DEDICATED LANE DISPATCH
Dedicated lane dispatch that puts your drivers on a schedule they can plan a life around
Spot freight pays some weeks and strands you others. Dedicated lane dispatch turns the freight that repeats into lanes for the units that need predictable miles and home time, while the rest of your fleet keeps chasing the best spot loads. You approve every load on every lane, and the rate con comes straight to you.
MON
Lane run
Back by night
TUE
Lane run
Back by night
WED
Lane run
Back by night
THU
Lane run
Back by night
FRI
Lane run
Back by night
SAT
Home
Off
UNIT 02
Where repeat freight comes from, and what it asks of you
Repeat freight is earned. Each source wants something different from the carrier before it sends the same load again.
| Source | How it starts | What they expect |
|---|---|---|
| Brokers with weekly freight | A spot load that turns out to post every week | On-time pickup and delivery, quick tracking updates, no surprises |
| Shippers direct | A lane bid or an introduction after good service | Insurance limits, a clean safety record, capacity you can commit |
| Distribution and retail work | Store or warehouse runs on fixed schedules | Appointment discipline, drop-and-hook readiness, driver consistency |
| Other carriers' overflow | A carrier with more freight than trucks | Reliability on short notice and clear paperwork |
The common thread is reliability, not price. A broker who has to rebook a lane at 6 p.m. because a carrier no-showed will happily pay a little more to never do that again. That's the case a small fleet can make, and the desk makes it for you: on-time records, fast check calls, and a straight answer when a truck can't make it.
The flip side is commitment. If you promise three loads a week on a lane, you have to cover them, even when a better spot load shows up. We never promise capacity you haven't approved. When a customer asks for more trucks than you have, we say so, and the lane stays the size you choose.
EXAMPLE A broker posts a Chicago to Indianapolis load three Tuesdays in a row. The desk books it twice for unit 101, delivers both early, then calls the broker: can we have it every Tuesday and Thursday at the same rate? The broker says yes to Tuesdays and tries us on Thursdays. Six weeks later, unit 101 has a lane worth about half its week, and you approved every one of those loads.
That's how most small-fleet lanes are born: one load that repeats, a clean record on it, and someone asking for it again. Nothing about it needs a contract with us, and the customer relationship belongs to your company, not to the desk.
UNIT 03
Lane roster: assign a lane, see the week
Pick an example lane for each unit. The tile shows weekly loaded miles, the home-time pattern and what the desk does to keep that lane alive.
Lanes are mostly a driver decision. A local driver who wants to be home every night belongs on a short day lane. A driver who likes the road but wants weekends belongs on a regional loop that ends at home on Friday. Put the wrong driver on a lane and you lose the driver, not just the lane. Before building a lane, the desk asks you who drives that unit and what they want.
Keeping a lane takes work most owners don't have time for: confirming next week's schedule before the weekend, finding the backhaul so the return leg pays, telling the broker early when a truck is down, and recording on-time numbers you can show at the next rate talk. For more on running this way, read our guides to dedicated trucking and regional trucking, or see Midwest truck dispatch if your lanes run through harvest and winter.
UNIT 04
Spot vs repeat on the P&L
The same truck, one week on spot freight and one week on a lane. Change the numbers to your own.
In this example the lane grosses less but keeps more, because the truck runs fewer empty miles and burns less fuel getting to the next load. That isn't always the result. A lane priced too low loses to spot freight in a strong market, and the desk tells you when it's time to ask the customer for a raise or let the lane go.
Before you agree to a lane rate, know your cost per mile for that unit. The trucking cost per mile calculator gives you the number to measure every lane offer against. Then add what a lane saves you that a rate sheet won't show: hours not spent hunting the next load, a driver who renews instead of quitting, and a broker who calls you first when a hot load needs a truck by noon.
UNIT 05
What dedicated lane dispatch costs, and common questions
Lane loads and spot loads cost the same: 5% of gross for one truck, 4% per truck for two or more, and 7% while your MC is under 6 months old. EXAMPLE A $900 lane run costs $36 in dispatch on a fleet rate.
Our view: no small fleet should put every truck on lanes. Keep at least one unit on spot freight. It tells you what the market pays, and that number is your best argument at the next lane rate review. Full tiers are on the dispatch rates page.
01Can a dispatcher get dedicated lanes for owner-operators?
A dispatcher can build them, not hand them over on day one. Repeat lanes come from brokers and shippers who see the same truck deliver on time, week after week. The desk spots freight that repeats, asks for it again, and keeps the service clean so the customer keeps calling your MC.
02How long does it take to build a repeat lane?
There's no fixed timeline, and anyone who promises one is guessing. Some brokers offer a weekly load after two or three clean deliveries. Shippers that contract their freight may only add carriers at their next bid. Expect weeks to months, with spot freight filling the gaps meanwhile.
03Do dedicated lanes pay less than spot freight?
Often a little less per mile than the best spot loads, and more than the worst ones. The real gains are elsewhere: fewer empty miles, less waiting for the next load, and drivers who stay because they know when they'll be home. Compare a lane by weekly margin, not by its rate on a single load.
04What happens if a broker stops sending the lane?
The unit goes back to spot freight while the desk looks for a replacement, and nothing about your agreement with us changes. That's why we don't recommend putting all your units on one customer's freight. Two or three lanes from different customers, plus spot, is a steadier mix.
05Can some trucks run lanes while others run spot?
Yes, and for most small fleets that's the best setup. Each unit has its own rules card, so unit 101 can run a nightly lane while unit 103 chases higher-paying spot loads. The fee is the same per truck either way.
Repeat lanes, still your call on every load
Tell us which units need steady miles and who drives them. A dispatcher calls back with a lane plan, and you approve every load on it.
4% for 2+ trucks, 5% for one, 7% while your MC is new