Truck dispatch fee: one percentage, no fine print
Our truck dispatch fee is a percentage of the load revenue on loads you haul, and nothing else. Three tiers, one rule that decides which one you pay, no setup fee, no minimums and no contract to get out of. Here's all of it.
Standard
5%
of gross, on loads hauled
One semi truck with an MC older than 6 months: dry van, reefer, flatbed, step deck, oversize, power only, car hauler, dump, hazmat and tanker.
Starter
7%
of gross, on loads hauled
Any MC under 6 months, plus 26 ft box trucks, hotshots and pickup-pulled car haulers at any age.
Fleet
4%
of gross, on loads hauled
Two or more semi trucks with an MC older than 6 months. Permanent rate, not a promotion.
Which rate do you pay? Run your truck through the rule.
The rules are checked in order, and the first one that applies sets your fee. Pick your equipment, authority age and truck count, then set a typical week. The planner shows which rule matched and what the fee comes to by week, month and year.
- Rule 1MC under 6 months?No
- Rule 226 ft box truck, hotshot or pickup-pulled car hauler?No
- Rule 32 or more trucks?No
- Rule 4Everyone elseYes: 5%
- Your rate
- 5%
- Fee / week
- $350
- Fee / month
- $1,458
- Fee / year
- $17,500
- Same week at 10%
- $700
- Kept vs 10% / year
- $17,500
Month and year figures use 50 working weeks. The 10% column is a what-if for comparison, not a quote from any company.
Want the same math with your own costs in it? The dispatcher fee calculator compares any percentage or flat fee, and the dispatch ROI calculator weighs the fee against the hours you get back.
What the percentage is charged on, line by line
Ask any dispatcher this before you sign: is the percentage taken from linehaul only, from the full rate, or from everything that hits your account? Ours comes from load revenue. Money that only passes through you is left out.
In the fee base
- Linehaul
- The base rate for moving the load.
- Fuel surcharge
- When the broker pays it as part of the rate.
- Accessorials you earn
- Tarp pay, extra stops, detention, layover and TONU paid to you.
Not in the fee base
- Permit reimbursements
- Oversize permits the broker pays back.
- Escort reimbursements
- Pilot car costs billed through and repaid.
- Lumper reimbursements
- Unloading fees you paid and got back with a receipt.
Two lines cause most of the arguments, so here they are plainly. Detention is pay for your time at a dock, so it counts as revenue the same way linehaul does. A TONU (truck ordered, not used) pays you when a broker cancels after you were already dispatched, and it's revenue too, charged at the same percentage. Fuel surcharge counts when the broker pays it as part of the rate. If any line on a rate con is unclear, ask before you book and we'll tell you how it's treated.
Everything the fee pays for
- 01Load sourcing on the major boards and through direct broker and shipper contacts
- 02Rate negotiation on every load, including the extras your freight earns
- 03Broker calls, check calls and delivery confirmations
- 04Carrier packets and broker setups, with your insurance certificate on file
- 05Reload and deadhead planning before you deliver
- 06Detention and layover claims, backed by your in and out times
- 07A weekly earnings report for every truck
- 08Permit and escort coordination on oversize loads when you ask for it
Nothing on that list is an add-on. Permit and escort costs themselves stay yours, or the customer's when the rate con says so, because they're costs of the load and not part of the dispatch work. A better rate is where a dispatcher earns the fee, and how we push rates per mile up covers the negotiation side.
Three example weeks, worked out
Round numbers so the math is easy to follow. Your own week will be different, which is why the planner above takes your numbers.
One reefer, MC 3 years old
- Week gross
- $7,000
- Rate
- 5%
- Fee
- $350
- Kept
- $6,650
One dry van, MC 4 months old
- Week gross
- $5,500
- Rate
- 7%
- Fee
- $385
- Kept
- $5,115
Three flatbeds, MC 2 years old
- Week gross
- $19,500
- Rate
- 4%
- Fee
- $780
- Kept
- $18,720
One oversize load with a permit reimbursement
Say an RGN load pays $4,200 for the haul, and the broker also reimburses $600 you spent on permits. You receive $4,800, but only $4,200 is revenue. At the standard rate the fee is $210, not $240. The permit money paid back a cost you already covered, so it stays out.
- Haul revenue
- $4,200
- Permit reimbursed
- $600
- Fee base
- $4,200
- Fee at 5%
- $210
You see the real rate before our percentage touches it
A percentage is only fair if you can see the number it's taken from. Every load reaches you as an offer first. If you take it, the broker sends the rate confirmation straight to you, and our fee is figured from that same rate. There's no second set of numbers and no markup in the middle.
Load offer / Dry van
Columbus, OH to Nashville, TN
- Miles
- 380
- Rate
- $1,050
- Per mile
- $2.76
On the rate con: 2 hrs free, then detention, drop-and-hook at delivery
Pickup: Mon 14:00 appt
Nothing is booked until you say so. You see the lane, the miles, the rate and every extra before anyone commits your truck.
The terms, in five lines
- Contract
- Month-to-month
- To cancel
- 30 days notice
- Setup fee
- $0
- Minimums
- None
- No load
- No fee
We keep carriers by booking loads worth hauling, not with a long contract. If the loads stop being worth it, give notice and go. Before you choose, it's worth reading how a dispatcher compares with running the load boards yourself, since some carriers do better with a board subscription alone.
New MC? Your rate drops on its own at month 6.
New authorities pay 7% for the first 6 months. Those months take more desk work: fewer brokers will take a new MC, setups take longer, and the first loads often need extra calls. Once your MC passes 6 months, the fee moves to the standard rate for your equipment, or the fleet rate if you run 2 or more semi trucks. It happens automatically on your next weekly report.
The plan for those first months is on dispatch for new authority.
Six questions to ask any dispatcher about price
Use these with us or with anyone else. A dispatcher who won't answer them plainly has told you something already.
- 01What is the percentage taken from?Linehaul only, the full rate, or every dollar that lands in your account. The same percentage can cost very different money.
- 02Is there a setup or onboarding fee?Some services charge to build your carrier packets. Ours is included.
- 03Is there a weekly minimum?A minimum means you pay in weeks you don't run. Ask what happens when you're home or the truck is in the shop.
- 04How long is the contract, and what does leaving cost?Look for the notice period and any termination fee in writing.
- 05Who receives the rate confirmation?If it doesn't come to you, you can't see the rate your fee is based on.
- 06Do you get charged on a TONU or a cancelled load?A truck-ordered-not-used payment is revenue to you. Know how it's treated before it happens.
How the 4% fleet rate works across mixed equipment.
Why box trucks pay 7%, and what we book for them.
CDL and non-CDL hotshot dispatch and the loads that fit.
How the two services work together, and what each one costs.
Dispatch fee questions
Note 01How much does a truck dispatcher charge?
It depends on the service. Most charge a percentage of each load's gross, and some charge a flat weekly or per-load fee instead. Our truck dispatch fee is 5% for one established semi truck, 7% for new MCs, 26 ft box trucks and hotshots, and 4% for fleets of 2 or more semi trucks, with no other charges.
Note 02Is the fee charged on gross or net?
On the load's gross revenue: linehaul, fuel surcharge when it's part of the rate, and accessorials you earn like tarp pay, detention or TONU. It is not charged on your costs, and it is not charged on money that only passes through you, such as reimbursed permits, escorts or lumper fees.
Note 03Do you charge on permit or lumper reimbursements?
No. When a broker pays you back for an oversize permit, a pilot car or a lumper receipt, that money only covers a cost you already paid. It isn't revenue, so it isn't in the fee base. If the rate con lists those lines, check them against the fee on your statement and you'll see they were left out.
Note 04When does the 7% new authority rate change?
Automatically when your MC turns 6 months old. From that week on you pay the standard rate for your equipment, or the fleet rate if you run 2 or more semi trucks. You don't need to call or sign anything. 26 ft box trucks and hotshots stay at 7% at any authority age.
Note 05Is the 4% fleet rate permanent?
Yes. Fleets of 2 or more semi trucks with an MC older than 6 months pay 4% of gross for as long as they dispatch with us. It isn't a launch offer and it doesn't expire. If your fleet drops to one truck, that truck moves to the standard 5% rate.
Note 06Are there setup fees or minimums?
No setup fee, no monthly minimum and no charge for the onboarding call or your carrier packets. The only thing you ever pay is the percentage on loads you haul. If the truck sits for a week because you're home or in the shop, that week costs you nothing.
Note 07How do I cancel?
Tell us in writing with 30 days notice. Loads already booked in that window still run and are billed at your normal rate. There's no cancellation fee and no penalty, and your carrier packets with brokers stay yours, so you can keep booking those brokers yourself.
Note 08Does the fee change if I factor my loads?
No. The dispatch fee is the same whether you factor or wait for the broker to pay. Factoring is a separate service with its own fee from the factoring company. If you want both, we can refer you to our factoring partner and send your paperwork to them so invoices move faster.
Your rate is set. The rest is the loads.
Send your truck details and a dispatcher calls you back.