Dry van dispatch service that prices your time, not just your miles
Our dry van dispatch service books van freight with the detention terms on the rate con, drop-and-hook where it exists, and the reload planned before you deliver. Van loads are easy to find. Van loads that don't eat your day at a dock are not. That's the part we work on.
5% of gross for one truck, no contract, and every load is your call before it's booked.
What do you run?
Where van rates sit right now
Before we talk about your rate, here's the market it sits in. These are national averages for spot van freight, broker to carrier, from DAT for one week. Your lane can be well above or below them.
- Van spot, incl. fuel
- $2.95/mi
- Van linehaul only
- $2.21/mi
- Van load-to-truck ratio
- 11.5
Source:DAT truckload spot market data, Aug 30-Sept 5, 2026 (week 36) · checked 2026-10
Three things move a van rate more than the national average does. The lane matters most: freight leaving a busy distribution market pays differently than freight heading into a town that receives far more than it ships. Timing comes next, because holiday weeks, seasonal surges and quarter-end shipping push change how many loads compete for each truck. Last is how the load handles: a live load with a four-hour unload is a different job from a drop-and-hook, even at the same rate per mile.
An average also hides what a load costs you in time. Two loads paying $2.50 a mile can be worth very different money once you count the hours at each dock. That's what the next section measures.
Live unload or drop-and-hook: what the clock does to your rate
Set the pickup and delivery to live or drop, enter the hours you expect at each dock, and watch the effective rate per hour change. The free time per stop starts at two hours, the period FMCSA describes as the commonly accepted loading and unloading window. Detention pay per hour is yours to set, because it varies by broker and rate con.
- Hours on this load
- 16.5 h
- Free time per stop
- 2 h
- Billable detention
- 3.5 h
- Detention owed
- $175
- $/hour, no detention terms
- $85
- $/hour, detention on rate con
- $95
Drop-and-hook is drawn as half an hour per stop. Detention only pays when the terms are on the rate con and your in and out times are recorded.
Source:FMCSA request for information on driver detention times, 84 FR 26932 (June 10, 2019) · checked 2026-10(two-hour loading and unloading period)
The lesson is plain once you see it drawn. A live unload that runs four hours, with no detention terms on the rate con, can drag a decent load down to a poor hourly return. The same load as drop-and-hook, or with detention written in, holds its value. That's why our dispatchers ask about the dock before they ask about the rate.
Two things make detention collectable. The terms have to be on the rate con before you roll, and your arrival and departure times have to be recorded. We handle both: terms before booking, and a heads-up to the broker while the clock is still running, not three days later.
The van freight we book, and what each kind asks of you
Every type of van freight has its own catch. Knowing it before the offer reaches you is part of the job.
- Retail and big-box DCs
- Palletized store freight on appointments. Needs load locks, clean trailer, on-time arrival. Detention reality: long live unloads at busy DCs unless it's drop-and-hook.
- Grocery dry goods
- Canned and boxed food, paper goods, drinks. Often heavy and floor-loaded or palletized. Lumpers show up at many grocery receivers, so the lumper terms matter before you book.
- Manufacturing inputs
- Parts, packaging and raw materials between plants. Often drop trailers and steady lanes, which makes them good reload candidates.
- Paper and packaging
- Corrugated, rolls and bales. Heavy freight that can bump into your weight limit fast, so we check the weight before the rate.
- Beverages
- Heavy, seasonal and appointment-driven. Pays when it scales out properly and kills a day when it doesn't.
- Consumer goods and e-commerce
- Lighter, high-cube loads between DCs and fulfillment centers. Volume is steady; the rate is the fight.
Check the floor before you check the rate
Heavy van freight can hit your weight limit before it fills the trailer, and light freight can fill the floor long before it's heavy. Try a load here. The interior size and payload below are an example; your trailer's spec sheet and your truck's scale weight decide the real numbers. Full trailer specs are in the dry van trailer dimensions guide.
8 pallets, 8,000 lb. Fits the floor and the 44,000 lb payload used here.
One van load, start to finish
This is what a dry van dispatcher does on a single load, in order. Nothing on this list costs extra.
- 01OfferYou get the lane, miles, rate, windows and live or drop at each end. You say yes or no.
- 02BookingWe confirm the load with the broker and make sure the free time and detention terms are written in.
- 03Rate conThe broker emails it to you. You read it, check it against the offer and sign.
- 04Load infoPickup number, address, appointment and any shipper rules land on your phone in one message.
- 05PickupWe note your arrival. If the shipper is slow, the broker hears about it while it's happening.
- 06Check callsWe answer the broker's tracking requests so your phone isn't ringing while you drive.
- 07DeliverySame as pickup: arrival noted, detention flagged in real time if the dock holds you.
- 08PaperworkSigned BOL and POD go to the broker, or to your factoring company if you factor, as soon as you send them.
- 09ReloadWe work on the next offer while you're still loaded, not after you're empty.
- 10Weekly reportEvery load, mile and dollar, plus the fee, one report per truck.
You see live or drop before you say yes
Every van offer shows the lane, miles, rate, pickup window, and whether each end is live or drop. You decide with the dock in view. If you book it, the rate con comes from the broker straight to you. If you pass, that's the end of it. No pressure, no penalty.
Load offer / Dry van
Joliet, IL to Columbus, OH
- Miles
- 350
- Rate
- $1,050
- Per mile
- $3.00
On the rate con: drop-and-hook both ends, no touch freight
Pickup: Mon 06:00-14:00
Nothing is booked until you say so. You see the lane, the miles, the rate and every extra before anyone commits your truck.
The reload is planned before you deliver
Most lost money in van freight happens after the delivery, not during the load. A good-paying load into a market that ships very little out can leave you deadheading a long way, or sitting a day, for the next one.
So we look at the next load while you're still loaded. Before an offer reaches you, the dispatcher checks what van freight ships out of the delivery area and how far the nearest strong market is. If the reload looks thin, you hear that up front, along with the plan: a shorter run that sets up a better reload, a triangle through a stronger market, or an honest note that the next leg starts with some empty miles.
Our opinion: chasing the highest rate on every single load is how van carriers end up with a great Monday and a dead Wednesday. Two loads that chain together usually beat one load that pays a little more and strands you. The guide to reducing deadhead goes deeper, and the deadhead cost calculator shows what empty miles cost your truck.
To compare two offers honestly, put the empty miles in. The rate per mile calculator divides the rate by loaded and empty miles together, which is the number that pays your bills.
Gear and habits that open more van freight
Two van trucks on the same lane can get very different offers. Most of the gap comes down to the setup below.
- Load locks or straps
- Many shippers expect the carrier to secure the load inside the trailer. Without them, some loads are off the table.
- A clean, dry, odor-free trailer
- Food and paper shippers reject dirty trailers at the door. A swept trailer is a booked load.
- E-track
- Lets you strap partial loads and odd freight that a bare floor can't hold.
- Seal discipline
- Record the seal number at pickup and don't break it before delivery. A broken seal is a claim waiting to happen.
- A scale ticket habit
- Heavy van freight can push your gross weight. Scaling after pickup keeps you out of trouble at the next weigh station.
- Hours that match the freight
- Night receivers and early appointments pay for the carrier who can make them. Tell us what your clock looks like.
Tell your dispatcher what you carry and what your schedule allows. It changes which offers reach you, and it's the fastest way to raise your average without raising your miles.
5% of gross on loads you haul
Dry van dispatch is 5% of the load revenue for one truck with an MC older than 6 months. Fleets of 2 or more trucks pay 4%, and new authorities pay 7% until month 6, when the rate drops on its own. Reimbursed lumper fees aren't part of the fee base.
No setup fee, no minimums, month-to-month, 30 days notice to cancel. The whole breakdown is on the dispatch pricing page, and new authorities should read dispatch for new authority first.
- Week gross
- $6,800
- Rate
- 5%
- Dispatch fee
- $340
- Lumper reimbursed
- $250, not in fee
"Van freight is everywhere. Why pay a dispatcher?"
Fair question, and for some carriers the honest answer is that you shouldn't. If you have steady direct customers, a lane you like and the time to run the boards, you may do fine alone. The load-to-truck ratio above says van freight isn't scarce.
Where we add the least: a truck on a dedicated contract lane that runs the same loads every week with the same shipper. There's little to find and little to negotiate. Where we add the most: a one-truck carrier on spot freight who loses half a day to every live unload, takes the first rate a broker offers, and spends evenings looking for the next load. If you're somewhere in between, a week of numbers will tell you more than this page can.
What a van dispatcher earns the fee on is everything around the load: hours of calls you don't make, detention you actually collect, drop-and-hook freight found instead of live unloads accepted, and reloads planned so the truck isn't empty on Wednesday. If those don't add up to more than 5% on your week, don't sign up. Run the numbers in the dock clock above with your own typical week and decide.
Need cash flow more than loads? Van carriers often wait 30 days or more for broker pay. Freight factoring can close that gap, and it works with or without dispatch.
Dry van dispatch questions
Note 01How much does dry van dispatch cost?
For one truck with an MC older than 6 months it's 5% of the load's gross, charged only on loads you haul. New MCs pay 7% until month 6, and fleets of 2 or more trucks pay 4%. There's no setup fee, no minimum and no contract beyond month-to-month with 30 days notice to cancel.
Note 02Do you book drop-and-hook loads?
Yes, and we look for them first when they fit your lane, because a drop trailer at both ends can save hours of dock time. Not every lane has drop-and-hook freight, so when a load is live load or live unload, we make sure detention terms are on the rate con before you say yes.
Note 03How do you handle detention on live unloads?
Before booking, we get the free time and the detention rate written on the rate con. When you arrive, your check-in time is logged, and if the dock holds you past free time, we notify the broker while it's happening and file the claim with your in and out times. Undocumented detention is the kind that never gets paid.
Note 04Can a new MC get dry van loads?
Yes. Some brokers won't load a new authority, but plenty of van freight moves through brokers that will. The first weeks focus on those brokers and on getting your carrier packets approved. New MCs pay 7% for the first 6 months, then move to the standard rate automatically.
Note 05Do I approve every load before it's booked?
Every one. We send the lane, miles, rate, pickup and delivery windows, and whether it's live or drop. You say yes or no. If you say yes, the broker sends the rate confirmation straight to you to read and sign, so you always see exactly what the load pays.
Note 06How do you avoid dead-end deliveries?
We check what ships out of the delivery market before we offer you a load into it. When a good-paying load goes somewhere with little outbound van freight, we look for the reload before you accept, or we tell you plainly that the next leg may be a short deadhead to a better market.
Send your van details. Get offers with the dock in view.
Live or drop, detention terms and the reload, on every offer.