Link 01Before you sign up

How truck dispatch works with us, load by load

You should know exactly what happens on every load before you sign anything. Here's how truck dispatch works on our desk: we find and check the load, you confirm it or say no, the broker sends the rate con to you, and we handle the calls and the paperwork until you're paid.

Start my onboarding

One call to start. No setup fee. Cancel with 30 days notice.

Link 02Dispatch onboarding

Dispatch onboarding in three calls

Carrier setup with a dispatcher shouldn't take a week of forms. Ours runs on three conversations, and you can stop after any of them.

Call 1: the fit
About 15 minutes. We ask about your truck, your lanes and where home is, how often you want to be there, the lowest rate per mile you'll haul for, and any brokers you already trust or refuse to touch. If we're not a fit, we'll say so on this call.
Call 2: the paperwork
You send your MC or DOT number, authority letter, W-9, certificate of insurance and your notice of assignment if you factor. We send the dispatch agreement: month-to-month, 30 days notice, and a fee based on the gross rate on the rate confirmation; lumper reimbursements excluded. Read it before you sign. Our guide to dispatch contract clauses lists what to look for in any dispatcher's agreement, ours included.
Call 3: the first week
We build your carrier packet once and send it only to brokers who pass our record check. Then we plan the first week around your rules, and the first offer lands on your phone with the terms written out.

Building your packet yourself first? The carrier packet builder lists every document brokers usually ask for, and our new carrier setup guide explains why setups get rejected.

Before your packet goes to any broker

Your packet carries your insurance details, your tax ID and your banking or factoring instructions, which makes it valuable to scammers. So before it leaves our desk, the broker's public record has to show active authority and a bond or trust on file, the request has to come from the broker's real domain, and the setup link has to match the broker's own website. A setup request that arrives out of nowhere gets verified by phone first.

No authority yet, or leased on?

If your MC application is still in progress, we can prepare the packet and the lane plan so you're ready the week your authority goes active. If you're leased on to another carrier, your loads come through that carrier's authority, so talk to them before you talk to us. We dispatch for carriers who run under their own MC.

Link 03The load loop

Eleven steps per load. Two of them are always yours

Every brokered load runs the same loop, from the carrier packet to the payment. Switch the view to see who does each step and roughly how long it takes on a typical load.

Two steps never move to our side. You confirm the load, because it's your truck and your name on the authority. And you sign the rate confirmation, which the broker sends straight to you, made out to your company. We read it first and flag anything missing, but we don't sign it and we don't book anything you haven't approved.

Everything else is ours: the search, the broker check, the counteroffer, the check calls, the invoice and the follow-up when a payment runs late. The minutes are an example, not a promise. A messy load takes longer for everyone.

EXAMPLE MINUTES

Carrier packet to a new brokerDesk: built once, sent only to checked brokers0 mindesk
Broker record checkDesk: authority, bond or trust, callback, email domain0 mindesk
Find a load that fitsDesk: boards plus broker contacts, filtered to your rules0 mindesk
Counter the rate and termsDesk: rate, detention, tonu, payment terms in writing0 mindesk
Confirm the load or say noAlways yours2 minyou
Sign the rate con the broker sends youAlways yours, in your company name5 minyou
Pickup details and appointmentDesk: sent to your phone, confirmed with the shipper0 mindesk
Check calls and delivery updatesDesk: desk updates the broker0 mindesk
9POD and BOL photosYou snap them, we file them3 minyou
Invoice the broker or factorDesk: matched to the load and sent0 mindesk
Payment and detention follow-upDesk: reminders in writing, logged in your report0 mindesk

Your time on this load: 10 minutes (vs 207 doing it yourself). The two highlighted steps stay yours either way.

When a load goes sideways, the desk picks up the phone

Most loads are boring, which is the goal. The ones that aren't are where a dispatcher earns the fee. Here's what we do in the situations carriers ask about most.

The broker cancels after you're rolling: We ask for the TONU written on the rate con, send the request the same day, and start looking for a replacement load from where you are, not from where you were going.
The receiver holds you for hours: We log your check-in time, warn the broker when free time runs out, and send the detention request with your timestamps once you're empty.
Your truck breaks down: We tell the broker early and honestly, ask whether the load can be recovered or re-dated, and keep the relationship intact for the next one.
The load gets rejected: We collect the BOL, photos and any temperature records right away and loop in the broker before anyone decides who pays. Your paperwork matters more than anyone's opinion.
The pickup details change: If the weight, stops or appointment change after you confirmed, the rate gets revisited before you move. A changed load is a new offer, and it's still your call.
The broker pays late: Reminders go out in writing after the terms pass. If a broker stops answering, we explain your options, including the broker's bond or trust, and the official complaint channels.

Link 04What you set, what we follow

You set the rules once. The desk follows them on every load

Your floor rate

The lowest all-in rate per mile you'll accept, including deadhead. We never book below it without asking you first, and we tell you when a lane pays under it all week.

Your lanes

Where you like to run, where you won't go, and the states that cost you money. We plan backhauls toward home instead of chasing the highest number on the board.

Your home time

Weekends home, every other Friday, or out for three weeks. The week gets planned backward from the day you want to park.

Your broker list

Brokers you already trust go first. Brokers you've had trouble with never get your packet. Tell us once and it sticks.

Rules change. Fuel goes up, a kid has a game on Saturday, a lane dries up. Text the desk and the next offers reflect it. If an offer ever breaks one of your rules, say so; it's our mistake to fix, not yours to absorb.

What we won't do, ever

Book a load you haven't confirmed, or sign a rate con for you.
Send your carrier packet to a broker who failed our record check.
Collect your freight payments or ask a broker to pay us instead of you.
Take shipper freight or set shipper rates. That's brokering, and we don't broker.
Hide a fee. Our percentage is the only thing we charge for dispatch.

Link 05Try a load

Walk one load from the desk to your signature

This is what an offer looks like when it reaches you. Turn it down and the next one arrives. Confirm it and the rate con comes from the broker, ready for your signature.

Offers come by text or a call, whichever you prefer, with the lane, rate, miles, deadhead, pickup window and the broker terms that matter. If you're driving, the offer waits; we don't book on silence. When a hot load needs an answer in minutes, we tell you that up front, and you can still pass.

New load offer EXAMPLE

Dallas, TX to Atlanta, GA

Rate: $2,150
Miles: 781
RPM: $2.75
Pickup: Tue 08:00
Broker: Broker A

Broker records checked

Link 06One setup item for CDL carriers

CDL carriers: have your drug and alcohol program ready

Many broker setup packets ask CDL carriers about their DOT drug and alcohol testing program. If you drive a truck that requires a CDL under your own authority, you're both the employer and the driver, so you need to be in a random testing pool . Most one-truck carriers join a consortium for this. Non-CDL operations, including many 26 ft box trucks under 26,001 lb and non-CDL hotshots, aren't covered by DOT testing, so skip this step if that's you.

More on how it works: what a DOT drug testing consortium does. If you need one, you can compare consortium pricing at Vertical Identity (referral link, it does not change your price).

Link 07The weekly report

Every Friday you see every load, every dollar and every open item

The report lists each delivered load with its rate, miles and deadhead, our fee on it, and anything still open: a detention request waiting on the broker, an invoice past its terms, a POD the broker says it never got.

Our invoice comes from the same numbers. It's a percentage of the gross rate on the rate confirmation; lumper reimbursements excluded, billed weekly, on delivered loads. A week with no delivered loads means no invoice. Exact rates for new authorities, single trucks and fleets are on what we charge.

Three numbers worth watching

Deadhead per load. If it creeps up, we're planning reloads badly or your lanes need a rethink.
All-in rate per mile. Rate divided by loaded plus empty miles, compared with your own cost per mile.
Open items. Money you've earned but haven't collected. It should shrink every week, not pile up.

Weekly report

EXAMPLE

EXAMPLE report, one truck, 5% fee
Load	Lane	Loaded mi	Deadhead	Rate con	Fee
Load 1	Dallas, TX to Atlanta, GA	781	18	$2,150	$107.50
Load 2	Atlanta, GA to Charlotte, NC	245	12	$1,300	$65.00
Load 3	Charlotte, NC to Columbus, OH	430	25	$1,850	$92.50
Total	Three loads	1456	55	$5,300	$265.00

Open: detention request on Load 2, 2.5 hours at the receiver, sent to the broker Wednesday with timestamps.
Open: Load 1 invoice due under net 30 terms; reminder scheduled for day 31.

Questions about how we work

How long does onboarding take?

The first call takes about 15 minutes. After that it depends on how fast your documents come in and how quickly brokers approve your packet. With active authority, insurance on file and paperwork ready, many carriers see a first offer within a few days. We won't promise a date, because broker setup times aren't ours to control.

What documents do I need to start dispatch?

Your MC or DOT number and authority letter, a W-9, a certificate of insurance showing your auto liability and cargo coverage, and your notice of assignment if you factor. Some brokers also ask for references or a BOC-3 confirmation. We build one packet from these and keep it current when your insurance renews.

Do you sign rate confirmations for me?

No, never. When you confirm a load, the broker sends the rate confirmation directly to you, made out to your company, and you sign it. We read the terms before the offer reaches you and push for missing detention or TONU language, but your signature is yours alone.

Can I turn down a load after you find it?

Yes. Every load arrives as an offer you can decline, with no penalty and no pressure. If you turn down the same kind of load twice, we'll ask why and adjust your rules, so the next offers fit better. Nothing gets booked until you say yes.

How do you get paid?

We invoice you once a week for our percentage of the gross rate on each rate confirmation you delivered that week, lumper reimbursements excluded. The broker pays you or your factor directly, never us. A week with no delivered loads means no invoice. Current rates are on our pricing page.

Do you handle detention and layover requests?

Yes. We track your arrival and departure times, send the request to the broker with the timestamps and the rate con terms, and follow up in writing until it's paid or refused. Whether a broker pays depends on the terms you signed, which is why we ask for detention language before you confirm.

What if I want to stop?

Give us 30 days notice in writing and we'll wrap up. Loads already booked get finished, open detention and payment follow-ups are handed back to you with notes, and your carrier packet stays yours. No cancellation fee. Dispatch runs month-to-month, so there's no term to wait out.

Start with one phone call

Tell us your truck and your rules. If we're not the right desk for you, we'll say so on the call.