Dispatching
How to start a truck dispatching business
Setup takes about a week and under $600. Getting carriers takes 90 days of calls. Here is the order to do it in.
Starting a truck dispatching business takes a business entity, an EIN, a business phone line, a load board subscription, and a written dispatcher carrier agreement. Total setup is usually $300 to $600 and about a week of work. No FMCSA authority and no surety bond are required, because you operate as an agent of the carriers you dispatch for.
Step 1: Form the business entity
An LLC in your own state is the normal choice. It costs $50 to $500 depending on the state, takes a few days, and gives carriers a business to contract with and pay. Get an EIN from the IRS the same week, it is free and takes ten minutes online. Open a business checking account so dispatch fees never land in your personal account.
Step 2: Set up the tools
| Tool | Cost | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Load board subscription | $45 to $170 a month | Your inventory and your rate data |
| Business phone line | $20 to $60 a month | Brokers will not take you seriously from a number that goes to voicemail |
| Google Workspace email | $7 a month | A gmail.com address costs you credibility on broker setup |
| Simple TMS or spreadsheet | $0 to $100 a month | Track loads, invoices, and who owes what |
| E-signature tool | $0 to $20 a month | Agreements and rate confirmations |
Skip the website at the start. No owner operator has ever chosen a dispatcher because of a landing page. Build it in month three when you have carriers to reference.
Step 3: Write your agreement and your fee terms
Before your first call, know exactly what you charge and what is included. Standard terms:
- 5% to 10% of linehaul, commonly 6% to 8% for a single truck
- Fee on linehaul only, never on fuel surcharge, detention, or accessorials
- Invoiced weekly, after delivery
- No fee on loads the carrier books themselves
- Week to week or 30 day notice, no long lock in
Put it in a dispatcher carrier agreement that names you as the carrier's agent and states you cannot commit the carrier to anything without approval.
Step 4: Learn rates before you sell
You will lose your first carrier if you cannot tell them what a lane pays. Spend a week on the load board studying five lanes you plan to run: what the posted rate is, what it actually books for, what the deadhead into the market costs, and how the rate moves Monday versus Thursday. Rate credibility is the entire product.
Step 5: Get the first three carriers
This is the part that takes real time. Call new FMCSA authorities 30 to 120 days old, work truck stops, and ask every carrier for a referral. Target 30 to 50 calls a day. Expect two months of grinding before the book feels stable.
Step 6: Service them so hard they refer you
Retention beats acquisition every time. What keeps a carrier:
- Their truck is never sitting when it could be loaded
- You vet broker credit before you book, so they get paid
- Paperwork goes out same day
- You answer the phone
- You tell them when a market is bad instead of booking a cheap load to earn your fee
That last one is the one carriers remember, and it is where referrals come from.
Real startup cost
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| LLC filing | $50 to $500 |
| EIN | Free |
| Load board, first month | $45 to $170 |
| Phone and email | $30 to $70 |
| Agreement template or legal review | $0 to $400 |
| Total to open | roughly $300 to $600 |
Budget three to six months of personal living expenses on top of it. The business is cheap to start and slow to fill, and running out of runway in month two is the most common reason dispatchers quit.
Common questions
How much does it cost to start a truck dispatching business?
Usually $300 to $600 to open, covering LLC filing, the first month of a load board subscription, and a business phone and email. Monthly overhead after that is typically under $300.
Do you need authority to start a dispatch service?
No. Dispatchers work as agents of the carriers they serve, so no FMCSA operating authority and no surety bond are required. Those are broker requirements.
How long does it take to start dispatching?
Setup takes about a week. Building a book of carriers takes about 90 days of consistent prospecting, and most dispatchers need eight to twelve months to reach a full time income.
Do you need an LLC to dispatch trucks?
It is not legally required, but nearly every carrier expects to contract with and pay a business rather than an individual, and it keeps your income cleanly separated for taxes.
Do you need a website to get carriers?
No. Owner operators do not choose dispatchers from websites. The first carriers come from cold calls to new authorities, truck stop conversations, and referrals. Build the website once you have carriers to reference.
What should a dispatcher charge when starting out?
Price at about 6% of linehaul and be specific about what is included rather than undercutting the market. Discount dispatchers attract carriers who buy only on price, and those carriers churn fastest.
Want the whole system instead of the summary?
The Dispatch Accelerator walks you through setup, finding carriers, and booking loads that actually pay. 500+ members inside.