How much do you pay for your dispatching services???

You said two things that really struck a chord with me..

I've said it a million times. Nobody gives a crap about your business but you, and the even the best people can be really great at spending your money.

I think it's also known as a "gambling addiction" LOL. I truly hate sales, and I think it adds to my charm when dealing with brokers. Nothing more satisfying than giving a firm "no thanks" on a load I don't like, or accepting one that works for me.

 

I guess I must not understand the benefits but I wouldn't even dream about paying a dispatch service to book loads from brokers. What's the point? If you don't want to or don't know how to negotiate and/or find loads why not just lease to a carrier? Seems like you'd end up at about the same $$ with less headaches and responsibility.

 

There is a point! Dispatchers look out for the driver who is driving 2800 miles per week. Brokers do not look out for the driver as they feel there are a million more drivers where he/she came from. There are other reasons as well. For anyone else who looks at a Dispatch Service mark my words: Anything less than 10% is too little and anything more than 16% is too much. A company that charges a monthly fee instead of a percentage is NOT going to keep you loaded. I Promise you that. My experience is 8 years running a dispatch service. We charge 11% to 15% depending on area you are based out of. And then you pay a factoring company. The freight still pays better than if you cut out factoring and us, and dispatched yourself during down time.

 

Could you have me averaging at least $3.50 a mile, loaded miles only, on a weekly average of 1,500 miles including deadhead? With a 53' dry van? That's what you'd have to do to interest this self dispatched truck. I don't think any dispatch service can top what an individual who is determined and puts effort into it can do for themselves. My view of a dispatch service is someone who takes calls on possible reloads for my truck, forwards the calls to me, and allows me to take care of the finer details. In other words you fill in gaps when I ask for help. Have contacts and points I try to work around that I can call or call me with available freight for the most part. You would really enjoy how often I'd reject loads that you thought paid well and be shocked at how high some of these brokers will go from initial offering when given a proper arm twist. This is control I would never allow anyone over my truck, dispatching.

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$3.50 a mile average with a dry van? Really?

 

On the loaded miles. Deadhead and percentage off the top puts it around $2.30 a mile to the truck on every single mile turned. I wish I could average $3.50 all miles.. ..with $4 fuel that's where we all should be - of course people will say on here they do great at half that rate or much worse.

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I know my Driver doesn't pay me near enough!

 

Some people just want to drive a truck and not deal with the headache of dealing with agents. Its not that they can't self dispatch, is more of an issue of is it worth it. If you can pay someone $25-$50 to take care of all the headache for you, why not?

 

You'll never know how aggressive you can push on rates that way. You'll never have a true feel for rates. They'll never price you out of anything. You'll roll and they'll get their cut but you've given away the most important part of your business.

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This is an important part of this business. If you don't want to deal with selling then don't become independent. It is less what you pay but the control that is lost.