Straight answers · Dispatch fees
How much do truck
dispatchers charge?
Most truck dispatchers charge 5% to 10% of the linehaul on each load, or a flat $150 to $500 per truck per week. The percentage is the more common of the two. What matters more than the headline number is what that fee covers, what it quietly leaves out, and whether anyone has worked out what it costs you per mile.
Written by dispatchers, not marketers. Last updated October 2026.
The two models
Percentage or flat fee
Nearly every dispatcher uses one of these. They behave very differently on a bad week.
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5–10%
Percentage of linehaul
You pay a cut of what each load pays. A $3,000 load at 10% costs you $300. If you sit for a week, you pay nothing.
Cost follows revenue -
$150–500
Flat weekly fee
Same charge every week regardless of what you book. Cheaper on a strong week, and it still lands when the truck is down.
Cost is fixed
Which is cheaper depends entirely on your weekly gross. At $5,000 a week, 10% is $500 and a $400 flat fee wins. At $2,500 a week, that same flat fee is 16% of your linehaul. Work it against your own average before you judge a rate, not against the number that sounds smaller.
What you're paying for
What the fee should already include
If any of these is billed separately, the headline percentage isn't the real price.
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Finding and negotiating loads
Working the boards and their own broker relationships, then actually countering the first offer instead of booking it.
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Carrier packets and paperwork
Setting you up with each broker, rate confirmations, BOL and POD chasing. This is hours a week you don't spend.
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Check calls and problem solving
Broker chasing you for status, a shipper running four hours late, a reschedule. Someone else's phone should ring, not yours.
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Detention and accessorial claims
Chasing detention, layover, TONU and lumper reimbursement. Many dispatchers quietly skip this because it's the tedious part.
Read the agreement
The charges that don't show up in the advertised rate
A 5% dispatcher can cost more than a 10% one. These are where the difference hides.
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A cut of your accessorials
Some take their percentage off the gross, not the linehaul — so they're taking a slice of your detention and lumper reimbursement, which is money that only covers a cost you already paid.
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Factoring markups
If the dispatcher requires their factoring partner, compare that rate against what you'd get on your own. The spread is real income to them.
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Setup and monthly fees
An onboarding charge, a software fee, a monthly minimum whether or not you run. Ask for every recurring charge in writing.
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Notice periods and exit fees
A 30-day notice period means a month of fees after you've decided to leave. Check the term before you sign, not after.
Do the arithmetic
What a dispatcher actually costs you per mile
Percentages are hard to feel. Cost per mile is the number you already think in, so convert it.
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Take a normal week's linehaul
Not your best week. Say $4,800 gross across 2,400 total miles, loaded and empty.
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Apply the fee
At 10%, that's $480. At a $400 flat fee, it's $400.
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Divide by total miles
$480 ÷ 2,400 = 20¢ per mile. The flat fee works out at about 17¢.
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Ask the only question that matters
Is the dispatcher finding you more than 20¢ per mile above what you'd book yourself? If yes, the fee pays for itself. If nobody can show you that, you're paying for admin.
This is the question most dispatchers can't answer, because they never worked out your cost per mile to begin with. A fee is only expensive relative to what it earns you.
What we charge
Jasper Logistics: 3 free loads, then 10%
Since we just told you to interrogate everyone's pricing, here's ours in full.
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3 FREE
First three loads
No dispatch fee at all. It's how we check our own math against your lanes before you're paying for it.
$0 out of pocket -
10%
Of the linehaul only
Not the gross. Detention, layover, TONU, tarp pay and lumper reimbursement stay 100% yours — and we chase them for you.
Linehaul only -
$0
Everything else
No setup fee, no monthly minimum, no required factoring partner, no notice period, no exit fee.
Nothing hidden
We start by building your cost per mile — truck payment, fuel at your real MPG, insurance, maintenance reserve, your fixed monthly costs. That becomes a rate floor, and we don't send you loads below it. You keep the worksheet whether or not you work with us.
15 minutes. You'll leave knowing your breakeven and your target rate per mile.
Common questions
Dispatch fees, answered
Is 10% too much for a truck dispatcher?
10% sits at the top of the normal range, so the question is what it buys. If the dispatcher is negotiating every rate, chasing your accessorials, and finding loads above a floor you both agreed on, 10% of a better-booked load beats 5% of whatever came off the board first. If they're booking the first offer and billing you for it, 5% is still too much.
Do dispatchers charge on the gross or the linehaul?
It varies, and it's one of the most important things to pin down. Linehaul-only means the fee comes off the freight rate. Gross means they also take a cut of detention, lumper reimbursement and other accessorials — money that's reimbursing a cost you already carried. Ask explicitly which one, and get it in writing.
Can I negotiate a dispatcher's rate?
Often, especially with more than one truck or a commitment to a steady lane. A more useful negotiation is on structure rather than the number: linehaul-only, no setup fee, no notice period, no required factoring partner. Those are usually worth more than a point off the percentage.
Do I still need my own authority if I use a dispatcher?
Yes. A dispatcher works under your MC authority as your agent — they are not a broker and cannot move freight under their own authority on your behalf. You'll need active operating authority, your own insurance, and a current W-9.
What's the difference between a dispatcher and a freight broker?
A broker represents the shipper and is paid out of the spread between what the shipper pays and what the carrier gets. A dispatcher represents you, works under your authority, and is paid by you. That difference decides whose side they're on when a rate is being negotiated.
Are there dispatchers with no contract?
Yes. You will normally still sign a one-page dispatch agreement, because a dispatcher needs written authorization to represent your authority to brokers — but that's not the same as a term commitment. Look for no minimum period, no minimum load count, and no cancellation fee.