Pricing
Hotshot dispatch cost: one flat 7% of gross
The whole price of our hotshot dispatch, in one line: 7% of the gross on each load you haul. No setup fee, no minimums, month to month. Fleets of 2+ trucks pay 6% per truck while the limited-time fleet rate lasts.
Calculator
Hotshot dispatch fee calculator
Enter a normal week of gross for one truck. If another dispatcher quoted you a flat weekly fee, add it and see where the two cross.
EXAMPLE: $6,000 of gross on one truck in a week. Enter your own weekly gross, truck count and any flat fee you were quoted to compare.
How it's calculated: fee = gross load pay × 7% for one truck, or × 6% on every truck once 2 or more are on dispatch. Monthly figures use 52 ÷ 12 = 4.33 weeks. Fuel, insurance, payments and maintenance are not included. Everything runs in your browser.
What the fee covers
Everything on the ticket, and the charges you won't see
- Load sourcing on major load boards and our direct broker and shipper contacts
- Rate negotiation on every load
- Broker calls and carrier packet setup
- Weight and dimension check before booking
- Check calls and delivery updates
- Deadhead and reload planning
- Detention, layover and TONU claims
- Weekly earnings report
- Dispatchers available nights and weekends
Setup or onboarding fee
$0. Your first week costs nothing unless you haul.
Monthly minimum
None. A slow week costs a slow-week fee.
Fee on loads you don't haul
None. If you don't haul, you don't pay.
Markup on the rate
None. You see the broker's rate confirmation, and the fee is figured from it.
Long contract
Month to month. Cancel with 30 days notice.
The math
A sample week, line by line
Three loads on one truck. The fee is figured on each rate confirmation and adds up across the week. Empty miles to the next pickup earn nothing, so they carry no fee.
EXAMPLE numbers to show the math, not a rate quote.
Fleets
Fleet rate: 6% per truck from 2 trucks
Put 2 or more trucks on dispatch and every one of them runs at 6%, the first truck included. This is a limited-time rate. Mixed CDL and non-CDL units are fine.
EXAMPLE numbers to show the math.
Compare
How hotshot dispatchers charge, and why we picked a percentage
Percentage of gross
The fee moves with what you haul. A slow week costs less, a strong week costs more. This is how we charge.
Flat weekly fee
The same charge every week, including weeks you sit. It can cost less in very strong weeks and more in slow ones.
Flat fee per load
A set charge for each load booked, no matter its size. Short, cheap loads end up paying the most per dollar.
A percentage ties our pay to yours: we only earn when you haul, and we earn more when we negotiate a better rate. That is the incentive you want on the other end of the phone.
Terms
The terms, in writing
Everything here goes into the dispatch agreement you sign before your first load. The onboarding steps show where that happens.
- Rate
- 7% of gross load pay; 6% per truck for 2+ trucks (limited-time)
- When it applies
- Only on loads you haul. No haul, no pay.
- Setup and minimums
- None
- Contract
- Month to month, cancel with 30 days notice
- Load approval
- Every load, by you, before it is booked
- New authorities
- Same 7%, no surcharge
Plan the rest of your costs
Dispatch is one line in a hotshot budget. These guides cover the bigger ones, with sourced figures where they exist. Or go back to how our hotshot dispatch service works for you day to day.
FAQ
Hotshot dispatch pricing FAQ
How much does a hotshot dispatcher charge?
Dispatchers usually charge one of three ways: a percentage of each load's gross, a flat weekly fee, or a flat fee per load. Ours is 7% of gross load pay for one truck and 6% per truck for fleets of 2 or more (limited-time), with no setup fee. Run your own numbers in the calculator on this page.
What does gross load pay mean for the fee?
It is the total the broker agrees to pay for the load on the rate confirmation. The fee is figured on that number for loads you haul. Miles you drive empty earn nothing, so they carry no fee.
Is there a setup fee or a monthly minimum?
No. There is no setup fee, no onboarding charge and no minimum. A week you don't haul costs nothing.
How does the fleet rate work?
Once you have 2 or more trucks on dispatch, every truck runs at 6% of gross, the first truck included. It is a limited-time rate. Our hotshot fleet dispatch page covers per-truck reporting and mixed CDL and non-CDL fleets.
Will dispatch pay for itself?
We can't promise that, and nobody honestly can. Rates and freight change with the market. What the fee buys is time on the phone and load boards, negotiation on every load and reloads planned ahead. Compare it against the hours you spend finding freight today, and see what hotshots make after costs.
Next step
Start at 7%, with nothing to pay until you haul
7% of gross for one truck, 6% per truck for 2+ trucks (limited-time). No haul, no pay. No setup fee, no contract, cancel with 30 days notice. You approve every load.
Start with your setup: