How much does dry van dispatch service cost?

A flat 6% of your weekly gross. No upfront, monthly or setup dispatch fees. See our Pricing page for what's included.

What is a good rate per mile for dry van freight right now?

DAT's national average for dry van spot freight was $3.09 per mile, fuel included, for the week of October 10 to 16, 2026. Your lanes can run well above or below that, so your dispatcher quotes what brokers are paying on your lanes that week.

Can you book me both live load and drop and hook freight?

Yes. Tell your dispatcher which you prefer, and they'll weigh dock time against the rate on every load they bring you.

Do you work with both 53 foot and shorter dry van trailers?

We book 53 foot dry vans. If you run a shorter trailer, ask us first and we'll tell you whether we have freight that fits it.

Can I set preferred lanes or regions for dry van freight?

Yes. Tell your dispatcher your preferred lanes and home time needs, and they'll prioritize loads that fit.

Dry Van Dispatch Service for Owner-Operators

What our dry van dispatchers handle

Dry van is the deepest freight market in trucking. There's almost always a load somewhere, so the hard part isn't finding freight. It's picking the loads that pay, get you home and don't leave you empty for 200 miles.

That's the job your dry van dispatcher does every day:

Load sourcing. Dry van loads from load boards and the brokers we already know, matched to your trailer, your hours and your lanes.
Rate negotiation on every load. We counter the first offer with what the lane is actually paying that week.
Backhaul planning. We look for your next load before you deliver the current one, so you're not sitting empty at the receiver.
Broker vetting. Authority, credit and payment history get checked before we book.
Paperwork. Rate confirmations, setup packets, invoices in your name, and proof of delivery sent where it needs to go.
Detention and TONU. When a dock holds you past free time or a load cancels, we document it and recover that pay from the broker.

Dry van at a glance

DAT national average spot rate, fuel included, week of October 10 to 16, 2026. Source: DAT via AJOT, week 42. A market average, not a promise of what any load will pay. See this month's dry van rates per mile.
DAT national average spot rate	$3.09 per mile, fuel included. Changes weekly.
Our fee	Flat 6% of the gross
Most common equipment	53 foot dry van trailer, day cab or sleeper tractor
Common freight	Retail goods, packaged goods, paper products, general dry freight
CDL requirement	Class A CDL
Best season	Fairly steady year round, with a bump from October to December for holiday retail
How it's different	The most loads and the steadiest work, but the lowest rate per mile of the three big trailer types

Live load or drop and hook, and how we cut deadhead

A live load can tie you up at a dock for hours. A drop and hook gets you in and out, but sometimes pays a little less. Neither is always better, so your dispatcher weighs the dock time against the rate on every load and tells you which way it leans.

Deadhead is where dry van margins go to die. We plan in this order:

Where do you need to end up? Home on Friday, a shop appointment, a lane you like. That sets the direction.
Which markets around your delivery have outbound freight? Some delivery cities are easy to reload from. Others are traps. We check before we book you into one.
Is the next load lined up? We start working your reload while you're still rolling, so the empty miles are short and planned, not a surprise.

Tell us the lanes you know and like. Familiar lanes mean fewer surprises at docks, and they make a tired week a lot easier.

Dry van freight through the year

Van freight follows retail. Volume builds from late summer into the October to December holiday season, when stores restock and distribution centers run hard. January and February are usually the quietest months, and that's when planning matters most: a dispatcher who knows which markets still have outbound freight keeps you from sitting.

Weather and holidays move things too. A winter storm can strand capacity in one region and spike rates in another, and holiday weeks shorten receiving hours. Your dispatcher watches for both and plans your week around them, instead of reacting after you're stuck. Here's our seasonal freight calendar for every trailer type.

Why dry van owner-operators choose us

Your dispatcher knows your lanes

One dedicated dispatcher learns where you like to run, which receivers are slow and when you need to be home. You don't re-explain yourself every call.

We negotiate, we don't just accept

Van freight is crowded, and brokers know it. We push every rate toward what the lane is paying, and we'll pass on a load that doesn't make sense for your truck.

No forced dispatch

We bring you options with the rate, miles and deadhead laid out. You say yes or no. Every time.

Your money goes straight to you

The broker pays you, or your factoring company, directly. Our fee is billed separately, on a weekly invoice, after you've been paid.

Where dry van freight is strongest

Dry van loads are everywhere, but a few states stand out for volume and reloads:

Texas: cross-border freight from Laredo and the warehouses of the Dallas, Houston and San Antonio triangle.
California: imports leaving the Inland Empire warehouses for every part of the country.
Illinois: container freight turned into truckloads around Chicago's rail yards.
Pennsylvania: the I-81 and Lehigh Valley warehouse corridors that feed the Northeast.

How dry van dispatch works with us

Send your docs. MC authority, certificate of insurance, W-9, voided check and the signed dispatch agreement.
Get matched. You're paired with a dispatcher who works van freight and talks through your lanes and home time.
Loads get booked. We look for the backhaul before you deliver, then send you the rate confirmation to approve.
You haul and get paid. The broker pays you or your factor. We invoice our fee separately.

The full checklist is on our carrier setup page, and most carriers are set up within 24 hours once their documents are in.

What dry van dispatch costs

A flat 6% of the gross. On a load that pays $3,000 in total, our fee is $180, and if a broker never pays, you owe us nothing for that load. See what a 6% fee costs on a dry van load, along with everything the fee includes.

Not sure a dispatcher is worth it at all? Our guide to self-dispatching versus hiring a dispatcher runs the numbers honestly.

Weighing a reefer instead? See reefer vs dry van: which pays better, and our playbook to cut deadhead miles.

For the bigger picture, see how we work with one-truck carriers, or compare all six equipment types.