Dispatcher fee calculator: what you pay now vs what you'd pay us

By Edwin Horton · Updated October 2026

How the dispatcher fee calculator works

The math is simple, which is the point. Most fee confusion comes from comparing a percentage to a flat fee, or a week to a single load. The calculator puts both dispatchers on the same gross and the same miles.

• Current dispatcher's fee = gross × their percentage + their flat fee
• Our fee = gross × the tier that fits you: 7% while your MC is under 6 months, 5% for one truck, 4% per truck for two or more
• Net = gross − fee
• Net per mile = net ÷ all miles, loaded and empty

EXAMPLE A two-truck fleet grosses $6,000 per truck in a week on 2,600 miles. The current dispatcher charges 8%: $480, leaving $5,520, or $2.12 a mile. At the fleet rate of 4%, the fee is $240, leaving $5,760, or $2.22 a mile. The difference is $240 per truck per week: about $12,480 a year per truck, or $24,960 for both trucks at 52 weeks.

If your current dispatcher charges a flat weekly fee, enter 0% and put the flat amount in the second field. If they charge both, enter both.

The fee is only half the comparison

A lower fee is only half the story. Two things decide whether a dispatcher is worth it: the rates they get and the control you keep.

Net per mile beats fee percentage. A dispatcher who negotiates every load and passes on weak freight can leave you with more per mile even at a higher percentage. That's why the result shows net per mile, not just the fee.

Watch what the fee doesn't cover. Some desks charge extra for broker packets, factoring setup, or detention claims. Others take a cut of accessorials. Ask for every line in writing.

Control matters as much as money. A cheap dispatcher who books loads without asking, signs rate cons for you, or locks you into a contract costs more than any percentage. Ours works the other way: you approve every load, the rate con comes straight to you, and passing on a load costs nothing.

If the calculator shows you'd pay more with us, say so on the call and we'll tell you honestly whether it's worth switching. Sometimes it isn't. For a fuller comparison of dispatch against doing it yourself, try the dispatch ROI calculator, and to see what each truck can afford to pay its driver after dispatch, use the truck driver pay calculator.

Before you compare desks

Read our guide to trucking dispatch software if you're weighing a desk against running your own boards and TMS. If you lease owner-operators onto your authority, the lease operator trucking guide covers how dispatch fees show up in their settlements. For fleets, our small fleet dispatch page shows how each unit gets its own rules.

Finally, check how each dispatcher handles loads you don't want. If saying no costs you a fee, a penalty or a lecture, the percentage isn't the real price. With us, passing on a load costs nothing and the desk simply looks for the next one.

Use a normal week, not your best

• Use a normal week's gross, not your best
• Include any flat fees on top of the percentage