From application to first rate con
How truck dispatch works with us, from first call to first load
Five steps, no setup fee and no surprises. You send your rig file once, we set up the brokers, and every load still needs your yes before it is booked.
- 1Send the application
- 2Talk to a dispatcher
- 3Set up your paperwork
- 4Approve your first load
- 5Get the weekly report
Your rig file checklist
Most of the delay in starting dispatch is paperwork, not loads. Brokers won't release freight to a carrier they haven't vetted, and every broker asks for the same core documents. Get them together once and we reuse them for every packet.
Pick your rig to see the full list. The core file is the same for everyone. The extras depend on the work: a hazmat tanker needs its endorsements and tank test dates on file, a car hauler needs its cargo coverage per vehicle, and a flatbed needs a list of the securement gear it carries.
Tick off what you already have. Your progress stays on this device, and you can print the list to work through with your insurance agent.
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Flatbed file.
The five steps, in the order they happen
- 01
Send the application
About two minutes on any phone. You tell us the rig, how many trucks, your authority and how to reach you. You see the fee that applies before you send it. Nothing is signed at this point and nothing is owed.
- 02
Talk to a dispatcher
A dispatcher calls to learn how you like to run: home base, home time, lanes you love and lanes you won't touch, your floor rate per mile and any customers you already haul for. This is where we build your card, and it decides every load we offer you after.
- 03
Set up your paperwork
You send the rig file below once. We prepare carrier packets for the brokers that fit your equipment and send each one to you to sign. When a broker approves you, your packet is on file and future loads with them book quickly.
- 04
Approve your first load
We find a load that fits your truck and your plan, negotiate the rate and call you. You hear everything before it is booked. Say yes and the broker emails the rate confirmation to you. Say no and we keep looking.
- 05
Get the weekly report
Every Friday you get loads hauled, gross revenue, loaded and empty miles, average rate per mile and the dispatch fee. The fee is invoiced on the gross you hauled, so the report and the invoice always match.
Specialty rigs: a few extra checks
Setup takes a little longer when the freight has its own rules. For a hazmat tanker we confirm your endorsements and tank paperwork before the first broker sees your packet. For oversize work we note your trailer's deck height and any permit service you already use. Car haulers need their cargo coverage per vehicle on file, because dealers and auctions check it against what the cars are worth. Livestock haulers tell us the sale barns and feedyards they like, so we plan around load times. None of this costs extra. It just means your first offer is a load you can legally and comfortably take.
If you decide to stop
Give us 30 days notice. We finish the loads already booked, hand you the broker contacts and lane notes from your file, and send the final report. There is no cancellation fee, and nothing is held back. The fee stays the same all the way through: a percentage of the gross on loads you haul, charged only when you haul them.
New to running your own authority? Read how we dispatch new trucking companies, including which brokers take a young MC.
What we ask on the first call
The first call takes about 20 minutes and decides how well the next few months go. Expect questions like these:
- Where do you start the week, and when do you need to be home?
- What is the lowest rate per mile you will run loaded, and does it change for short runs?
- Which states, cities or customers do you refuse, and why?
- What does your insurance cover, and what cargo limits are on the certificate?
- Which endorsements and permits do you hold right now?
- Do you factor, and with whom? Brokers need to know where to send payment.
- How do you want to hear about loads: a call, a text, or both?
Your answers become your card in our system. A dispatcher checks it before every offer, so a load that breaks one of your rules never gets to you.
Loads that never reach your phone
Part of the job is saying no for you. We drop loads from brokers with poor payment records, loads below your floor rate once deadhead is counted, and loads that would push you past your hours of service to make the appointment.
We also drop loads that don't fit the rig or the paperwork: a tank load for a driver without the N endorsement, a load heavier than your axles can legally carry, or an oversize move with no permit plan. Those offers waste your time and can cost you a fine.
When a load goes wrong
Trucks break down and shippers run late. When it happens, call the desk. We tell the broker, push for detention or a truck order not used payment when it applies, and look for a way to save the week, whether that is a new appointment or a different load near you.
What the first week tends to look like
Week one is usually about getting approved with a few good brokers and running two or three loads that prove the plan works. You will hear from us more than usual while we learn how you like to run. By week two the calls get shorter, because we know which loads you want and which ones you'll pass on.
The board here is an example, not a promise of loads or rates. Your week depends on your lanes, your equipment and the market.
What stays yours
Your signature on every rate con. Your load board account if you have one, which we never log into. Your bank details, which go to brokers or your factoring company directly, not through us. Your customers. Your right to stop with 30 days notice.
An example first week
EXAMPLEStart with three taps
Pick your rig, your fleet size and the age of your authority. You'll see your fee and the documents to have ready, and the application opens with those answers filled in. Questions about the money first? See exactly what the dispatch fee covers.
Car hauler? Our guide to how car hauler loads are booked covers the auction and dealer side. Need cash flow too? See how dispatch and factoring fit together.
Deal me in: 3 taps
Pick all three and your fee shows here. No haul, no pay.
Start my setupSetup questions, answered
01What documents do you need for a tanker or hazmat carrier?
The same core file as any carrier (authority, insurance certificate, W-9, truck and trailer details) plus your CDL showing the H and N endorsements or X, the tank specification and test dates, and your PHMSA registration if your loads require one. We check these against every placarded load before we call you about it.
02Do I approve every load?
Yes, every one. We call you with the lane, pickup window, rate and anything unusual before a load is booked. If you say yes, the broker emails the rate confirmation to you and you sign it. If you say no, nothing happens except that we keep searching. There is no fee on a load you turn down.
03Who arranges oversize permits?
Permits are issued by each state on the route, and who orders and pays for them is agreed with the broker or shipper before the load is offered to you. We confirm the dimensions, the route and the permit and escort arrangement first, so you know exactly what is covered before you say yes to the load.
04Do you work with my existing customers?
Yes. Your direct customers stay yours, and we don't contact them unless you ask us to. Most owner-operators use us to fill the gaps around their regular freight: the reload after a customer delivery, the backhaul toward home and the slow weeks. Tell us which days and lanes are already spoken for.
05How long does dispatch setup take?
It depends mostly on how fast your paperwork comes together. If your authority, insurance certificate and W-9 are ready when we call, we can start sending carrier packets that day. Brokers then approve new carriers on their own schedule, which is why we start with the ones we already know.
06Do you sign carrier packets for me?
No. We fill in the routine details and send you each packet to review and sign, because the agreement is between your company and the broker. After the first load with a broker, the packet is on file and the next booking with them moves much faster.
07How do I talk to my dispatcher?
By phone and text, whichever you prefer while driving. The desk runs 24/7, nights and weekends, so a late delivery or a breakdown at 2 AM still reaches a person. You'll know who handles your truck, and the weekly report comes by email so you can check the numbers at home.
08What do you need from me every week?
Three things: where and when you want to be home, any lanes or customers you want to avoid, and the bills of lading or proof of delivery photos after each drop so detention and payment move without delays. Everything else, including the broker calls and check calls, sits with the desk.