Your paperwork
- Your insurer may need to add the new truck to your policy, and brokers may ask for an updated certificate before they load it.
- Your broker setups
- We update your carrier profiles with the new equipment so brokers offer it the right freight.
- Your plan
- The new truck gets its own lanes and home time, and we plan around both trucks so they do not compete for the same loads.
What the weekly fleet report shows
One page, every truck. Enough to check our fee against your own records and to see which trucks earn and which sit.
WEEKLY FLEET REPORT
DOCK 07MIXED FLEETS
Small fleet dispatch for mixed fleets
Box trucks and semis on the same authority? The fleet rate covers every truck on it: one rate, not a different percentage per truck. A box truck that would pay 7% on its own pays 4% in a fleet of 2 or more (limited-time rate), once the authority is 6 months old.
ONE WEEK, THREE TRUCKS, ONE RATE
DOCK 08FAQ
Small fleet dispatch service questions
Q-01What does a fleet dispatcher do?
It keeps every truck in a small fleet loaded: finds and negotiates loads for each truck, plans backhauls so trucks do not run home empty, handles broker calls and check calls, sets up carrier packets, and reports what each truck earned. The owner keeps the decisions: lanes, home time, rate floors and which loads to take.
Q-02Do all my trucks have to be on the same authority for the fleet rate?
Yes. The 4% fleet rate applies to 2 or more trucks running under one MC authority that is at least 6 months old. Trucks on separate authorities are each priced on their own, by their own truck count and authority age.
Q-03How much does outsourced fleet dispatch cost?
4% of gross load revenue across every truck in a fleet of 2 or more, once your authority is 6 months old. It is a limited-time rate. A fleet on a newer MC pays 7% until month 6. No setup fee, no minimum, month-to-month, cancel with 30 days notice.
Q-04Can you dispatch box trucks and semis in the same fleet?
Yes. Box trucks (26 ft and larger), hotshots and every semi type we dispatch can sit in one fleet, and the fleet rate of 4% covers all of them. Each truck still gets loads that fit its own equipment.
Q-05Do you talk to my drivers directly?
If you want us to. Some owners want every load offer to come to them; others want us to send loads straight to the driver with the owner copied. We set it on the first call, and you can change it any time.
Q-06How many trucks can one dispatcher handle?
There is no honest single number. A local box truck with several stops a day takes more calls than a long-haul van on two loads a week. When you compare dispatch services, ask how many trucks each dispatcher runs and who covers your trucks when that person is off.
Q-07Is outsourcing cheaper than an in-house dispatcher?
It depends on your fleet's gross. A salaried dispatcher costs the same every week; a percentage moves with what your trucks haul. Use the cost board on this page with your own numbers, and add what a hire also needs: load boards, a phone and cover for days off.
Q-08Do you send fleet reports?
Yes. You get a weekly earnings report covering every truck: loads, gross and fees, so you can see which trucks are earning and check our fee against your own records.
Hand us the desk for the whole fleet
4% of gross across every truck (limited-time rate). No setup fee. Month-to-month, cancel with 30 days notice.