→How it works
How box truck dispatch works, apply to first load
Here is how box truck dispatch works with us: six steps from the application to your first booked load, what to have ready, and how we stay in touch every day after that. You keep control of every load, and you can leave with 30 days notice.
- MILE 00Apply
- MILE 01Setup call
- MILE 02Agreement
- MILE 03Documents
- MILE 04Broker setup
- MILE 05First load
01The route
Steps from apply to first load
Tap a mile marker to see what happens at that stop.
STOP 1 OF 6
Apply
Two minutes online or one call. Truck size, CDL or not, liftgate, your MC status and where you are based.
- Truck and box length
- MC/DOT number, or tell us it is in progress
- Home base and lanes you like
STOP 2 OF 6
Setup call
A dispatcher calls you back and builds your dispatch profile. This is where you set the rules we work by.
- Lanes and states you will and won't run
- Home time: daily, weekends, or out for a week
- Your minimum rate and freight you refuse
STOP 3 OF 6
Agreement
A short, month-to-month dispatch agreement: what we do, the 7% fee, and the 30 day notice to end it.
- E-signed in a few minutes
- Authorizes us to talk to brokers for your authority
- No setup fee, no minimums
STOP 4 OF 6
Documents
We collect your paperwork once and keep it current, so every new broker gets a clean carrier packet.
- MC authority letter and W-9
- Certificate of insurance (auto liability and cargo)
- Notice of assignment if you factor
STOP 5 OF 6
Broker setup
We set you up with brokers that move box truck freight in your lanes, including ones that onboard new MCs.
- Carrier packets filled and sent
- Payment and factoring details on file
- Insurance certificates issued to each broker
STOP 6 OF 6
First load
We find a load that fits your box and your rules, negotiate it and send it to you. You say yes or pass.
- Pay, miles, weight and pickup time up front
- Booked only after your yes
- Rate con checked before you sign
02Paperwork
Documents you need
Brokers ask for the same four things before they release a load. Send them once; we keep them on file and send the packet each time. Still setting up your company? Start with how to start a box truck business.
MC and USDOT
Your operating authority letter and USDOT number. We check it is active on FMCSA before we call brokers.
W-9
In the exact legal name on your authority, so payments match.
Certificate of insurance
Auto liability and cargo. Brokers often ask to be listed as certificate holder.
NOA, if you factor
The notice of assignment tells brokers to pay your factoring company.
03Your rules
Lanes, home time and your minimum rate
On the setup call we write a dispatch profile for your truck. It is the rulebook we search by, and you can change it any day by text.
The minimum rate matters most. We work it out with you from your real costs: truck payment, insurance, fuel and maintenance. Running a box truck as an owner-operator only works when every load clears that number.
- Truck
- 26 ft box, liftgate, non-CDL, 26,000 GVWR
- Home base
- Atlanta, GA
- Lanes
- GA, SC, NC, TN, AL. No NYC
- Home time
- Home Friday night to Sunday
- Minimum
- $2.40/mi loaded or $300 per load, whichever is higher
- Max weight
- 9,500 lb (from scale ticket)
- Refuse
- Hazmat, residential without liftgate fee
Text from your dispatcher · EXAMPLE
04Your yes
How you approve every load
Every offer comes with the numbers you need to decide in one look: pickup and delivery, pallets and weight, loaded miles, deadhead, pickup window and the pay. If it fits, reply yes. If not, pass and we keep looking.
Nothing is booked under your authority until you answer. After you approve, we confirm with the broker, check the rate confirmation against what was agreed and send it to you to sign.
05Every day, every week
Daily communication and the weekly report
- MorningBoard check and any changes to your plan for the day.
- Pickup and deliveryYou text 'loaded' and 'empty' with a photo of the BOL or POD. We handle the broker.
- ProblemsLate receiver, wrong weight, a lumper fee. You call, we sort it with the broker while you wait.
- FridayThe weekly report and the fee invoice land in your inbox.
| Day | Lane | Mi | Gross |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mon | Atlanta, GA → Greenville, SC | 145 | $620.00 |
| Tue | Spartanburg, SC → Charlotte, NC | 78 | $410.00 |
| Wed | Charlotte, NC → Raleigh, NC | 168 | $735.00 |
| Thu | Durham, NC → Richmond, VA | 158 | $690.00 |
| Fri | Richmond, VA → Atlanta, GA (home) | 528 | $1,450.00 |
| Total gross · $3.63/loaded mi | 1,077 | $3,905.00 | |
| Dispatch fee 7% | -$273.35 | ||
Try your own week in the dispatch fee calculator. Doing local delivery routes instead of freight? Read about final mile work for box trucks.
06Leaving
How to cancel
Send us written notice and the agreement ends 30 days later. Loads already booked get finished and invoiced as normal. There is no buyout, and your broker setups stay yours: the packets were filed under your authority.
Full fee details are on the pricing page, and the bigger picture is on our box truck dispatch overview.
Onboarding questions
How long does it take to get my first load?
It depends mostly on broker setup. With an established MC and documents ready, setup usually goes quickly. A brand-new authority takes longer because fewer brokers will onboard it right away. We tell you honestly where you stand after the setup call.
Do you force-dispatch loads?
No. Nothing is booked under your authority without your approval. You can pass on any load, for any reason.
Do I still need my own load board account?
No. We search the boards ourselves as part of the fee. If you already pay for one, keep it or cancel it; that is your call.
Can I still book my own loads?
Yes. If you find a load yourself or a shipper calls you directly, run it. Just tell us so we plan around it. The fee only applies to loads we dispatch.
How do we talk day to day?
Mostly text for load offers and check calls, a phone call when something needs a decision fast. You get one weekly report with every load, the gross and the fee.
Ready? Start with your truck
Start at mile zero
7% of gross for one truck, 6% for 2+ trucks (limited-time). No setup fee, month-to-month, 30 days notice to cancel. If you don't haul, you don't pay.
Or start with your truck