You're an owner operator. You have your authority, your truck is running, and now you need to find freight.
Two options: Do it yourself - spend hours on loadboards, call brokers, negotiate rates. Or hire a dispatch service - they find loads, you drive.
Everyone asks the same question: "Is dispatch worth the cost?"
The honest answer: it depends. On your hourly value, your negotiation skills, and whether you can consistently beat what a dispatcher can get you. Here's how to figure that out.
What dispatch services actually do
Most people think dispatch just books loads. That's maybe half of it.
A good dispatch service is your freight department, your negotiation team, and your operations support all in one.
Load finding happens daily. They monitor DAT, Truckstop, 123Loadboard - searching for freight that fits your preferences, contacting brokers proactively, presenting you 3-5 options to choose from.
Rate negotiation happens on every load. They push for detention pay language, secure TONU compensation when loads get cancelled, get accessorial pay for tarping and lumper fees.
Documentation is the unglamorous part. Sending and receiving rate confirmations, tracking PODs, chasing payments from brokers, handling billing disputes.
Planning and strategy is ongoing. Recommending profitable lanes, advising on seasonal trends, helping you avoid dead zones, building broker relationships that benefit you long-term.
Support kicks in when things go sideways. Issues during transit, detention pay fights, TONU situations, claims management.
The real cost of finding your own loads
Most owner operators underestimate how much time load planning takes.
Monday morning load planning: 2-3 hours. Check your current location, search loadboards, filter options, call 10-15 brokers, get rate quotes, negotiate, book a load.
Mid-week planning: another 2-3 hours. While your current load is in transit, you're already searching from your delivery location, making calls, negotiating the next one.
Friday planning: 1-2 hours. Trying to secure a weekend or Monday load, which often means more calls because pickings are slim.
That's 5-8 hours per week just on load planning. Then add documentation (2-3 hours), chasing broker payments (1-2 hours), and dealing with detention and other issues (1-3 hours).
Grand total: 9-16 hours per week not driving.
The math: is your time worth it?
Let's do a quick calculation.
Say you're grossing $5,000/week. You spend 12 hours on load planning and 50 hours driving. That's 62 hours of work total. Your effective hourly rate: $80.65/hour.
If a dispatcher can save you those 12 hours, you could drive them instead. At $2.50/mile average and 50 mph, that's 600 more miles. Additional revenue: $1,500/week.
Dispatch cost at 7%: $350/week.
Net gain: $1,150/week.
That's the math that makes dispatch make sense for a lot of people.
Five questions to ask yourself
How much time do you spend finding loads?
If it's less than 5 hours a week, you probably have steady customers or easy lanes. Dispatch may not add much value for you.
If it's 5-10 hours a week, you could save meaningful time. Run the numbers and see if those hours driving would exceed the dispatch cost.
If it's 10+ hours a week, you're spending 25% of your work time not earning. That's probably costing you $1,000+ weekly in lost driving time. You likely need dispatch.
How good are you at negotiation?
Here's a test: pull up your last 10 loads. Calculate your average rate per mile (all miles including deadhead). Compare it to the DAT rate index for those same lanes in the same week.
If you're getting 5-10% above DAT averages, you're a strong negotiator. Dispatch would need to beat your rates, not just DAT rates. Only hire top-tier dispatch.
If you're getting DAT average or below, you're leaving $500-$1,000 per week on the table. Good dispatch can easily get 15-20% more than that.
If you don't know your average rate vs market? That's a red flag for how you're running the business. You need help with operations.
What's your gross revenue?
If you're grossing less than $4,000/week, you need to fix fundamentals first - rates, utilization, equipment issues. Dispatch can help, but at 7% you'd pay $280/week. Can you afford that right now? Maybe not yet.
If you're grossing $4,000-$6,000/week, dispatch cost would be $280-$420/week with potential upside of $800-$1,200/week (better rates plus more driving time). You're a strong candidate.
If you're grossing $6,000+/week, you're doing well. The question is: can you scale higher? If you're maxed on driving hours, dispatch may not help much. Evaluate whether you have capacity for more loads.
Do you enjoy finding freight?
This matters more than people admit.
If you love the hunt - you enjoy negotiating, you like building broker relationships, finding good loads is satisfying - keep doing it yourself. It's part of your job satisfaction.
If you hate the hunt - it's tedious and stressful, you'd rather just drive, the constant rejection wears on you - dispatch will improve your quality of life significantly.
Mental health matters. If you dread Sunday nights because you need to find Monday loads, that's a sign.
What type of freight do you haul?
Dry van or reefer (commodity freight): tons of available loads, highly competitive. Dispatch can shop efficiently. It often helps.
Specialized freight (flatbed, step deck, oversized, tanker): fewer loads available, requires specific expertise. You need a dispatcher who knows your niche - otherwise don't bother.
Dedicated contracts: steady customer, consistent freight, less hunting needed. You probably don't need dispatch.
The Break-Even Calculation
Here's exactly how to calculate if dispatch is worth it for YOU.
Step 1: Calculate Your Current Efficiency
Last month's gross revenue: $________
÷ 4.33 (weeks per month): $________
= Weekly gross: $________
Hours spent finding loads per week: ______
Hours spent on paperwork per week: ______
Total non-driving hours: ______
Could you drive these hours instead? (yes/no)
Step 2: Calculate Potential Gain
Non-driving hours per week: ______
× Your average miles per hour: ______
= Potential additional miles: ______
× Your average rate per mile: $______
= Additional weekly revenue: $______
Step 3: Calculate Dispatch Cost
Current weekly gross: $______
× Dispatch rate (typically 5-10%): ______%
= Dispatch cost per week: $______
Step 4: Compare
Additional revenue (Step 2): $______
- Dispatch cost (Step 3): $______
= Net gain/loss: $______
If net gain is positive: Dispatch likely makes sense
If net gain is negative: You're better off finding your own loads (or dispatch needs to get you better rates)
When you don't need dispatch
You have steady customers. If 80% of your freight comes from 2-3 direct shippers and you rarely hunt for loads, keep doing what works.
You're running dedicated. One customer, consistent routes, preset rates. You don't need dispatch.
You're a strong negotiator with time. You consistently beat market rates, you enjoy the process, and you have time for load planning. You're already optimized.
You're grossing under $3,500/week. Fix fundamentals first - equipment, authority, basics. Dispatch can't fix core business problems. Get to $4k+/week, then consider dispatch.
You can't afford it yet. Barely breaking even, no cash reserves. Bootstrap until you have a buffer, then evaluate.
Red flags: bad dispatch services
Not all dispatch services are worth it. Here's what to watch for.
Won't show rate confirmations. If they won't show you what brokers are actually paying, they're hiding something.
Charges more than 10%. Industry standard is 5-10%. Higher fees need exceptional value to justify.
Long-term contracts. Avoid 6-month or 1-year commitments. Good dispatch proves value weekly.
No references. Established dispatch services have happy clients who'll vouch for them.
Income guarantees. "We'll get you $10k/week guaranteed!" is a lie. Freight markets fluctuate.
Forced loads. You must have final say on which loads you take. No forcing.
Poor communication. If they're hard to reach or don't respond quickly, run away.
See our complete guide: 7 Red Flags When Choosing a Dispatch Service →
What good dispatch looks like
Full transparency. They show you every rate confirmation, explain exactly what they're charging, and share their broker relationships.
Reasonable pricing. 5-10% is standard. Some offer flat fees ($200-$400/week). Everything is clearly explained, no hidden costs.
No long-term contracts. Week-to-week or month-to-month. Easy to cancel if it's not working. They're confident enough in their value not to lock you in.
Your decision on loads. They present options. You make the final call. You're never forced to take loads.
Responsive communication. They answer calls and texts quickly, send proactive updates, and are available when issues come up.
Strong track record. Years in business, happy client testimonials, industry reputation.
Actual rate improvements. They get you 10-20% above what you'd get yourself, with consistent results and data to back it up.
The hybrid approach
You don't have to choose all-or-nothing.
Part-time dispatch. You find your own loads 70% of the time. Use dispatch to fill gaps - weekends, slow periods. Some services charge per load instead of percentage.
Trial period. Try dispatch for one month. Track results vs your baseline. Keep detailed metrics. Make the decision based on data, not feelings.
Overflow support. You handle your steady lanes and customers. Dispatch finds backhauls or fills dead spots. Best of both worlds.
Real owner operator perspectives
"Dispatch changed my life"
"I was spending 15 hours a week on loadboards, getting mediocre rates, stressed constantly. Hired FF Dispatch, now I just drive. They get me better rates than I was getting myself, I save 15 hours/week, and I'm making $1,200 more per week net. No brainer."
This was a 2-year O/O who went from $4,500/week solo to $6,200/week with dispatch.
"Dispatch wasn't worth it for me"
"Tried a dispatch service for 3 months. They were getting me the same rates I could get, taking 8%, and I still had to do most of the paperwork. Went back to doing it myself. Maybe I just had a bad dispatcher."
This was a 5-year O/O with strong broker relationships, already grossing $7,500/week.
"Dispatch saved me when I was struggling"
"First year as O/O I was barely breaking even. Found FF Dispatch and they taught me so much about profitable lanes and negotiation. After 6 months I had learned enough to do it solo again. They jumpstarted my business."
This guy used dispatch as training wheels, then graduated to running successfully solo.
How FF Dispatch is different
The problem with most dispatch services: hidden fees and markups, they won't show rate confirmations, they lock you into long contracts, they force loads you don't want.
Here's how we do it differently.
Full transparency. You see every broker rate confirmation. No hidden markups or fees. You know exactly what you're paying for.
Fair pricing. 7% average, which is lower than the industry standard of 10-15%. No hidden charges. Simple, clear pricing.
No forced loads. We present 3-5 options. You make the final decision. Your truck, your choice.
Better rates. Average 15-20% above what owners get solo. Strong broker relationships. Expert negotiation.
Save time. 15-20 hours per week back. More time driving or with family. Less stress.
No long-term contracts. Month-to-month. Cancel anytime. We earn your business weekly.
"Before FF Dispatch: $5,200/week gross, spending 12 hours finding loads.
After FF Dispatch: $6,500/week gross, saving 12 hours, paying $455 (7%) for dispatch.
Net gain: $845/week PLUS 12 hours of my life back. I made it to my daughter's soccer game for the first time in months."
Try it risk-free for 30 days. If you're not making more, cancel. No hard feelings.
Calculate Your Potential Earnings →
See Our Transparent Pricing (No Contracts) →
The bottom line
You probably need dispatch if you spend 10+ hours a week finding loads, you're getting average or below-average rates, you hate the hunting and negotiation process, you're grossing $4,000-$6,000/week with room to grow, or you value your time highly.
You probably don't need dispatch if you have steady customers (80%+ of your freight), you're an expert negotiator (consistently 10%+ above market), you enjoy the hunt, you're maxed on hours and can't drive more anyway, or you're grossing under $3,500/week and need to fix fundamentals first.
The decision isn't permanent. Try it for a month. Track the numbers. Make a data-driven decision.
Whatever you do, track your time and rates now so you have a baseline to compare against. You can't manage what you don't measure.
Related Posts:
- 7 Red Flags When Choosing a Dispatch Service
- How Much Should You Pay a Dispatcher?
- How to Negotiate Broker Rates Like a Pro
- Best Load Boards for Owner Operators 2026
- The Real Cost of Running an Owner Operator Business
Action Steps:
- Track your time for 2 weeks (hours on load planning)
- Calculate your average rate per mile (vs DAT for your lanes)
- Run the break-even calculation from this post
- Make decision based on data, not emotion
Sources:
- Owner operator time tracking and efficiency studies
- Dispatch service ROI calculations and owner operator experiences
- DAT rate index for market rate benchmarking
- TruckersReport.com dispatch service discussions
- Industry dispatch fee comparisons (2025-2026)