How dispatch works, from a desk that does it every day.
No theory. What we check, what we ask, what we do with a load from the board to the invoice. Written for carriers with one to fifteen trucks and the dispatchers who work for them.
- For owner-operators and small fleets6 min read
How to choose a truck dispatch service
What to ask a dispatch service before you sign: who works your truck, which boards they run, who does the paperwork, and the red flags that cost you money.
- Deciding how to run the desk5 min read
Dispatch service vs. your own dispatcher vs. doing it yourself
Trade-offs for carriers with 1–15 trucks: when to self-dispatch, when a dispatch service pays for itself, and when it is time to hire your own dispatcher.
- Inside the desk6 min read
What a truck dispatcher actually does all day
A dispatcher's day, board search to invoice: finding loads, countering rates, broker packets, check calls, PODs and the reload before the truck is empty.
- Getting set up4 min read
The carrier packet: what a dispatcher needs before the first load
What every broker asks for and your dispatcher needs on day one: MC and DOT, W-9, certificate of insurance, authority letter, factoring notice, drivers, equipment.
- Load boards5 min read
DAT One vs. Truckstop: how a dispatch desk works both boards
The two load boards most US carriers run on, what each shows a dispatcher, where the freight differs, and how a desk works both without missing postings.
- The math on every row4 min read
Rate per mile with deadhead: how to read a load posting
Why the posted rate per mile is not what a load pays, how to compute the all-in rate with deadhead, and the three numbers to check before calling a broker.
- Software for the desk5 min read
TMS for small carriers: what you need and what you don't
What a TMS should do for a carrier with 1–50 trucks: loads, drivers, documents, invoicing and the driver's phone on one record, and the features you can skip.
- Getting set up5 min read
Dispatch service agreement: what should be in it
What an owner-operator should see in a truck dispatch agreement before the first load: scope, fees, who signs rate cons, money flow, termination, red flags.
- On the road5 min read
Detention pay: how to get paid for waiting
How owner-operators actually collect detention pay: terms on the rate con, check-in times, notifying the broker, the paper trail and how to invoice it.
Rather hand the desk to us?
Tell us your equipment and lanes. A dispatcher calls within one business day. The TMS our desk runs on comes with it.