Line 01 / How truck dispatch works
How truck dispatch works here: we find it, you decide, the money goes to you
The fear with any dispatcher is losing control: of your loads, your brokers, your money. So here is the whole process, start to invoice, with the part that matters most up front. Nothing gets booked without your yes, and no broker pays us a cent of your freight money.
Line 02 / Dispatch vs doing it yourself
Who does what, honestly
Some jobs move to us. Some stay with you on purpose. This table is the deal in plain terms, including the parts a dispatcher can't and shouldn't take off your hands.
| Job | Self-dispatch | With LoadSteward |
|---|---|---|
| Finding loads | You, on the boards between drives | Us: boards plus direct broker contacts |
| Negotiating the rate | You, often from the cab | Us, countering from your floor rate |
| Saying yes to a load | You | You. Every load, every time |
| Rate confirmation | Sent to you | Sent straight to you |
| Broker setup and packets | You, per broker | Us |
| Check calls and updates | You, while driving | Us, with the driver as needed |
| Detention and TONU claims | Often skipped | Us, with timestamps |
| Getting paid by the broker | Paid to you or your factor | Paid to you or your factor |
| IFTA, taxes, books | You or your accountant | Still you. We hand you clean numbers |
| Cost | Your hours | 5% of gross (7% new MC, box, hotshot; 4% fleets) |
The fee in full, with a sample month: our dispatch fees. How dispatchers are paid across the industry, and what to avoid: how dispatchers get paid.
Line 03 / You confirm every load
Try it: three load offers, your call on each
This is what a load offer looks like from our desk: the lane, loaded and empty miles, the rate, the rate per mile both ways, and how the broker pays. Confirm the ones that work for your truck. Decline the ones that don't and the next card comes up. In real life the rate confirmation then goes straight to you to sign.
Laredo, TX to Chicago, IL
- Equipment
- Dry van 53 ft
- Loaded miles
- 1,336
- Deadhead
- 38 mi
- Linehaul
- $3,420
- Rate per loaded mile
- $2.56
- All-in per mile
- $2.49
- Pickup
- Mon 07:00
- Broker pays
- 30 days, quick pay offered
YOUR DECISIONS
Nothing booked yet. Nothing gets booked without your yes.
What every offer tells you
Loaded miles and empty miles to the pickup, the linehaul and the rate per mile both ways, the pickup and delivery windows, the commodity and weight, and how and when the broker pays. If something is missing, such as a lumper at the receiver or a tarp requirement, we ask before we bring you the offer, not after you are at the dock.
What happens when you decline
Nothing bad. We tell the broker no, keep working, and bring you the next option. If you decline three loads in a row on the same lane, we will ask whether the lane or the floor rate should change. That is a conversation, not a penalty.
Why we work this way: a dispatcher who books loads without asking is spending your truck, your hours and your safety record. Forced dispatch is how carriers end up on a lane they hate for a rate that doesn't cover fuel. Our only lever is a better offer next time.
Line 04 / Money flow
Who pays whom, and when
- STEP 01
You deliver
Signed BOL or POD at delivery. That is the paper every payment depends on.
- STEP 02
Invoice to broker or factor
We send the rate con and BOL to the broker, or to your factor if you use one.
- STEP 03
Broker pays you or your factor
On the broker's terms, often 30 days. With factoring, you are paid within a day or so for a fee.
- STEP 04
We invoice the fee
Weekly, for loads delivered that week. A percentage of gross on the loads you hauled.
What if a broker pays late? Because the invoice comes from you or your factor, the broker owes you directly. We help with the follow-up calls, and before we offer a load we check the broker's payment record so slow payers are rarer in the first place.
The money never passes through us. That is deliberate: if a dispatcher collects your freight payments and pays you what's left, you can't see what the load really paid. How factoring and dispatch fit together, including paying the fee from advances, is covered on dispatch and factoring.
Line 05 / The first week
Dispatch onboarding, step by step
Carrier setup with a dispatcher is mostly paperwork done once and done right. The faster your documents arrive, the faster the first offer does. Brand-new MC? A few brokers will want more history first; dispatch for a new authority explains how we handle the first 90 days.
Tip: email your insurance agent on day one and ask them to send certificates to brokers within a few hours of each request. A slow certificate is the most common reason a good first load goes to someone else.
CDL carriers: one item to have in place
If your truck needs a CDL and you run under your own authority, brokers and FMCSA expect your drug and alcohol testing program to exist before the first load: a random pool and a negative pre-employment test. Read how a DOT drug testing consortium works, or see one partner's consortium pricing. We may earn a referral fee from that link; it doesn't change your price (disclosure). Non-CDL trucks are not covered by these testing rules.
- 1Today
Send the application
Equipment, authority, lanes and how to reach you. About 2 minutes.
- 2Day 1
First call with your dispatcher
Your cost per mile, floor rate, home time and the brokers you will or won't work with.
- 3Day 1 to 3
Carrier packets go out
MC, insurance certificate, W-9 and NOA (if you factor) sent to brokers before any offer.
- 4Day 2 to 5
First load offers
Each one with lane, miles, deadhead and rate. You confirm or decline. The rate con comes to you.
- 5Every load
Haul, check calls, paperwork
We handle the broker calls and detention. You send the signed BOL; we get it to the broker or your factor.
- 6Weekly
Weekly report and invoice
Every load, gross, miles and fee. You check it against your rate cons and pay the fee.
Line 06 / Questions
Before you start: the process questions
When do I pay the dispatch fee?
After you haul, never before. We invoice weekly, for loads delivered that week, listing each load with its gross and the 5% (or your tier's) fee. Nothing is due up front, and a load you decline or a week you sit out adds nothing to the invoice.
Does the broker pay the dispatcher?
No. The broker pays the carrier, or the carrier's factoring company, on the broker's terms. We never collect your freight money. Our fee is billed to you separately, so you can always see what the load paid and what dispatch cost.
Can I keep my factoring company?
Yes. Brokers already have your notice of assignment on file, so payments keep going to your factor. We send the rate con, signed BOL and invoice in the format your factor asks for. Nothing about your factoring changes when you start dispatch.
How long does dispatch setup take?
Usually a few days. The first call takes about half an hour. After that, the time goes into carrier packets with brokers, which depends on how fast your insurance agent sends certificates and how complete your documents are.
What paperwork does a dispatcher need?
Your MC and DOT numbers, a W-9, a certificate of insurance with your agent's contact, a signed dispatch agreement, and your notice of assignment if you factor. Truck and trailer details too: length, weight limits, doors or tarps, and anything special.
Can I pause dispatch for home time?
Any time. Tell your dispatcher the dates and we plan the last load before them to land you near home. While you're off, there are no loads and no fee. There is no minimum to make up when you come back.
Do I have to accept the loads you book?
We don't book anything you haven't accepted. Every load is offered first with the lane, miles, deadhead, rate and pay terms. The rate confirmation goes straight to you, you confirm or decline, and declining is free. That rule doesn't change after the first week.
Start your setup: what do you haul?
About 2 minutes. Box trucks from 26 ft. No cargo vans or sprinters.
Box trucks from 26 ft. No cargo vans or sprinters. No setup fee, cancel with 30 days notice.