Dispatcher fee calculator: what dispatch really costs per week and per mile

Enter a week's gross and miles, choose a percentage or flat fee, and see the fee, what you keep and your rate per mile after dispatch.

Fee scorecard

Dispatcher fee

$300

You keep

$5,700

Fee as a share of gross: 5.0%
Fee per loaded mile: 15.0 cents
Rate per mile before fee: $3.00
Rate per mile after fee: $2.85

Our tiers on the same gross:

New MC

$420

Standard

$300

Fleet 2+

$240

At 5%, this week's fee would be $300, about 15.0 cents a loaded mile. No setup fee, no contract, and nothing in a week you don't haul.

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How it's calculated

percentage fee = gross × fee %

you keep = gross − fee

rate per mile after fee = you keep ÷ loaded miles

A flat fee is the same every week, so the calculator also shows it as a share of your gross. That makes a flat quote and a percentage quote comparable on the same week. Fuel, truck costs and any factoring fee come out of what you keep; they aren't part of the dispatch fee.

If you also factor, the two fees stack, and both come off the gross. EXAMPLE: a 5% dispatch fee and a 3% factoring fee on a $6,000 week total $480, or 24.0 cents per loaded mile over 2,000 miles. Budget for the combined number, not each one alone.

EXAMPLE scorecard: slow week vs busy week

Busy week, $6,000, 5%: $300 (15.0¢/mi)
Slow week, $2,500, 5%: $125 (5%)
Slow week, $2,500, $250 flat: $250 (10%)

The flat fee doesn't shrink when the week does.

What a good or bad result means

The fee is good value when your rate per mile after the fee is still higher than what you'd book alone, or when the hours you get back matter more than the difference. It's poor value when the fee per mile is bigger than any rate or mileage gain, and you were already booking well.

To weigh the fee against what a dispatcher adds, use the dispatch ROI calculator. To see the same week as a driver's paycheck, try the truck driver pay calculator.

Questions to ask about any dispatch fee

Is the percentage taken from the full load gross, or from linehaul only?
Is there a setup fee, a weekly minimum or a charge for weeks the truck doesn't move?
Are paperwork, invoicing or detention follow-up included, or billed extra?
How and when is the fee invoiced, and how much notice do you need to cancel?

Put the answers into the calculator as a share of a typical week, and compare quotes on the same numbers.

Related guides

Dispatch for owner-operators
Our pricing and terms
Reading a truck driver paystub
Truck driver salary by state

Dispatcher fee questions

How much is a truck dispatcher fee?

It depends on the dispatcher and the model. Percentage fees are taken from each load's gross; flat fees are charged per week or per load. Ours is 7% while your MC is under 6 months, 5% standard and 4% for 2 or more trucks (limited time), the same for every equipment type.

Is a percentage or a flat dispatch fee better?

A percentage fee moves with your week: a slow week costs less, a big week costs more. A flat fee is predictable but takes a bigger bite of a slow week, and you may owe it even when the truck sits. Run both through the calculator with a busy week and a slow one.

What is the dispatch fee taken from?

Ask every dispatcher this. Ours is a percentage of the gross load revenue on loads you haul. Check whether a quote also adds setup fees, minimum weekly charges or fees for paperwork, which change the real cost.

How do I turn the fee into cents per mile?

Divide the fee by the loaded miles. EXAMPLE: 5% of a $6,000 week over 2,000 loaded miles is $300, or 15.0 cents a mile. That's the number to compare with any rate improvement the dispatcher brings.

A fee that only shows up when you haul

7% while your MC is under 6 months, 5% after, 4% for 2+ trucks (limited time). No setup fee, cancel with 30 days notice.

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