How to Dispatch a Load: Carrier Setup, Rate Confirmation, RPM and ETA

This guide walks through dispatching one truckload from start to finish, for new dispatchers and owner-operators who book their own loads. It describes a common workflow, not a rulebook. Brokers, shippers and carriers each have their own requirements, contracts set many of the terms, and the rules depend on where and what you haul. Where a rule comes from US federal regulation, this guide says so and links to the source. The worked examples use illustrative figures, not market rates.

The dispatch workflow at a glance

A few roles come up throughout:

• Carrier: the trucking company or owner-operator that hauls the freight.
• Broker: a company that arranges transport for a shipper and hires a carrier to move the load.
• Shipper and receiver: the places where the freight is picked up and delivered.
• Dispatcher: the person who books and coordinates loads for the carrier. This can be someone at the carrier, an independent dispatch service, or the owner-operator.

For a single load, the work usually runs in this order:

1. Make sure the carrier is set up with the broker.
2. Check that the rate pays, counting deadhead and costs.
3. Get the agreed details in writing on a rate confirmation.
4. Give the driver the pickup and delivery details.
5. Plan the trip and a realistic ETA.
6. Keep the broker, driver and receiver updated.
7. Collect the delivery paperwork and invoice.

In practice some steps overlap. The order matters less than not skipping one.

Step 1: Set up the carrier

Before a broker gives a carrier a load, it normally wants to know that the carrier is registered, insured and able to be paid. This is called carrier setup or onboarding, and the documents involved are often called a carrier packet.

Registration and authority (US)

In the US, two federal identifiers come up in almost every setup:

• USDOT number: FMCSA, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, explains that companies operating commercial vehicles that haul cargo in interstate commerce must be registered with FMCSA and have a USDOT number, subject to the vehicle weight and other conditions on that page.
• Operating authority: carriers that transport federally regulated commodities owned by others in interstate commerce, for a fee, generally also need interstate operating authority. FMCSA notes that it is often identified as an MC number, and that the type of authority affects the insurance the company must maintain.

Some carriers don’t need operating authority, such as private carriers hauling their own cargo, and intrastate work can fall under state rules instead. If you’re not sure what applies to a carrier, FMCSA’s registration pages are the place to check.

The carrier packet

Each broker decides what it asks for, so the list varies. Documents that commonly appear include:

• W-9: the IRS form a business uses to provide its taxpayer identification number to a payer that has to report payments to the IRS.
• Certificate of insurance (COI): proof of the carrier’s insurance. Brokers often set their own coverage requirements, so check theirs.
• Proof of operating authority, where the carrier needs it.
• Banking details, such as a voided check, so the carrier can be paid.
• Notice of Assignment (NOA): if the carrier uses a factoring company, this tells the broker to pay the factoring company instead.
• Driver and equipment details, and the broker’s own setup form or carrier agreement.

Keep track of what has been sent, what’s missing and when dated documents such as the insurance certificate expire. The Carrier Packet Checklist lets you mark each document as received, missing or not applicable, warns you about expiry dates and prints a summary sheet. It’s a record-keeping aid, not a compliance check: the broker’s own requirements are the ones that count.

Step 2: Check the rate per mile and deadhead

A load can pay a large total and still lose money once you count the empty miles, fuel, fees and the driver. Before you accept a rate, compare what it pays per mile with what the trip costs.

Rate per mile (RPM)

Rate per mile, or RPM, is the load’s revenue divided by its loaded miles, the miles driven with the freight on board. Two versions are useful:

• All-in RPM = (linehaul rate + fuel surcharge) ÷ loaded miles
• Net RPM = (revenue − dispatcher and broker or factoring fees) ÷ loaded miles

Neither one includes the truck’s running costs, the driver’s pay or tolls. For that you need the breakeven rate.

Deadhead and the breakeven rate

Deadhead miles are the empty miles a truck drives to reach the pickup, or between loads. Nobody pays for them directly, but the truck still uses fuel and the driver still works. That’s why the breakeven RPM spreads all of the trip’s costs, including those on deadhead miles, over the loaded miles:

breakeven RPM = (fees + truck cost + driver pay + tolls) ÷ loaded miles

If the all-in RPM is higher than the breakeven RPM, the load makes a profit on these figures. If it’s lower, it loses money.

Worked example: one load, three amounts of deadhead

Take an illustrative load paying a $2,200 linehaul rate plus a $150 fuel surcharge over 520 loaded miles. The carrier’s own illustrative costs are $0.85 a mile for the truck and $0.60 a mile for the driver, on every mile driven, plus $45 in tolls, a 5% dispatcher fee and a 2.5% broker or factoring fee. These are example inputs, not typical costs or rates.

Figures calculated with the same maths as the Biberks RPM & Profit Calculator: revenue = linehaul + fuel surcharge; fees on revenue; truck cost and driver pay on loaded + deadhead miles; tolls as a cost.

The all-in RPM is the same in every row, because the rate and the loaded miles don’t change. What changes is the cost: every extra empty mile raises the breakeven rate and lowers the profit.

Your own costs will be different, so use your own numbers. Enter them in the RPM & Profit Calculator to see the all-in, net and breakeven rates and the estimated profit for a load.

Step 3: Confirm the rate in writing

Once the rate is agreed, it should be put in writing before the truck moves. The document is usually called a rate confirmation (often “rate con”) or a load confirmation. It records what was agreed for this load, so there are no surprises at pickup or when the invoice is paid.

What a rate confirmation usually includes

Brokers use their own formats and often add their own terms. A typical confirmation covers:

• the load or reference number;
• broker and carrier details, including the carrier’s MC or USDOT number;
• pickup and delivery locations, with dates and time windows or appointments;
• equipment, commodity and weight;
• the rate, any fuel surcharge and any accessorials, the extra charges for things like detention or extra stops;
• payment terms, such as the number of days to pay or a quick-pay option;
• special instructions, and signature lines for both sides.

For example, a confirmation with an illustrative $2,200 linehaul, a $150 fuel surcharge and $75 in accessorials totals $2,425.

Check it before the truck moves

Read the whole confirmation, not just the rate. Check that the pickup and delivery addresses, times and reference numbers match what you were told, that the equipment and weight suit the truck, and that charges such as detention, layover or a truck order not used (TONU) are described the way you agreed. How those charges work, and when they apply, is set by the broker’s terms and your agreement, not by a standard rule.

If something is wrong or missing, ask for a corrected copy before dispatch. Whether a confirmation is binding, and on what terms, depends on the agreement between the parties; for questions about that, ask a qualified adviser.

To make a clean confirmation sheet of your own, the Load Confirmation Generator lays out the load details and charges, totals the lines and prints the sheet or saves it as a PDF. It doesn’t check the terms for you.

Step 4: Send the pickup and delivery details

The driver needs everything required to arrive at the right place, at the right time, with the right equipment. Before the driver leaves, pass on:

• Addresses and contacts for the shipper and receiver, and any specific gate, dock or entrance.
• Times: whether each stop is a fixed appointment or a window, and the time zone it’s in.
• Reference numbers the facility will ask for, such as a pickup, purchase order or load number.
• Equipment requirements, such as a reefer temperature setting or securement for a flatbed load, as stated by the broker or shipper.
• Check-in and site rules, such as when to call ahead and what to do on arrival.

At pickup, the driver usually receives a bill of lading (BOL), which describes the shipment. At delivery, the receiver signs for the freight, and the signed delivery paperwork becomes the proof of delivery (POD). The driver should note any shortage or damage on the paperwork, as the broker’s instructions say.

Appointments matter. Arriving outside a window can mean waiting, a missed appointment or a reschedule, depending on the facility’s rules. Check the instructions for each stop rather than assuming.

Step 5: Plan the trip and the ETA

An ETA, or estimated time of arrival, is a planning estimate. Brokers and receivers use it to schedule docks and staff, so a realistic ETA is more useful than an optimistic one. A simple way to build one is:

ETA = departure + drive time + time at stops + breaks + buffer

• Drive time: your estimate for the route, from experience, a mapping service, or distance ÷ average speed.
• Stops: fuel, scales and anything else on the way.
• Breaks: the rest the driver needs and the rules require.
• Buffer: extra time for traffic, weather, check-in and the unexpected.

Watch the time zones. A trip that crosses a zone line, or a date when clocks change, can make a delivery time look an hour off. State every appointment time with its zone.

Hours of service (US)

In the US, a driver’s available hours limit the ETA as much as the distance does. FMCSA’s summary of the hours-of-service regulations sets out, for property-carrying drivers:

• a maximum of 11 hours of driving after 10 consecutive hours off duty;
• no driving beyond the 14th consecutive hour after coming on duty, following 10 consecutive hours off duty;
• a 30-minute break after 8 cumulative hours of driving without a 30-minute interruption, which any 30 consecutive minutes of non-driving time can satisfy;
• no driving after 60 or 70 hours on duty in 7 or 8 consecutive days.

The same page lists exceptions, such as sleeper berth, adverse driving conditions and short-haul rules. The driver’s real hours, as recorded in the logbook, are what count. A planning tool can’t know them, and the rules are different for passenger carriers and in other countries.

Worked example: a trip across a time zone

Take an illustrative trip that departs at 06:00 Central time on 20 October 2026 and delivers in the Eastern time zone, with:

• 9 h 30 m of estimated driving;
• a 30-minute fuel stop after the first 4 hours of driving;
• a 60-minute buffer.

The trip takes 11 hours in all, so the truck arrives at 17:00 Central, which is 18:00 Eastern. Against an illustrative delivery window of 16:00 to 20:00 Eastern, that’s on time, with 2 hours to spare.

The fuel stop matters for more than fuel. Because it lasts 30 minutes, it also counts as the driver’s 30-minute break, and the driving after it is less than 8 hours. If the stop were only 15 minutes, the driver would reach 8 hours of driving before delivery, a separate 30-minute break would be needed, and the ETA would move to 18:15 Eastern.

The Trip / ETA Planner works this out for you. It reads the departure in its own time zone, shows the ETA in the delivery zone, checks it against the delivery window and can add planning breaks based on the federal 30-minute break and 11-hour driving limit. It uses the drive time you enter, with no maps or live traffic, and it is a planning estimate, not a compliance tool.

Step 6: Keep everyone updated

Once the truck is moving, much of dispatch is communication. Brokers often ask for updates at set points, called check calls, and some use tracking apps; the rate confirmation or the broker’s instructions usually say what they expect. Useful points to report are:

• arrival at the shipper, and when the truck is loaded and leaves;
• any change to the ETA, as soon as you know about it;
• arrival at the receiver, and when the truck is empty.

When the ETA changes, say so early and give a new, realistic time, so the broker has a chance to adjust the appointment. Never promise an arrival time you can’t keep: an ETA is an estimate, not a guarantee.

Keep a record of times, especially arrival and departure times at each facility. If the truck waits a long time, those records support any detention claim under the terms of the confirmation.

Step 7: Close out the load

A load isn’t finished when the freight is off the truck. To get paid, the carrier usually needs to:

1. Collect the signed proof of delivery, and the bill of lading if the broker asks for it.
2. Send the invoice with the paperwork the broker requires, by the method it asks for.
3. Include any accessorials that were approved, with the supporting records.
4. If the carrier uses factoring, send the paperwork to the factoring company, as the Notice of Assignment arranged.

Payment then follows the terms on the confirmation. Check that the amount paid matches what was agreed, and follow up on any difference.

The figures in this guide are estimates for planning, and the tools mentioned are planning and record-keeping aids. They aren’t legal, tax or compliance advice. Your agreements, the broker’s requirements and the regulations that apply to you have the final word.