Over the road, with a way home
OTR dispatch service that plans the whole run, not just the next load
Long haul pays when the outbound, the reposition and the backhaul are planned together. We build your run around the home time you set, and every load in it is offered to you before it is booked.
An OTR run we plan
- 1Outbound load that pays the long miles
- 2Reposition, washout or a short regional load
- 3Backhaul pointed toward home
- 4Home time on the day you set
Home time, planned first
Most OTR burnout comes from a run that drifts. One good load leads somewhere quiet, the next takes you further, and two weeks become four. We plan the other way: you tell us the day you need to be home and how long you want to be out, and we build the run backward from that date.
The last loads of a run are chosen to point the truck toward home. If the market won't give you a good load in the right direction, we tell you the options, a lower-paying load home, a short deadhead or one more day out, and you choose.
Home time is on the calendar, not a request we try to fit in. If something changes at home, call the desk and we rebuild the plan from where the truck is.
During a long run we check in more than usual: where the truck is against the plan, how your hours look for the next two days, and whether a better load has appeared further along the route. Small changes early keep the run on track; big changes late usually cost a day. You hear about any change before it happens, and nothing in the plan is booked without your yes.
Over the road dispatch for specialty rigs
Car haulers run long between auctions, ports and dealer regions. The run works when each delivery area has cars going somewhere useful, so we look at release schedules and dealer demand across the whole route.
Tankers run long when the products line up. Every leg has to be compatible with the last one or planned around a wash, so the backhaul is chosen as carefully as the outbound.
Dry vans, reefers and flatbeds run OTR too, and we plan them the same way: outbound, reposition and backhaul as one run, with appointments and home time checked before you say yes to the first load.
Long haul, line haul, short haul
Long haul covers long distances over several days, often far from home. Line haul moves freight between terminals on regular routes. Short haul stays local or regional, with the driver home most nights. Our guides to the long haul truck and line haul trucking go deeper.
Hours on a long run
On a long run, the hours-of-service limits shape every day: up to 11 hours of driving after 10 hours off, inside a 14-hour window. 49 CFR 395.3(a)(3)Checked October 2026 We plan legs that fit those limits with time to spare, because a delay at a shipper can eat the margin quickly.
Costs that grow with distance
Fuel, tires, food and nights on the road add up faster on OTR work. A long run has to pay for all of it. We price each run on the all-miles rate so you can compare it with your cost per mile before the first load is booked.
If a run doesn't clear your costs with room to spare, we would rather shorten it or change direction than send you two thousand miles for nothing.
OTR or regional?
OTR suits owners who want the long miles and don't mind being away for stretches, and equipment whose best freight sits far apart, like car haulers moving between auction regions. Regional work suits owners who want to be home most weekends and live where freight is dense enough to keep a truck busy close by.
Many carriers mix the two: a long run after the busy season, then regional work for a few weeks. Tell us what you want this month and we plan it. If you lean regional, see our regional dispatch service.
Weather and seasons on long runs
Winter passes, spring flooding and summer heat all change a long run. We watch the route before we commit you to it, and plan around chain-law states and mountain passes in winter so a storm doesn't strand a loaded truck.
What OTR owners ask us
"I end up stuck in dead markets." That happens when loads are booked one at a time. We look at where each delivery leaves you before we offer it, and steer away from places with nothing going out.
"My home time keeps slipping." Home time goes on the calendar first. The run is built to land you there, and you approve every load in it.
"The backhaul never pays." Often it pays less, and that is fine when it is planned. A modest load home beats a long empty one, and it is cheaper than a week sitting in a slow market.
"I want to stay out longer this time." Tell us. We extend the run with loads that keep the truck moving through good markets and plan the way home when you are ready.
You approve every load in the run
We share the planned run up front, then call you before each load is booked with the lane, the appointments and the rate. After your yes, the broker sends the rate confirmation to you to sign.
If a load in the plan changes, a better one appears or something on the paper doesn't match the call, we stop and talk it through before anything is booked. A no on any load costs nothing.
The OTR fee
OTR work pays the same tiers as every run: 5% of gross for one truck on an MC older than 6 months, 7% while the MC is under 6 months and for 26 ft box trucks and hotshots, and 4% per truck for fleets of 2 or more while that limited-time rate lasts.
The fee only applies to loads you haul. Repositioning miles, wash stops and home time cost nothing. See the full dispatch fee breakdown.
OTR dispatch questions
01What is the difference between long haul and line haul?
Long haul usually means a truck and driver covering long distances over several days, often far from home. Line haul usually means moving freight between terminals or hubs on a regular route, often overnight, with the driver home more often. The terms overlap in everyday use, so ask how a job is actually run before you accept it.
02Can tankers get backhauls?
Yes, but they take planning. The backhaul has to be a product your tank can carry after its last load, or one that a nearby wash makes possible. Food-grade tanks need food-grade backhauls. We look for compatible products near the delivery and plan the wash before you arrive, so the return trip isn't empty by default.
03How long are OTR car haulers out?
It varies with the routes and the owner's choice. Many OTR car haulers run one to three weeks at a time between auctions, ports and dealers across several regions, then take a few days at home. We plan the run around the home time you set, not the other way around.
04How long are OTR trips?
Single loads often cover 500 to 1,500 miles, and a typical run strings several loads together over one to three weeks. The length is your choice. Tell us how long you want to be out and when you need to be home, and we build the run to fit inside it.
Long miles, planned both ways
Tell us how long you want to be out and when you need to be home. We'll plan the run and call you before each load.