Dry Van Dispatch Service
JackRick Logistics offers dry van dispatch at a flat 10% per load — Friday invoicing, no retainer, no minimum, no long-term contract. Call (757) 744-2484 or email [email protected] for a quote.
Most of America's freight moves in a 53-foot dry van, which makes dry van the most competitive segment in trucking — and the segment where good dispatch matters most. When thousands of trucks are chasing the same palletized loads, the difference between a profitable week and a break-even one comes down to lane selection, rate negotiation, and keeping deadhead low.
JackRick Logistics provides dry van dispatch for owner-operators and small fleets running 53-foot (and shorter) enclosed trailers. We hunt loads, negotiate rates, handle the paperwork, and keep your truck loaded on lanes that make sense for your operation — for a flat 10% per load, invoiced every Friday.
There is no retainer, no monthly minimum, and no long-term contract. Thirty days' written notice ends the arrangement. We are based in Hampton Roads, Virginia, and serve dry van carriers nationwide.
What dry van dispatch actually involves
Dry van freight is palletized, boxed, and wrapped general freight: retail distribution, food and beverage (non-refrigerated), paper products, building materials in boxes, consumer goods, and e-commerce overflow. Almost every load is a live load or a drop-and-hook at a distribution center, which means appointment times, lumper fees, and detention are the daily realities of this equipment type.
A dry van dispatcher spends the day on load boards and the phone, matching your truck's position and hours to freight that pays. That includes checking facility reviews for known detention traps, confirming pickup numbers and appointment windows, negotiating the rate up from the posted figure, and building the next load before the current one delivers — because a dry van sitting empty between loads is the fastest way to lose a week.
The loads we book for dry van carriers
We book full truckload dry van freight across the national spot and contract markets: retail DC replenishment, manufacturing outbound, 3PL overflow, and seasonal surges like back-to-school and the holiday retail peak. If your truck is set up for drop-and-hook, we prioritize carriers and shippers with trailer pools that cut your dwell time at docks.
Partial and multi-stop loads can pay well for dry van operators willing to run them, and we will flag them when the math works — but we will also tell you when a cheap multi-stop is a trap. Our job is your revenue per week, not our load count.
| Freight type | Typical handling | Watch-outs |
|---|---|---|
| Retail distribution | Live unload or drop-and-hook at DCs | Strict appointment windows; detention risk |
| Manufacturing outbound | Scheduled pickups, often drop trailer | Rural pickups with long deadhead to next load |
| 3PL spot overflow | Varies by customer | Rate volatility — negotiate every load |
| Seasonal retail peaks | High volume, tight capacity | Rates spike, but so do delays at congested DCs |
Lane strategy for dry van operators
Dry van rates live and die by lane balance. Outbound from a freight-rich market pays; the backhaul out of a freight desert does not, and the round trip is what counts. We plan your week as round trips, not single loads — booking the outbound with the return already in view, and pricing deadhead honestly into every decision.
Home time is a constraint we plan around, not an afterthought. Tell us where home is and when you need to be there, and we route the week to land you there. Regional dry van drivers who get home weekly can still run hard — it just takes a dispatcher who builds the week backward from the home date.
Detention, lumpers, and accessorials
Dry van margins leak out through accessorials more than through rates. Here is how we protect yours on every load.
Is dry van dispatch the right move for your truck?
Dry van dispatch pays for itself fastest for solo owner-operators who would rather drive than live on load boards. If you are spending two or more hours a day hunting freight, negotiating with brokers, and chasing paperwork, that is driving time you are not getting paid for. A dispatcher converts that dead office time back into revenue miles, and in the most competitive segment in trucking, the rate difference between a posted load and a negotiated one often covers the fee by itself.
It also fits small fleets well. When you have three to ten trucks, keeping every unit loaded on good lanes while handling driver issues, maintenance scheduling, and customer relationships is more than one person can do from the cab. Dispatch takes the load-hunting and week-planning off the owner's plate, which is usually the bottleneck that keeps a small fleet from growing. Team operations running hard can benefit too, since high weekly miles multiply the value of every rate improvement.
It is not for everyone, and we will say so. If you already have direct shipper contracts covering most of your miles at rates you are happy with, you may not need us. If you run a highly specialized niche with a handful of customers you know personally, a general dispatcher adds less value. The honest test is simple: are you leaving money on the table finding your own freight? If the answer might be yes, a conversation costs nothing — call (757) 744-2484 and we will give you a straight assessment.
New authorities deserve a special note. Your first months come with broker restrictions, fewer load options, and lower rates while your safety record builds. We take on new MC numbers, but we do it with eyes open: we will tell you what the ramp-up realistically looks like, which brokers work with new authorities, and how long the restricted period typically lasts. Starting honest beats starting disappointed.
Honest terms: what it costs and how to start
Our dispatch fee is a flat 10% per load — invoiced every Friday, with no retainer, no monthly minimum, and no long-term contract. If the arrangement is not working for you, 30 days' written notice ends it. That structure exists for a reason: a dispatcher who earns only when your truck earns has to keep booking freight you actually want to run.
Getting started is a conversation, not a signup form. We review your dry van, your authority and insurance, the lanes and home time you need, and what your truck costs to run. If the math works and the fit is right, we start hunting loads. Call (757) 744-2484 or email [email protected] to get a quote.
Get a quote for dry van dispatch
Every truck is different — equipment, authority age, home base, and the lanes that keep your driver happy all change which loads are worth booking. That is why we quote in conversation instead of publishing a price list. Tell us about your operation and we will give you a straight answer on whether dispatch makes sense for you, and what it would look like week to week.
To talk through your lanes and get a quote, call (757) 744-2484, email [email protected], or reach out through the contact page at /contact/. Tell us your equipment, home base, and the lanes you like — we will tell you honestly whether we are a fit.
Key takeaways
- Dry van is the most competitive segment — lane selection and rate negotiation decide whether the week pays.
- We book full truckload and partial dry van freight nationally, planned as round trips with home time built in.
- Detention, lumper, and TONU terms are negotiated before the load, and we pursue accessorial pay in writing.
- Flat 10% per load, Friday invoicing, no retainer, no minimum, no long-term contract; 30 days' written notice to end.
- New authorities welcome with honest expectations about broker restrictions and early-month freight.
- Based in Hampton Roads, Virginia — serving dry van carriers nationwide since 2022.
Questions carriers ask
What does JackRick dispatch service cost?
A flat 10% per load, invoiced every Friday. There is no retainer, no monthly minimum, and no long-term contract — if you want out, 30 days' written notice ends the arrangement. We earn only when your truck earns.
How do I start dispatch service with JackRick?
Call (757) 744-2484 or email [email protected] for a quote. We will talk through your equipment, authority, insurance, lanes, and home-time needs, then tell you honestly whether we are a fit before anything is signed.
What is included in the dispatch fee?
Load sourcing and rate negotiation, appointment scheduling, rate confirmations and paperwork, detention and TONU pursuit, and week planning around your home time. You drive; we handle the phones, boards, and back office.
Do you dispatch dry van trucks outside Virginia?
Yes. We are based in Hampton Roads, Virginia, and dispatch dry van carriers nationwide. Your truck's lanes determine the freight we hunt — not our zip code.
Can you keep my dry van loaded every week?
No dispatcher can honestly promise that. Freight markets move with seasons, regions, and the economy. What we promise is full-time effort on your truck: constant load hunting, honest rate talk, and week planning built around your costs and home time.
Do you work with new authorities running dry van?
Yes, with honest expectations. New authorities face broker restrictions and lower-paying freight for the first months. We will tell you what that means for your revenue before you sign anything, and build lanes that fit a new MC number.