Intermodal Dispatch Service
JackRick Logistics offers intermodal dispatch at a flat 10% per load — Friday invoicing, no retainer, no minimum, no long-term contract. Ramp appointments, chassis, per-diem managed. Quote: (757) 744-2484.
Intermodal is trucking plugged into the rail network: containers moving by train for the long haul, by truck for the first and last mile. The drayage carrier lives at the rail ramp — pulling containers, returning empties, managing chassis, and racing per-diem clocks. It is precise, appointment-driven work, and it rewards dispatchers who understand ramp operations.
JackRick Logistics dispatches intermodal drayage owner-operators working the rail ramps: container pickups and deliveries, empty returns, street turns, and chassis coordination. Flat 10% per load, invoiced every Friday.
No retainer, no monthly minimum, no long-term contract — 30 days' written notice ends the arrangement. Based in Hampton Roads, Virginia, serving intermodal carriers at ramps nationwide.
What intermodal dispatch actually involves
Intermodal drayage runs on the railroad's systems: container availability notifications, ingate and outgate appointments, chassis provisioning (railroad pool, private chassis, or your own), and the relentless per-diem and demurrage clocks that charge by the day once free time expires. Miss an appointment window at a congested ramp and the whole day cascades.
We monitor container availability, book ramp appointments that fit your hours, coordinate chassis sourcing, and plan empty returns and street turns — matching an empty return with an outbound load to eliminate a wasted trip. In intermodal, the dispatcher who manages the clocks is the difference between profit and per-diem bleed.
The intermodal work we book
We book drayage across the major ramp networks: import container deliveries from port-rail ramps to distribution centers, export loads from shippers to the ramp, domestic intermodal (53-foot containers) on high-volume corridors, and empty repositioning where it pays. Repeat ramp work with the same beneficial cargo owners and forwarders is the steadiest intermodal revenue, and we pursue those relationships.
Street turns — using an import empty directly for an export load without returning to the ramp — are the efficiency multiplier in this segment. We actively hunt street-turn matches because they convert two ramp trips into one.
| Move type | How it works | Dispatch focus |
|---|---|---|
| Import drayage | Ramp to consignee, return empty | Appointment timing, per-diem clock |
| Export drayage | Shipper to ramp, loaded return | Cutoff times, documentation |
| Domestic 53-foot | Corridor moves, often repeat | Volume consistency, chassis supply |
| Street turns | Empty reused for outbound | Matching import empties to export loads |
Clocks, chassis, and ramp realities
Intermodal runs on systems and clocks. Here is how we manage the ramp realities that decide whether a container move pays.
What we need from an intermodal carrier
Intermodal dispatch starts with your credentials, because the ramp does not negotiate. We verify your UIIA interchange agreements with each railroad you plan to serve, your insurance filings on record with those railroads, and your drivers' ramp credentials including TWIC where the facility requires it. A carrier missing any piece of this gets turned away at the gate — so we confirm the full credential stack before booking your first container, not after a wasted trip to the ramp.
Your chassis situation determines which freight you can take. We document whether you run your own chassis, pull from railroad pools, or source from private chassis providers — and in which markets each option is available to you. Chassis shortages are a recurring reality at congested ramps, and the dispatcher who knows your sourcing options can route around a shortage while the carrier without a plan sits. We build your chassis playbook for each ramp you serve.
Tractor and driver setup matter too. Intermodal drayage is day-cab, home-daily work in most markets — which attracts drivers who want that lifestyle, but also means your tractor needs to be reliable for constant short-cycle duty with minimal downtime tolerance. We need to know your operating radius from each ramp, your hours, and how many turns per day your operation realistically sustains. Booking six turns for a carrier that can execute four is how per-diem clocks start bleeding.
Finally, intermodal rewards carriers who think in systems. Container numbers, appointment windows, free-time clocks, street-turn opportunities — this segment runs on information discipline. When you report container status promptly and flag problems early, we can re-sequence the day around them. The drayage carriers who thrive are the ones who treat dispatch as a control tower rather than a load board, and that is exactly how we operate.
UIIA, chassis providers, and what intermodal carriers need in place
Intermodal dispatch has a paperwork foundation that has to be right before the first load is ever booked. The UIIA — the Uniform Intermodal Interchange and Access Agreement — is the contract framework that governs how carriers interchange equipment with the railroads and equipment providers, and a carrier that is not set up under it cannot legally pull intermodal containers. A dispatcher working intermodal has to confirm the carrier's UIIA standing, understand which equipment providers the carrier is approved with, and know the insurance and filing requirements that the railroads actually enforce — because showing up at the ramp without the right credentials means the driver sits while everyone else moves.
Chassis are the other half of the intermodal equation, and they are where inexperienced dispatch gets expensive. The dispatcher needs to know where the chassis comes from for each load — is it a provider chassis, a railroad chassis, a gray pool — and what the daily chassis charge looks like, because that cost eats directly into the load's margin. Chassis splits, where the driver has to pick up the chassis at a different location than the container, add time and complexity that has to be priced into the dispatch decision. The dispatcher who tracks chassis logistics as carefully as the container itself is the one whose intermodal loads actually make money.
JackRick's intermodal dispatch handles this groundwork as a matter of routine. We verify UIIA and equipment-provider standing before booking, we account for chassis costs and splits in the load decision, and we build the driver's day around real ramp hours and real turn times — not optimistic guesses. Intermodal rewards precision, and precision is a dispatch discipline. If you run intermodal and you want a dispatcher who understands ramps, chassis, and interchange instead of learning on your dime, call (757) 744-2484.
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 intermodal, 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 intermodal 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
- Intermodal drayage lives at the rail ramp — appointments, chassis, and per-diem clocks decide profitability.
- We book import/export drayage, domestic 53-foot container moves, and empty repositioning, prioritizing repeat ramp relationships.
- Street turns convert two ramp trips into one — we actively match import empties to export loads.
- Container free-time clocks are tracked daily; moves approaching per-diem expiry get priority.
- Flat 10% per load, Friday invoicing, no retainer, no minimum, no long-term contract; 30 days' written notice to end.
- Based in Hampton Roads, Virginia — serving intermodal carriers at ramps 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?
Ramp appointment booking, container availability monitoring, chassis coordination, per-diem and demurrage clock management, street-turn matching, and rate confirmations. You run the ramp; we manage the systems.
What do I need to run intermodal drayage?
A TWIC-adjacent credential set varies by ramp, but universally: UIIA interchange agreements with the railroads you serve, proper insurance filings, and chassis access (pool, private, or owned). We verify your standing before booking ramp work — call (757) 744-2484 to review your setup.
How do you avoid per-diem charges eating my margin?
We track every container's free-time clock and prioritize moves approaching expiry, plus hunt street turns that eliminate empty returns entirely. Per-diem management is daily dispatch work in intermodal, not an afterthought.
Is intermodal work steady?
Ramp volumes follow import/export seasons and the retail calendar, but established ramp relationships produce remarkably steady weekly work. We aim to anchor you with repeat BCO and forwarder freight rather than one-off container pulls.