A fleet dispatcher for 2 to 10 trucks, at 4% and staying there
Most small fleets are run by an owner who also drives, dispatches and does the books. We take the dispatch desk off that list. Our outsourced fleet dispatcher plans every truck, mixed equipment included, at a permanent 4% of gross for semi trucks. You choose who approves loads, and every truck gets its own weekly report.
No setup fee, no contract, and nothing gets booked without a yes from the person you choose.
What do you run?
Put your fleet on the board
Add a row for each truck, set its equipment and a typical weekly gross, and the board works out each truck's rate and the fleet's weekly fee. Then put in what an in-house dispatcher would really cost you per week, all in, and compare. The gross figures are examples; use your own.
| Truck | Equipment | Weekly gross (example) | Rate | Fee | Remove |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | 4% | $260 | |||
| 02 | 4% | $288 | |||
| 03 | 4% | $280 |
- Trucks
- 3
- Fleet gross / week
- $20,700
- Dispatch fee / week
- $828
- Your in-house figure
- $1,200
The in-house figure is yours to fill in: wages, payroll taxes, benefits, software and load board subscriptions, and cover for days off. Our fee only applies to weeks a truck hauls.
The comparison isn't only about money. An in-house dispatcher is one person: they get sick, take vacation, and can only work so many hours. A desk covers those gaps, and the fee stops on weeks a truck doesn't run, where a salary doesn't. On the other side, an in-house dispatcher knows your trucks and drivers in a way an outside desk has to learn. Be honest with yourself about both sides.
The dispatch ROI calculator runs the same comparison with your hours and rates in it.
In-house dispatcher or outsourced desk
| Question | In-house dispatcher | Our desk |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Salary, payroll taxes, benefits, software, load boards | 4% of gross on semi loads hauled, nothing on idle weeks |
| Coverage | One person's hours, days off and sick days | A desk, not a single person |
| Knowledge of your fleet | Deep, over time | Built from setup notes and weekly reports |
| Hiring and training | Yours to do | None |
| Getting out | Notice, severance, rehiring | 30 days notice |
| Who approves loads | Whoever you decide | Whoever you decide, truck by truck |
Plenty of fleets don't pick one or the other outright. Some keep an in-house dispatcher for their steady customers and hand the spot freight and the overflow to us. Others start with us on one or two trucks to see the numbers before moving the rest. Because we're month-to-month and only charge on loads we book, you can test the desk on part of the fleet without betting the whole business on it, and compare the weekly reports side by side.
You decide who says yes for each truck
Every load still reaches a person as an offer. You choose who that person is: you for every truck, each driver for their own, or a mix. Whoever approves gets the lane, miles, rate and extras, and the rate confirmation comes from the broker to whoever you name.
Load offer / Truck 02 / reefer
Fresno, CA to Reno, NV
- Miles
- 290
- Rate
- $1,050
- Per mile
- $3.62
On the rate con: set 34 F, lumper reimbursed
Pickup: Mon 05:00
Nothing is booked until you say so. You see the lane, the miles, the rate and every extra before anyone commits your truck.
Weekly reports and fleet-level planning
One report per truck, every week
Loads, miles, gross, rate per mile and the fee, for each truck. Owners use the reports to compare trucks side by side, spot the driver who waits too long at docks or the truck that runs empty too often, and check that the fee is earning its keep. If one truck's numbers lag, you'll know which one and why.
Planning the fleet, not just each truck
With several trucks, the plan gets better. Two trucks shouldn't chase the same reload in the same town. A reefer delivering where a step deck is loading can share a home day. A recurring customer can be covered by whichever truck is closest. We plan the fleet as a whole and tell you the plan each week.
Dedicated lanes and cash flow for fleets
Recurring work
Fleets have something single trucks don't: enough capacity to cover a shipper's recurring lane week after week. That kind of work brings predictability that spot freight can't, and we look for it when it fits your fleet. Read how we approach dedicated lanes.
Payroll and broker terms
Drivers get paid on schedule; brokers often don't. A small fleet can carry a lot of unpaid invoices at once, and payroll doesn't wait. Small fleet factoring is one way to keep cash on schedule with payroll. Dispatch and factoring work fine together.
The fleet setup call, and how drivers work with the desk
What we ask a fleet owner
- 01Each truck and its gearEquipment, trailer, securement gear, liftgate, reefer unit.
- 02Each driver's home and scheduleWhere they live, how often they go home, and any days they can't run.
- 03Who approves loadsYou for every truck, each driver for their own, or a mix.
- 04Lanes and customersSteady customers you already have, and lanes you want covered.
- 05Rate floorsOne for the fleet, or one per truck if their costs differ.
- 06Brokers to avoidOff the list for every truck.
Drivers and the desk
Drivers get load details, pickup numbers and appointment changes straight from the desk, so you aren't relaying messages from your own cab. Problems on the road come to us first: a late shipper, a breakdown, a rejected load. We handle the broker and tell you what happened and what we did.
You stay in the loop at the level you want. Some owners want a call for anything unusual. Others only want the weekly reports. Tell us which, truck by truck, and that's how it runs.
Growing the fleet, and when not to outsource
From two trucks to ten
Adding a truck is easier when the desk already exists. A new truck gets a setup call of its own, its driver's notes go on file, and offers start as soon as its packets clear. The fee for a new semi truck is the fleet rate from its first load, as long as the MC is older than 6 months. There's no new contract and no setup charge for adding trucks.
When a fleet shouldn't outsource
If most of your trucks run dedicated freight for a few customers, there may be little left for a desk to do. The same goes for a fleet that already has a good in-house dispatcher who knows your drivers. Outsourcing pays off when the owner is the bottleneck, when trucks sit or run empty between loads, or when one dispatcher can't cover every truck every day.
4% for semi trucks in a fleet, permanently
Fleets of 2 or more semi trucks with an MC older than 6 months pay 4% of gross on loads hauled, permanently. 26 ft box trucks and hotshots in the same fleet pay 7%. A new MC pays 7% on every truck until month 6, then the fleet rate starts on its own.
No setup fee, no minimums, month-to-month with 30 days notice. The full breakdown is on the dispatch pricing page.
- Trucks
- 3 semi
- Fleet gross / week
- $20,700
- Rate
- 4%
- Fee / week
- $828
Small fleet dispatch questions
Note 01How much does dispatch cost for a small fleet?
Semi trucks in a fleet of 2 or more, with an MC older than 6 months, pay 4% of gross on loads hauled. 26 ft box trucks and hotshots in the fleet pay 7%, and a new MC pays 7% across the board until month 6. No setup fee, no minimums, month-to-month with 30 days notice.
Note 02Is the 4% fleet rate permanent?
Yes. It isn't a promotion and it doesn't expire. As long as you run 2 or more semi trucks under an MC older than 6 months, those trucks pay 4%. If the fleet drops to one semi truck, that truck moves to the standard 5% rate.
Note 03Can you dispatch mixed equipment in one fleet?
Yes. A van, two reefers and a step deck under one MC is normal for us. Each truck is planned for its own equipment, gear and driver, and each truck's rate is set by the fee rules for its equipment, so a box truck in the fleet stays on the starter tier while the semis get the fleet rate.
Note 04Who approves loads, me or my drivers?
Your choice, truck by truck. Some owners approve every load for every truck. Others let experienced drivers approve their own and only want the weekly report. Either way, nothing gets booked without a yes from whoever you've named for that truck, and the rate con goes where you tell us to send it.
Note 05Do you send weekly reports?
Yes, one per truck every week: loads, miles, gross, rate per mile and the fee. Owners use them to compare trucks, spot a driver who's waiting too long at docks, and check that the dispatch fee is earning its keep. If the numbers don't add up, you'll see it in the report.
Note 06Can you dispatch some trucks and not others?
Yes. Some fleets keep a truck on a dedicated customer and hand us the rest. We only charge on loads we book. The fleet rate still applies to the trucks we dispatch, as long as the fleet runs 2 or more semi trucks under an MC older than 6 months.
Hand us the dispatch desk. Keep the decisions.
4% for semi trucks in a fleet, permanently.