Dispatch service
A dispatch service books loads, negotiates rates and handles paperwork on a carrier's behalf, usually for a percentage of the revenue on loads it books.
Last reviewed · by the Fleetchart team
A dispatcher works the boards and broker relationships so the driver does not have to, plans the next load ahead of delivery, and handles the rate cons, check calls and invoicing.
Fees are commonly a percentage of the load's revenue. Whether that fee pays for itself depends on whether better rates and lower deadhead more than cover it — which, again, requires load-level margin data to answer.
A dispatch service is not a broker: it works for the carrier and does not hold the freight or the contract with the shipper.
For example, say a dispatcher charges 8% and books $20,000 of loads in a month. The fee is $20,000 × 0.08 = $1,600. If booking yourself would have brought in $18,000 for the same miles, the dispatcher added $2,000 and kept $1,600 of it, so you come out $400 ahead. If you would have booked $19,000 yourself, you end up $1,600 − $1,000 = $600 behind.
The fee comes off gross pay, but your fuel and truck note do not shrink, so a percentage fee takes a bigger bite out of profit than it looks.