Dispatch Pricing: 10% Flat, Invoiced Fridays, No Fine Print
JackRick Logistics charges a flat 10% per load for truck dispatch, invoiced every Friday, with 30 days' written notice and no long-term contract. There is no retainer, no setup fee, and no minimum; the rate is identical for box trucks and semis. The fee covers load sourcing, rate negotiation, broker vetting, carrier packets, rate confirmations, check calls, and back-office support.
Most dispatch services make you call to learn the price — and then bury the terms in a contract. JackRick publishes the rate on this page, in full: a flat 10% of each load's linehaul, invoiced every Friday, with 30 days' written notice and no long-term contract. No retainer, no setup fee, no minimum, no fine print to discover later.
This page lays out exactly what the 10% covers, how dispatch companies typically charge across the industry, and how to compare dispatch quotes honestly — including the questions that reveal what a percentage or flat fee actually buys you. It is written to be useful even if you hire someone else.
What JackRick Dispatch Costs
A flat 10% of each load's linehaul. You are invoiced every Friday for the loads booked that week — one invoice, every week. There is no retainer, no setup fee, and no monthly minimum. Service continues on 30 days' written notice, and the rate is identical for box trucks and semis.
That is the entire pricing structure. There are no tiers, no volume thresholds, no equipment surcharges, and no onboarding fees. The invoice each Friday is 10% of the loads your dispatcher booked that week, and nothing else.
Take a week off and you pay nothing that week. With no minimum and no retainer, time off — vacation, maintenance, slow choice — costs you nothing in dispatch fees. The percentage only exists when revenue exists.
What the 10% Covers — and What It Doesn't
The 10% covers the full dispatch service: load sourcing, rate negotiation, broker vetting for credit and reputation, carrier packets, rate confirmations, check calls and tracking while you roll, back-office paperwork support, and compliance and insurance document tracking. It also covers the weekly revenue-per-day planning that the whole service is built around.
What it does not cover: your fuel, your insurance, your maintenance, or your authority costs — those are yours, as they are with any dispatcher. Dispatch does not broker freight, does not advance you money against loads, and does not promise specific revenue. No honest dispatcher promises revenue; the promise here is the work and the terms.
The distinction matters when comparing quotes. A lower percentage that excludes broker vetting, check calls, or paperwork is not cheaper — it is a narrower service. Compare what is included before you compare the number.
How Dispatch Companies Usually Charge
Percentage of linehaul is the most common model — the dispatcher earns a cut of each load, typically somewhere in the single digits to low teens across the industry. The percentage aligns incentives: the dispatcher earns more when you earn more. JackRick's 10% sits in that standard band, published openly.
Flat weekly or monthly fees are the second model: a fixed amount per truck per week regardless of revenue. Predictable, but it bills you in slow weeks and on weeks off unless the contract says otherwise. For a truck running light, a flat fee can cost more than a percentage; for a truck running hard, it can cost less.
Per-load flat fees are the third: a fixed dollar amount per booked load. Simple to understand, but the fee does not scale with the load's value — cheap short loads carry the same fee as strong long ones. Each model has an honest use case; the trick is matching the model to your operation and reading the contract terms around it.
How to Compare Dispatch Quotes Honestly
Ask every dispatcher the same five questions. One: what is the exact fee structure — percentage, flat weekly, or per load — and what revenue is it calculated on? Two: what is included — broker vetting, check calls, carrier packets, paperwork, compliance tracking — and what costs extra? Three: what are the contract terms — notice period, minimums, retainers, setup fees?
Four: who vets the brokers, and how? A dispatcher who cannot describe their vetting process is not vetting. Five: do they work under your authority as your agent, and will they put that in writing? The dispatcher-versus-broker legal line protects you, and it should be explicit.
Then do the math that matters: project the fee against your revenue per day, not against a single load. A 10% fee on well-planned weeks that earn strong daily revenue beats a 7% fee on poorly planned weeks every time. The percentage is a footnote; the planning is the product.
When Dispatch Isn't Worth It
Dispatch is not worth it if you are already an excellent load planner who enjoys the booking work. Some owner-operators genuinely like the chess game of the load board, do it well, and earn more keeping the percentage. That is a legitimate business decision, and no dispatcher should talk you out of it.
It is not worth it if you expect guaranteed loads or promised revenue — walk away from any dispatcher who offers either, at any price. And it is not worth it if you will not communicate: dispatch is a partnership, and a dispatcher working with silence cannot plan.
The honest test is a month of measurement. Track your revenue per available day self-dispatching, then compare it against a dispatched month on the same basis. The numbers will tell you whether the 10% earned its keep — and 30 days' notice means you are never trapped while you find out.
Key takeaways
- Flat 10% of linehaul per load — invoiced every Friday, no retainer, no setup fee, no minimum.
- Same rate for box trucks and semis; weeks off cost nothing.
- The fee covers sourcing, negotiation, vetting, packets, check calls, paperwork, and planning.
- Compare dispatch quotes on what's included and contract terms — not just the percentage.
- Measure revenue per available day for a month; the numbers decide whether dispatch earns its keep.
Questions carriers ask
How much does JackRick charge for dispatch?
A flat 10% of each load's linehaul, invoiced every Friday. No retainer, no setup fee, no minimum, no long-term contract — just 30 days' written notice. The rate is the same for box trucks and semis.
Is 10% standard for dispatch?
Percentage-based dispatch commonly falls in the single digits to low teens across the industry. What matters more than the number is what is included — broker vetting, check calls, paperwork, planning — and the contract terms around it.
Do you charge box trucks less than semis?
No. The 10% flat applies the same to box trucks and semis, because the dispatch work per load — sourcing, negotiation, vetting, paperwork, check calls — is the same regardless of equipment.
Are there any other fees?
No retainer, no setup fee, no minimum, no tiers. The invoice each Friday is 10% of the loads booked that week, and nothing else.
What if I take a week off?
You pay nothing that week. With no minimum and no retainer, time off — vacation, maintenance, or choice — generates no dispatch bill.
Can I leave if it's not working?
Yes. Service continues on 30 days' written notice, so you are never locked into a long-term contract. Measure a month on revenue per available day and let the numbers decide.