You're considering hiring a dispatch service. The first question: "How much should I pay?"
You'll hear everything from 5% to 30%. Some charge flat fees. Some have hidden markups.
So what's actually fair?
Industry standard in 2026: 5-10% of gross revenue with full transparency (you see every rate confirmation).
Anything over 10% needs exceptional justification. Anything with hidden fees or markups is a scam.
Let me break down exactly what you should expect to pay and what you should get for it.
The industry standards
Standard percentage-based rates
Typical range: 5-10% of gross revenue
What this means:
- Load pays $3,000
- 7% dispatch fee = $210
- You receive $2,790
Most common rates:
- 5-7%: Very competitive, usually for high-volume operators or established relationships
- 8-10%: Industry standard for most owner operators
- 10-15%: High end, better have exceptional service or specialized freight
- 15%+: Typically only for small carriers with multiple trucks where dispatcher does more
Flat fee rates
Typical range: $200-$500 per week
What this means:
- You pay the same amount regardless of revenue
- Week with $6,000 gross = $400 fee (6.7%)
- Week with $4,000 gross = $400 fee (10%)
Flat fees make sense when:
- You consistently gross similar amounts
- You want predictable costs
- You gross $5,000+ per week (otherwise percentage is cheaper)
Per-load rates
Typical range: $50-$150 per load
What this means:
- Each load booked costs a set fee
- Not based on load value
- 3 loads per week = $150-450
Per-load fees make sense when:
- You only need occasional help
- You have some steady customers already
- You book 1-2 loads per week maximum
Rate comparison: which is best?
| Your Weekly Gross | 5% | 7% | 10% | Flat $400 | Per Load ($100x3) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $3,000 | $150 | $210 | $300 | $400 | $300 |
| $4,000 | $200 | $280 | $400 | $400 | $300 |
| $5,000 | $250 | $350 | $500 | $400 | $300 |
| $6,000 | $300 | $420 | $600 | $400 | $300 |
| $7,000 | $350 | $490 | $700 | $400 | $300 |
Key insights:
If you gross $3,000-4,000/week: Percentage (5-7%) is cheapest If you gross $5,000-6,000/week: Flat fee or percentage are similar If you gross $7,000+/week: Flat fee is best deal If you only book 1-2 loads/week: Per-load makes sense
What you should get for your money
At 5-7% you should expect:
Core Services:
- Find loads on load boards
- Present 2-3 options for you to choose
- Book loads after your approval
- Send/receive rate confirmations
- Track and submit PODs
What you probably WON'T get:
- Aggressive rate negotiation
- 24/7 support
- Problem resolution
- Lane strategy consulting
Best for: Operators who just need someone to handle logistics, you're fine with average rates
At 7-10% you should expect:
Everything from 5-7% PLUS:
- Active rate negotiation on every load
- Broker relationship building
- Lane recommendations
- Problem resolution (detention, TONU, etc.)
- Responsive communication (calls answered quickly)
- Load tracking and updates
What you might not get:
- 24/7 emergency support
- Multiple dispatcher options
Best for: Most owner operators - balance of cost and service
At 10-15% you should expect:
Everything from 7-10% PLUS:
- Dedicated dispatcher (not shared)
- 24/7 availability
- Proactive load planning (they know your schedule)
- Extensive broker network
- Specialized freight expertise
- Detention/accessorial pay negotiation
- Back-office support (paperwork, collections)
Best for: High-volume operations or specialized equipment where expertise matters
At 15%+ you should expect:
Everything from 10-15% PLUS:
- Fleet management (multiple trucks)
- Safety/compliance support
- Back-office operations (full accounting, IFTA, etc.)
- Factoring/payment services
- Direct shipper relationships
- Specialized niche expertise
Best for: Small fleets (3+ trucks) where dispatch is running your entire operation
For single truck owner operators: 15%+ is almost never justified
Hidden fees to watch for (and avoid)
Red Flag #1: rate confirmation markup
The scam:
- Broker pays $3,000 for load
- Dispatcher shows you a fake confirmation for $2,600
- Tells you they charge "8%" ($208)
- You receive $2,392
- They actually pocketed $608 (20%)
How to avoid: Demand to see actual broker rate confirmations for every load
Red Flag #2: setup fees
The scam:
- "One-time setup fee: $500"
- For what? Creating your profile?
Reasonable: $0-$100 for legitimate setup work Unreasonable: $300-$1,000 "setup fees"
Red Flag #3: monthly platform fees
The scam:
- "Dispatch is 7% plus $200/month platform fee"
- What platform? You're paying for their loadboard access?
Reasonable: $0 monthly fees (dispatch % should cover everything) Unreasonable: Adding monthly fees on top of percentage
Red Flag #4: cancellation fees
The scam:
- "Cancel before 6 months: $1,000 fee"
- Locks you in even if service is terrible
Reasonable: No cancellation fee, week-to-week or month-to-month Unreasonable: Any cancellation penalty
Red Flag #5: "premium" load fees
The scam:
- "High-paying loads incur additional 3% fee"
- Double-dipping on the good loads
Reasonable: Same percentage for all loads Unreasonable: Variable rates based on how good the load is
Red Flag #6: accessorial pay markups
The scam:
- They negotiate $400 detention pay
- Show you $250
- Pocket $150
Reasonable: You get 100% of detention, layover, TONU Unreasonable: Taking a cut of your accessorial pay
The real cost of "cheap" dispatch
Scenario 1: Cheap Dispatch with Bad Rates
Dispatcher A: 5% fee
- Finds you $4,500 loads (mediocre rates)
- Dispatch fee: $225
- Your net: $4,275
Dispatcher B: 10% fee
- Negotiates $5,500 loads (excellent rates)
- Dispatch fee: $550
- Your net: $4,950
You net $675 MORE per week with the "expensive" dispatcher.
The lesson: Low percentage doesn't matter if they get you terrible rates.
Scenario 2: Cheap Dispatch with Hidden Markups
Dispatcher C: "8% fee"
- Broker pays $3,500
- Shows you $3,000 confirmation (fake)
- Charges $240 (8% of $3,000)
- You receive $2,760
- They actually kept $740 (21%)
Dispatcher D: 10% fee (transparent)
- Broker pays $3,500
- Shows you real confirmation
- Charges $350 (10% of $3,500)
- You receive $3,150
You net $390 MORE per week with the "expensive" but honest dispatcher.
The lesson: Transparent 10% beats hidden 20%+ every time.
How to negotiate dispatcher fees
Strategy 1: Volume discount
Your pitch: "I gross $7,000/week consistently. Your standard is 10% ($700). How about 8% ($560) given my volume?"
When this works:
- You're a high-volume operator
- You have proven track record
- You're an easy client (responsive, professional)
Strategy 2: Trial period
Your pitch: "Let's do 30 days at 7%. If I'm consistently happy and we're both making money, we continue. If not, we part ways. No commitment."
When this works:
- You're trying a new dispatcher
- You want to test quality before committing
- Dispatcher is confident in their value
Strategy 3: Flat fee instead
Your pitch: "I gross $6,500/week average. That's $650 at 10%. How about flat $500/week instead? Gives me upside if I have big weeks."
When this works:
- You consistently gross similar amounts
- Dispatcher prefers predictable income
- You both win if you exceed average
Strategy 4: Referral discount
Your pitch: "I know 3 other owner operators looking for dispatch. Give me 6% instead of 8%, I'll refer them if I'm happy."
When this works:
- You actually have referrals to give
- Dispatcher wants to grow
- You're a raving fan if service is good
Red flags that you're overpaying
Sign #1: Won't show rate confirmations
If they refuse to show broker rate confirmations, you're being scammed. Period.
Sign #2: You're paying 12%+ as single truck
Unless you're getting white-glove service (24/7, back-office, etc.), this is too high.
Sign #3: They add fees beyond percentage
"7% plus $200 platform fee plus $50 per load setup fee" = Actually 10-12%
Sign #4: Rates aren't better than you got solo
If you negotiated $2.50/mile yourself and they're getting $2.40/mile, you're overpaying even at 5%.
Sign #5: Long-term contract required
Good dispatchers earn your business weekly. 6-12 month contracts are red flags.
What fair pricing looks like (2026 standards)
Small dispatch service (1-10 clients):
- Rate: 8-10%
- Why higher: More personal service, dedicated attention
- You get: Responsive communication, custom service
Medium dispatch service (10-50 clients):
- Rate: 7-9%
- Why mid-range: Balance of scale and service
- You get: Established processes, proven systems
Large dispatch service (50+ clients):
- Rate: 5-8%
- Why lower: Economies of scale
- You get: More standardized but proven service
Size doesn't equal quality. A small service at 10% might get you better results than a large one at 5%.
The FF Dispatch pricing model
Our rate: 6%
What you get:
- Full transparency (you see every rate confirmation)
- No hidden fees or markups
- Active negotiation on every load
- 15-20% better rates than you'd get solo
- 10-15 hours/week saved
- No long-term contracts (month-to-month)
- Responsive communication
Why 6%?
We did the math:
- Less than 6%: Can't provide quality service and fair wages to dispatchers
- More than 7%: Not competitive with excellent independent dispatchers
- At 6%: We can invest in good people, tech, and processes while being fair to clients
Real client math:
Before FF Dispatch:
- Grossing $5,000/week on my own
- Spending 12 hours/week finding loads
After FF Dispatch:
- Grossing $6,200/week (they get better rates)
- Paying $372/week (6%)
- Netting $5,828
- +$828/week over doing it solo
- +12 hours/week of my life back
Calculate Your Potential Savings →
How to calculate if your rate is fair
Use this formula:
Step 1: Calculate what you make WITH dispatch
Weekly gross with dispatch: $______
- Dispatch fee: $______
= Net weekly: $______
Step 2: Calculate what you made WITHOUT dispatch
(Use last 3 months before dispatch)
Average weekly gross solo: $______
Step 3: Calculate time value
Hours saved per week: ______
× Your hourly value: $______
= Time value: $______
Step 4: Total comparison
Net with dispatch (Step 1): $______
+ Time value (Step 3): $______
= Total value with dispatch: $______
vs
Solo gross (Step 2): $______
Difference: $______
If difference is positive: You're getting good value If difference is negative: You're overpaying or they're not performing
The bottom line: what should you pay?
Single truck owner operator:
- Fair range: 5-10%
- Sweet spot: 7-8%
- Maximum: 10% (only if exceptional service)
Flat fee alternative:
- Fair range: $300-$500/week
- Sweet spot: $400/week
- Maximum: $600/week (only if grossing $8k+ consistently)
What matters more than percentage: Full transparency (see all rate confirmations) No hidden fees Improved negotiated rates compared to self-dispatch Time savings (10-15 hours/week) No long-term contracts Responsive service
A transparent 10% dispatcher who gets you $6,000/week loads beats a sketchy 5% dispatcher who gets you $4,500/week loads and hides markups.
Don't optimize for lowest percentage. Optimize for highest NET to you.
Related Posts:
- Do You Need a Dispatch Service? Decision Framework
- 7 Red Flags When Choosing a Dispatch Service
- 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:
- Calculate your current net weekly (last 3 months average)
- Track time spent finding loads (2 weeks)
- Get quotes from 3 dispatch services
- Run the "Is It Fair?" calculator above for each
- Choose based on net value, not lowest percentage
Sources:
- Industry dispatch service pricing comparisons (2025-2026)
- TruckersReport.com dispatcher fee discussions
- Owner Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) dispatch service guidelines
- Dispatch service provider rate sheets and industry standards