Truck Dispatch Services
Truck Dispatch Services
Curious about how freight dispatchers work? Here’s what owner operators need to know.
If you’re looking to find high-paying freight, then hiring a dispatch service or enlisting the help of an independent truck dispatcher is a convenient and relatively hassle-free option. But, is it right for your trucking business?
- Truck dispatchers provide a range of back-end support.
- Dispatch services can help manage your business.
- With DAT, you can act as your own freight dispatch service.
Truck dispatchers provide a range of back-end support.
Truck dispatch services can help you with finding freight, driver management, billing, and more.
It’s a dispatcher’s job to help trucking businesses find loads, which can be especially useful for new operations that are still working to build their list of clients. Dispatchers negotiate with brokers and shippers on your behalf for higher-paying freight, and earn a fixed percentage on each load you deliver.
Dispatch services can help manage your business.
If you have the budget for it, you can actually outsource a lot of your logistical operations to a freight dispatch service agency.
In addition to finding loads and assigning them to your drivers, dispatch services can help ensure your MC compliance is up to date, establish and maintain service expectations with your clients, and handle billing paperwork and invoice collections. However, additional services come with a higher price tag that will need to be negotiated.
With DAT, you can act as your own freight dispatch service.
DAT’s load boards allow you to conduct unlimited searches — and even notify you when the system finds a match.
If you’re trying to maximize your profit margins, then using a load board service can help carriers and owner operators self-dispatch for much cheaper than hiring an agency. In fact, many dispatchers use DAT’s load boards on behalf of their partners. Sign up for a free trial to see how our real-time freight network can help your business succeed.
As with most business partnerships, choosing the right dispatcher can mean the difference between thriving and just getting by. But once you find a dispatch service that works well with your business, you’ll be able to turn over back-end office tasks and instead focus on keeping your trucks on the road. Truck dispatcher duties and services can be especially beneficial for drivers looking for support as they shift to becoming independent owner operators.
The best way to find the right dispatcher is to do your research. Checking truck dispatch services reviews and contacting other owner operators and people in the industry you trust for recommendations can be an invaluable way of gathering information about potential partners. Further, creating a detailed list of all the services that you’d be looking for a dispatcher to take on — as well as your own operating costs — will help you find a dispatch service that’s able to support your business in the ways you need.
The primary practical difference is that dispatchers are working on your behalf to secure good paying loads. Dispatchers only get paid when you get paid, and often use a combination of broker connections and load boards to find loads. Freight brokers, on the other hand, typically make profits by naming prices to shippers and offering lower rates to carriers. That said, brokers often have reliable relationships with shippers, which makes them good resources for finding freight.
Truck dispatcher commissions will vary depending on their level of responsibilities and the amount of work put in for each load. However, independent dispatchers will generally receive 5-10 percent of each delivery invoice or a flat per-load fee.
Working as a dispatcher requires good communication skills and an ability to multitask and remain flexible when complications arise. However, at DAT, we’ve worked hard to create tools that keep the logistical headaches to a bare minimum. Our load boards, for instance, are the most comprehensive freight network in the business — making it simple and straightforward for owner operators to save on expenses and act as their own dispatchers.
Our load boards let you search more than 68,000 lanes for real-time freight listings. DAT also provides access to features like the most accurate average rate data, broker credit scores, reviews from other carrier services, triangular routing suggestions to increase rate per mile, and more. Plus, we offer rapid factoring services through our partners at OTR Solutions to help ensure that you have money in the bank when you need it.
“The DAT Load Board is the only one I use, and I really don’t see any interest in trying any other one.”
- Brian Stone, Stone’s Trucking LLC
"DAT Load Board is awesome. They even teach you how to book a load and how to use it on your computer or cell phone app. Highly recommend DAT!"
- Francis Gatmaitan, Alpha Trucking
Access the best truck dispatch tools today!
DAT is the number one choice for truck dispatchers and carriers. Whether you work with a dispatcher or self-dispatch using a load board, DAT offers the most comprehensive listings.
Sign up today to find the right loads for your business.