Flat Fee vs Percentage Dispatch: Which Dispatch Fee Model Is Cheaper?

Flat fee vs percentage dispatch is the first fork in the road when you compare dispatch services. Some charge a percentage of each load's gross, some charge a flat amount per week, and some charge per load. The right one depends on how much you gross in a typical week and how steady that week is. This guide puts the three models side by side with the math, and shows what each one tells you about how a dispatcher gets paid.

Full disclosure: we charge a percentage. Our fee is 6% of gross for one truck and 5% (limited-time) for fleets of 2 or more trucks, charged only on loads you haul. We've kept the comparison neutral anyway, and the flat amounts in the table are EXAMPLE figures, not quotes from any company.

The three dispatch fee models

The break-even math

The table at the top of this page runs one 53 ft dry van through weekly gross from $3,000 to $8,000. The percentage column uses our own single-truck rate. The flat columns use EXAMPLE figures: $300 a week, and $100 a load at 3 loads a week.

The break-even point between a percentage and a flat weekly fee is:

break-even weekly gross = flat weekly fee / percentage rate

At our single-truck rate, an EXAMPLE flat fee of $300 a week breaks even at $5,000 of weekly gross. Above that number, the flat fee costs less that week. Below it, the percentage costs less. In a week with no loads, the percentage is zero, and whether the flat fee still bills depends on the contract.

Run your own weeks, not an average

An average week hides the weeks that hurt. Before you decide, put three weeks through the numbers: a typical week, your worst week of the last few months (shop time, home time, a slow market), and your best one. Our dispatch fee calculator on the pricing page does the percentage side for one truck or a fleet. Then add your costs with the dry van cost per mile calculator to see what each fee model leaves you after everything else.

What each model tells you about the dispatcher's incentive

How a dispatcher is paid shapes what they work hardest at.

• Percentage of gross ties the dispatcher's pay to your pay. They earn more when they negotiate a higher rate, collect detention and book better-paying freight, and nothing when you don't haul. The thing to watch is volume over quality: a percentage dispatcher still gets paid on a cheap load, so your minimum rate needs to be clear and respected.
• Flat weekly fee pays the same whether they get you $2,500 or $3,500 on a load. A good flat-fee dispatcher still works hard to keep you as a client, but the fee itself doesn't reward a better rate. The thing to watch is effort in a week when the fee is already earned.
• Flat per load rewards load count. That can mean more short or cheap loads to raise the count. The thing to watch is your rate per mile and empty miles, not just how many loads you ran.

No model guarantees good dispatching. The written terms and the person on the phone matter more.

Questions to ask before signing

Whatever the fee model, ask these before you sign a dispatch agreement:

1. What exactly is the fee charged on? Linehaul only, or the full rate con with fuel surcharge, detention and lumper reimbursements?
2. Does a weekly fee bill in weeks the truck doesn't run? Shop time, home time, a slow market?
3. Is there a setup fee, a minimum or a contract term?
4. How do I cancel, and how much notice is needed?
5. Do I approve every load before it's booked?
6. Who handles broker setups, detention, TONU and lumper claims?
7. How and when is the fee paid? After you're paid for the load, or on a fixed day?
8. What reports do I get each week?
9. Is the dispatcher also acting as a broker on my loads? A dispatcher works for you; a broker works the shipper's side.

Our answers are on the pricing page: 6% of gross for one truck, 5% (limited-time) for 2+ trucks, no setup fee, no minimum, month-to-month with 30 days notice, and no fee on a week you don't haul.

Which model fits you?

• Steady, high-gross weeks, little home time: a flat weekly fee can cost less. Run the break-even first.
• New authority or uneven weeks: a percentage keeps the cost tied to what you haul.
• Short regional runs with many loads: watch per-load fees closely, since they add up with load count.
• A small fleet: compare per-truck cost; many percentage dispatchers, including us, charge a lower rate for fleets.

If a percentage model fits how you run, apply for dispatch and a dispatcher will call you back. You can also read how our dry van dispatch works from first call to first load.

Dispatch fee model questions

Which dispatch fee model is cheaper?

It depends on your weekly gross and how steady it is. Divide the flat weekly fee by the percentage rate to get the break-even gross. Above that gross the flat fee costs less that week; below it, the percentage does. In a week with no loads, a percentage fee is zero, while a flat fee may still bill, depending on the contract.

What is a percentage dispatch fee?

It's a fee charged as a share of each load's gross pay. It rises and falls with what you haul, so the dispatcher earns more when they book better-paying freight and nothing when you don't haul. Check whether the percentage applies to linehaul only or the full rate con, including fuel surcharge and accessorials.

What is flat rate truck dispatch?

A dispatcher charges a set amount per week or per load, regardless of what the loads pay. Weekly flat fees are predictable; per-load fees scale with how many loads you run, not their value. Read whether the weekly fee bills when the truck is down or on home time.

Is a weekly flat fee dispatcher a good deal for a new authority?

It can be expensive early on. New authorities often have thinner weeks while broker setups come through, and a flat fee bills the same in a slow week as in a strong one. A percentage keeps your cost tied to what you actually haul while you build volume.

Sources

1. DryVanDispatch pricing and terms, current October 2026

Flat-fee figures are examples, not quotes from any company. Not financial advice; compare written terms before you sign.