2 to 10 trucks, one desk. Each truck gets its own plan; none of them bid against each other.
Small fleet dispatch service
A fleet dispatcher for owners who just hired their first drivers
You used to dispatch one truck from the driver's seat. Now you have drivers waiting on you for their next load while you're trying to drive, hire and keep files straight. Hand us the desk at 4% of gross (limited-time rate) and keep the final say on every load.
Outsourced truck dispatch vs a hire vs doing it yourself
Every fleet owner tries all three sooner or later. Dispatching yourself costs no cash, but it costs hours you can't bill. An in-house dispatcher gives you someone in the office, and a salary that doesn't care whether the trucks ran. Outsourcing costs a percentage of what the trucks actually haul.
"An in-house dispatcher is cheaper." Sometimes it is, and we'd rather show you where than pretend otherwise. Slide the inputs to your fleet. The salary starts at the national median for dispatchers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics; every other default is an EXAMPLE.
Salary starts at the national median for dispatchers ($50,340, BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 43-5032). Everything else is an EXAMPLE to replace with your numbers.
- Cash per week
- $0
- Your hours on it
- 30 h
- Your time at $35/h
- $1,050
- Total per week
- $1,050
No cash out, but every hour comes from driving, sleep or running the business.
- Cash per week
- $1,231
- Your hours on it
- 4 h
- Your time at $35/h
- $140
- Total per week
- $1,371
Paid every week, busy or slow. Assumes about 4 hours of your oversight.
- Cash per week
- $720
- Your hours on it
- 3 h
- Your time at $35/h
- $105
- Lowest total
- $825
Only on loads hauled. About 1 hour per truck for your approvals. Limited-time rate.
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 43-5032 · checked Oct 2026
What the numbers leave out
A hire needs training, covers only their own shift, and takes vacations. An outside desk covers nights and weekends. Doing it yourself has a hidden cost the calculator can't see: the load you missed while you were on the phone with a driver.
Where outsourcing fits
Two to roughly ten trucks, gross that swings week to week, mixed equipment, or an owner who still drives. It also fits as a bridge: outsource now and hire in-house when the numbers say so.
Your control stays put
Every load is offered before it books, the rate con goes to your company, and you can set floor rates and home time per truck. Pull any truck off our desk with 30 days notice.
Dispatching a fleet is not one truck times three
With one truck, a dispatcher plans one route. With three, the trucks start to collide: two of them hunting the same Atlanta reload, one driver out of hours while another sits empty, a home-time promise to one driver that strands another. A fleet dispatcher plans the trucks together so they don't compete for the same freight, staggers reloads so nobody waits at the same dock, and balances home time across drivers.
A day on the desk
- MorningEach truck's position, hours left and next delivery are checked, then reload searches start for whoever delivers first.
- MiddayOffers go out for approval to you or the driver you named. Confirmed loads get booked; the rate con goes to your company.
- AfternoonCheck calls and appointment changes go to drivers directly, so you aren't relaying messages from the cab.
- EveningTomorrow's pickups are confirmed, detention is logged with times, and the desk stays open for night problems.
Signs it's time to hand off the desk
- A driver waits on you for their next load while you're driving your own.
- You miss broker callbacks because you're on the phone with a driver.
- You book cheaper loads just to stop the searching.
- Your own hours of service suffer because dispatch eats your breaks.
- Two of your trucks deadhead toward the same market.
| Truck | Loads | Gross | Fee 4% |
|---|---|---|---|
| Truck 1, dry van | 4 | $5,600 | $224 |
| Truck 2, reefer | 3 | $6,300 | $252 |
| Truck 3, flatbed | 3 | $5,900 | $236 |
Made-up week to show the report format. Real reports also list miles, deadhead and detention per truck.
Once you hire drivers, these rules are yours
A one-truck owner-operator handles most of this for themselves. Hire one driver and you're an employer under FMCSA rules, with records to keep and checks to run on a schedule. These are federal rules for interstate carriers; your state may add more. Drug testing and Clearinghouse duties apply to CDL drivers.
Driver qualification files
Keep a driver qualification file for each driver: employment application, motor vehicle record inquiries, road test certificate or equivalent, medical examiner's certificate, and previous employer safety history.
Source: 49 CFR 391.51 · checked Oct 2026
Yearly MVR review
Pull each driver's motor vehicle record and review it at least once every 12 months.
Source: 49 CFR 391.25 · checked Oct 2026
Medical cards
Make sure every driver holds a current medical examiner's certificate, valid for up to 24 months.
Source: 49 CFR 391.41, 391.45 · checked Oct 2026
Clearinghouse queries
Run a full Clearinghouse query before a CDL driver's first job and a query on every CDL driver at least once a year.
Source: 49 CFR 382.701 · checked Oct 2026
Drug and alcohol testing
Pre-employment drug test before a CDL driver's first safety-sensitive work, and every CDL driver in a random testing program.
Source: 49 CFR 382.301, 382.305 · checked Oct 2026
What our desk handles
- Finding and negotiating loads per truck
- Offering each load for approval
- Broker packets for your company
- Check calls with you or your drivers
- Detention and layover claims
- Weekly report per truck
What stays with you
- Hiring, pay and driver HR
- DQ files and MVR reviews
- Medical cards and drug testing
- Clearinghouse queries
- Hours of service compliance
New to the Clearinghouse as an employer? Our guide to Clearinghouse registration walks through the queries step by step. Hiring your next driver? These truck driver interview questions help you check experience before you add someone to your authority. Cash tight between broker payments? Read about factoring for small fleets.
Fleet owners ask us
The 4% rate is limited time and applies when we dispatch 2 or more of your trucks. Full pricing and terms.
Do you manage driver qualification files?
No. Driver qualification files, MVR reviews, medical cards, drug testing and Clearinghouse queries stay with you as the employing carrier, or with a compliance service you choose. We dispatch the trucks. We'll remind you when a broker asks for something tied to a driver, but the records and the legal duty are yours.
How much does outsourced fleet dispatch cost?
4% of the gross on each load for fleets of 2 or more trucks, a limited-time rate. It's the same for every equipment type. No setup fee, no monthly minimum, month-to-month with 30 days notice to cancel. A truck that sits all week costs you nothing in dispatch fees.
Do you talk to my drivers directly?
If you want us to. You can have us send load details, appointment times and check-call requests straight to the driver, so nobody plays telephone. You decide who approves loads: you, or a driver you name. The rate confirmation goes to your company either way, because the load is booked under your authority.
Can I keep one truck on my own dispatch?
Yes. Some owners dispatch their own truck and give us the hired drivers' trucks. The fleet rate applies when we dispatch 2 or more of your trucks. If we dispatch only one, it's the standard 5% (or 7% while the MC is under 6 months).
Is outsourcing cheaper than an in-house dispatcher?
Not always. A salaried dispatcher costs the same in slow weeks as busy ones, plus payroll taxes, benefits and software. Outsourcing costs a percentage of loads hauled. At a few trucks, outsourcing usually wins on cash; at higher fleet sizes and gross, an in-house dispatcher can come out cheaper. The calculator above shows your crossover.
Can you dispatch mixed equipment in one fleet?
Yes. A dry van, a reefer and a flatbed under one authority is common for growing fleets, and the fee is the same for each. We plan each truck on its own freight and lanes, and we keep them from bidding against each other on the same loads.
Put every truck on one desk at 4%
Tell us how many trucks, what they pull and where your drivers like to run. A dispatcher calls you back, sets up your packets, and you approve every load.