Get loads
Truck dispatcher services: what they cost and what to watch for
Updated
A truck dispatcher finds and books loads for you, for a percentage of each load or a flat weekly fee. One dispatch service publishes 5% for dry van, reefer and flatbed, 7% for hotshot and 12% for box trucks. The dispatcher books under your MC, so every broker's authority-age and insurance rules still apply to you.
At a glance
- Published percentage fees
- 5% dry van, reefer and flatbed. 7% hotshot. 12% box truck
- Published flat fees
- $275 a week per truck for dry van, reefer and flatbed. $280 hotshot. $400 box truck
- Rules a dispatcher can't change
- Each broker's authority-age, insurance and safety rules for your MC
- Load boards if you dispatch yourself
- DAT One $59 to $339 a month per user
What dispatchers charge
Pro Freight Dispatch publishes two ways to pay as of October 2026: a percentage of each load or a flat fee per truck per week. You pick one.
| Equipment | Percent of each load | Or flat fee per truck | Flat fee costs less once weekly gross tops |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dry van, reefer or flatbed | 5% | $275 a week | $5,500 |
| Hotshot | 7% | $280 a week | $4,000 |
| Box truck | 12% | $400 a week | $3,333.33 |
The break-even is the flat fee divided by the percentage. On a $2,000 load, 5% is $100 and 12% is $240. Both numbers depend on what the percentage comes out of, linehaul alone or linehaul plus fuel surcharge, so get that in writing.
What a dispatcher can't change
A dispatcher books loads under your MC, on your insurance. Brokers check the same things they would if you called yourself: how long your authority has been active, the insurance on file and your safety record.
- Amazon Relay wants 180 days of active authority and Mode Global a full year of continuous authority, whoever makes the call.
- At the $750,000 federal minimum, a dispatcher can only reach the brokers that accept it, and 20 of the 21 that publish a liability minimum on their own pages ask for $1 million or more.
- A dispatcher can book you only with brokers whose rules you already meet.
A dispatcher who sells loads for new authority is working from the same short list of brokers you can find yourself. Look at that list before you pay anyone.
See which brokers will load you first. Any dispatcher has to work from the list the load-ready check gives you: the brokers and programs that accept your authority age and insurance today. Load-ready check
Warning signs in a dispatcher
Be careful with a dispatcher who does any of these:
- Asking for a deposit before you've hauled a load
- Asking for your passwords or control of your broker and load board accounts
- Pushing a long-term contract right away
- Cold calls that promise guaranteed freight
- Taking a percentage with no sign of better rates
- Sending you the leftover loads while better freight goes to their other trucks
Keep your own logins to broker portals, load boards and Highway. Change your passwords the day you part ways with a dispatcher.
Doing your own dispatch
A load board can cost less than one dispatch fee. DAT One runs $59 to $339 a month per user as of October 2026. A 5% fee on a $1,200 load is $60, which is more than DAT's Standard plan.
Broker apps cost carriers nothing once they're approved, including C.H. Robinson's Navisphere Carrier and J.B. Hunt's Carrier 360. The Uber Freight app costs nothing to download, and you can book once Uber Freight approves you.
Booking Amazon Relay loads yourself costs no subscription either. Direct Freight doesn't require an MC number, and its no-cost plan allows three calls a day.
Box truck and power only dispatch
Box truck dispatch costs the most on that price list, at 12% or $400 a week. Before you hire one, look at what you can book directly.
Amazon Relay takes 26-foot and 16-foot box trucks with a working tuck-under liftgate once your authority is 180 days old. Truckstop's straight van filter covers box trucks, and Direct Freight's search filters include box truck and cargo van. See box truck loads.
For power only, Relay's Post A Truck can book matching power only loads automatically. Schneider's power only program asks for at least a year in business.
Schneider pays in 30 days, and if you use its quick pay, the first payment can take up to seven days. See power only loads.
What to get in writing
| Ask | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| What the percentage is taken from | Counting fuel surcharge raises the fee |
| Whether the weekly fee runs in weeks you don't haul | Flat billing is per truck per week |
| Who holds the logins | Your broker setups are tied to your MC |
| How to end the agreement | You want a way out if the loads don't come |
| Who signs the rate confirmation | The rate con sets your pay on the load |
Price it against doing it yourself. The cost estimator puts a dispatch fee next to load board plans for your equipment. Cost estimator
Frequently asked questions
How much does a truck dispatcher charge?
One dispatch service publishes 5% of each load for dry van, reefer and flatbed, 7% for hotshot and 12% for box trucks. Its flat fees are $275, $280 and $400 a week per truck for the same equipment.
Is a percentage or a flat dispatch fee cheaper?
The flat fee costs less once weekly gross tops $5,500 on a dry van, reefer or flatbed, $4,000 on a hotshot and $3,333.33 on a box truck. Get in writing what the percentage is taken from.
Can a dispatcher get loads for a new authority?
A dispatcher books under your MC, so it can book you only with brokers whose rules you already meet. Amazon Relay still wants 180 days of active authority and Mode Global a full year, whoever makes the call.
What are the red flags with a truck dispatcher?
Be careful with a dispatcher who asks for a deposit before you've hauled a load or wants your passwords or control of your broker and load board accounts. A long-term contract pushed right away and cold calls that promise guaranteed freight are warning signs too.