A dry van dispatch service for drivers who learned on a 53-footer
Dry van is where most company drivers learned the job, and it's where a lot of owner-operators start: the same trailer, the same docks, but now the freight, the rate and the paperwork are yours. Our dry van dispatchers find and negotiate loads for your lanes, and every one comes to you to confirm or pass before it books.
License line
Tractor and 53 ft van: Class A
Combination vehicles with a GCWR of 26,001 lb or more, towing a unit over 10,000 lb GVWR.
Endorsements: none for general van freight
Placarded hazmat needs H; pulling doubles needs T. Your state DMV can add requirements.
Source: 49 CFR 383.91 · checked Oct 2026
Source: 49 CFR 383.93, 383.153 · checked Oct 2026
Full detail: CDL requirements and CDL endorsements.
The dry van carrier checklist: what changes when the truck is yours
On a company truck, a lot of things simply happened: insurance existed, plates were renewed, fuel taxes got filed, a trailer was waiting. On your own authority each one becomes a line on your to-do list, and a missing line is usually what stalls a broker packet.
Tick off what you already have. Each item shows how it worked as a company driver and what it means now. When your stack is full, you're ready for a dry van dispatcher to start sending you loads.
As a company driver
You drove under the carrier's DOT number. Their name was on the door and the rate con.
On your own authority
Your company name is on every rate con, every packet and every invoice. Brokers check that your authority shows active before they load you.
As a company driver
The carrier carried the insurance. You never saw the policy.
On your own authority
At least $750,000 in public liability coverage for general freight in vehicles of 10,001 lb GVWR or more, filed with FMCSA by your insurer (BMC-91 or BMC-91X). Many dry van brokers ask for $1,000,000 liability and $100,000 cargo. Pulling someone else's trailer may need trailer interchange coverage.
As a company driver
A trailer was waiting in the yard, and someone else paid for its tires.
On your own authority
Own a 53 ft van, lease one, or run power only and pull shippers' or brokers' trailers. Each changes your costs and the loads you can take.
As a company driver
Paperwork went to the office in an envelope or a scan app.
On your own authority
Authority letter, W-9, certificate of insurance, and your notice of assignment if you factor. Names and addresses must match exactly across all of them.
As a company driver
You knew your cents per mile. The carrier worried about the rate.
On your own authority
Your cost per mile sets the lowest rate you can accept. Without it, every load looks either fine or impossible.
As a company driver
The carrier issued the ELD and the safety department watched your hours.
On your own authority
An electronic logging device for drivers who must keep records of duty status, with limited exceptions such as short-haul drivers and trucks with engines older than model year 2000. Planning loads around your clock is now your job, and ours.
As a company driver
Fuel taxes and plates were handled in the back office.
On your own authority
Your base state issues IRP plates and an IFTA license, UCR renews every year, and most loaded tractor-trailers owe the federal heavy vehicle use tax.
As a company driver
The carrier enrolled you in testing and tracked your medical card.
On your own authority
As a CDL owner-operator you're both employer and driver: a random testing pool through a consortium, Clearinghouse registration, and your own current medical card on file.
Source: 49 CFR 395.8 · checked Oct 2026
Coming straight off a company truck? Our page on dispatch for owner-operators compares a company week with an own-truck week, line by line.
Dry van dispatch for the freight that fills the most trailers
Dry van moves more freight than any other trailer type, which cuts both ways: there are always loads, and there are always a lot of trucks chasing them. The job of a dry van dispatcher is picking the loads that pay for your lane and your week, not just the first one posted.
Retail and consumer goods
Distribution center runs for stores and e-commerce. High volume, tight appointment windows, plenty of reload options near big DCs.
Paper and packaging
Heavy, steady freight from mills and converters. Watch your weight and axle spread; these loads often scale out near the legal limit.
Grocery dry and beverages
Shelf-stable food, canned goods and drinks. Heavy, often lumper-unloaded, so lumper terms belong on the rate con.
Drop and hook
Leave a loaded trailer, grab an empty or preloaded one, and go. It saves dock hours when your trailer setup allows it.
Where a dry van week is won
Not on the headhaul. Most dry van lanes have a strong direction and a weak one, and the backhaul decides whether the week pays. We price the first load with the reload in mind, so a slightly lower load into a strong market can beat a higher one into a dead end. We also count dock time: a load that pays 10 cents more but sits you for six hours at a slow receiver isn't a better load.
Recent dry van context, June 2026
- Spot, all-in
- $3.00
- Minus fuel
- $2.37
- Contract
- $2.89
Source: DAT Freight & Analytics, national averages for June 2026 (released July 9, 2026) · checked Oct 2026
National averages per mile. Check any load against your own numbers with the rate per mile calculator.
The dry van dispatch fee, and the questions behind it
- 7%
- while your MC is under 6 months
- 5%
- one truck, 6+ months of authority
- 4%
- 2 or more trucks, limited-time rate
No setup fee, no contract, nothing when you don't haul. Pricing and terms.
How much does dry van dispatch cost?
5% of each load's gross for one truck once your authority is 6 months old, 7% before that, and 4% for fleets of 2 or more trucks (limited-time rate). Dry van pays the same percentage as every other equipment type. No setup fee, no minimum, month-to-month with 30 days notice, and no fee in weeks you don't haul.
What do I need to run dry van under my own authority?
A USDOT number and MC authority, insurance filed with FMCSA plus the cargo coverage brokers ask for, a trailer plan, IRP plates and IFTA, UCR, an ELD, and for a CDL driver, a drug and alcohol testing program and a current medical card. The checklist above walks through each one and what changes from company driving.
What is a good rate per mile for dry van?
One that clears your own cost per mile with room to spare, which is why there's no single answer. For context, DAT's national dry van spot average for June 2026 was $3.00 a mile including fuel, and ATRI put the average cost to run a truck at $2.336 a mile in 2025. Lanes vary widely from those averages.
Can you find drop and hook loads?
Yes, when they fit your lanes. Drop and hook freight is more common with large shippers and steady contract lanes, and it saves hours at the dock. It often requires a trailer of your own to leave behind or power only arrangements. Tell us your trailer setup and we'll look for it.
Who pays lumper fees?
Usually the shipper or broker, as a reimbursement, but only if it's arranged in advance and written on the rate confirmation. Sometimes you pay at the dock and submit the receipt; sometimes the broker pays directly with a code. We confirm lumper terms before you accept a load, so you aren't stuck with the bill.
Book dry van loads that fit your lanes and your home time
Apply in about 2 minutes. A dry van dispatcher calls, learns your lanes and floor rate, and sends you loads to confirm or pass. The rate con comes from the broker straight to you.