EXPEDITED DISPATCH
Expedited dispatch that checks the clock before it promises the delivery
Expedited loads pay for one thing: getting there on time, every time. Our expedited dispatch answers fast, checks that your unit can make the window within hours of service, and brings you the load to approve before the broker hears yes. You decide. The rate con comes straight to you.
- 26 ft box
- Hotshot
- Team tractor
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Units we dispatch for expedited, and what we don't
Expedited isn't one market. What you run decides which loads you see.
What makes a load expedited isn't the equipment. It's the promise: a pickup within an hour or two of the call, a straight run with no other stops, and a delivery time the shipper is counting on. Behind most expedited loads is something that went wrong somewhere else: a production line waiting on a part, a missed truck, a shipment that has to make a flight or a store opening.
That's why expedited shippers care more about certainty than price. They want a carrier who answers, tells the truth about the ETA, and calls before a problem becomes a missed delivery. A small fleet that does those three things well gets called again, often directly, without the load ever reaching a board.
26 ft box trucks
Time-critical LTL-sized loads, parts runs, trade show freight. Liftgate and pallet jack open more loads.Hotshots
Urgent parts and equipment on a flatbed or gooseneck, often to job sites and plants.Team tractors
Long runs with hard delivery times that a solo driver can't legally make.Vans, reefers and flatbeds
Hot loads that need a full trailer: a stopped line, a missed truck, a retail launch.
What we don't dispatch: cargo vans, sprinter vans and box trucks shorter than 26 ft are not units we work with, even though plenty of expedited freight moves in them. Our minimum is a 26 ft box truck. If that's not you yet, we'd rather say so now than waste your time.
Hours of service still apply to most box trucks. A 26 ft box truck usually weighs well over 10,001 lb, which makes it a commercial motor vehicle under the safety rules in interstate work, CDL or not Commercial motor vehicle (FMCSRs)10,001 lb GVWR/GCWR or more, in interstate commerce49 CFR 390.5: a vehicle used in interstate commerce with a GVWR or GCWR (or actual weight) of 10,001 lb or more is a commercial motor vehicle for the safety regulations, including driver qualification, hours of service and inspection rules, whether or not the driver needs a CDL.49 CFR 390.5Checked Oct 2026. That means the same driving limits as a tractor Hours of service, property carriers11 hours driving in a 14-hour window after 10 hours off; 30-minute break after 8 hours driving49 CFR 395.3(a): after 10 consecutive hours off duty, a property-carrying driver may drive up to 11 hours, and may not drive after the 14th hour since coming on duty. A 30-minute interruption in driving is required after 8 cumulative hours of driving. 395.3(b): no driving after 60 hours on duty in 7 days or 70 in 8 days; a 34-hour off-duty period restarts the count.49 CFR 395.3Checked Oct 2026, and it's why a solo box truck can't take every expedited window.
More about the units themselves: box truck dispatch, hotshot dispatch and team driver dispatch.
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Clock board: does the window fit the unit?
Pick an example load and a unit. The board adds driving time, required rest and your buffer, then compares it with the delivery window.
This check happens on every expedited offer before it reaches you. A broker under pressure will ask "can you make it by 6 a.m.?" and a carrier who says yes without doing the math either runs illegal hours or misses the delivery. Both cost more than the load pays. When the window doesn't fit, the offer never reaches you, or it comes with a counter on the delivery time.
EXAMPLE Chicago to Dallas, 925 miles, delivery in 22 hours. A solo box truck at 50 mph needs about 18.5 hours of driving, which means a 10-hour rest in the middle: roughly 30 hours. It doesn't fit. A team tractor needs about 19 hours with swaps. It fits, with a little room. The desk brings it to your team unit, not your box truck.
Before the yes
Unit location, hours left on the driver's clock, equipment (liftgate, pallet jack, straps), dimensions and weight of the freight, and the real pickup time. If any of those don't match the load, we say so to the broker first.
On the road
Updates at pickup, at set intervals and before delivery, plus an early call to the broker if traffic or weather eats into the buffer. A late call is forgivable; a surprise is not. Shippers remember which carrier warned them early, and that memory is worth more than any single rate.
After delivery
Proof of delivery sent the same hour, detention or extra stops documented, and the next load planned. An expedited truck that waits a day in the wrong city gives back a lot of what the hot load paid.
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Expedited dispatch questions
Speed works both ways. Expedited brokers often give a load to the first carrier who answers with a confirmed truck, so the desk responds in minutes, 24/7, and has your unit's location, equipment and hours ready. Then it calls or texts you with the load, and you approve or pass while the broker waits.
After the yes, tracking matters more than on any other freight. Expedited shippers want updates at pickup, every few hours, and before delivery. The desk handles those calls so your driver can drive. Your driver only hears from us when something needs their answer.
EXAMPLE A $1,900 hot load costs $76 in dispatch at the fleet rate, or $95 for one truck. See every tier on the dispatch rates page.
Our opinion: expedited is a great second market and a risky only market. Use it to fill gaps and pay for empty days, not as the whole plan, unless you run teams built for it.
Tell the desk how you want each unit used. A box truck can stay on regular freight and only see expedited loads that pay above a set rate, while a team unit can run expedited first. You can change those rules any day, and you can always pass on a hot load that would wreck a driver's home time. Passing costs nothing.
01What is expedited freight dispatch?
Booking time-critical loads, usually picked up fast and driven straight through to a hard delivery time, often with no other stops. The dispatcher's job is to answer fast, confirm the truck can legally make the window, and keep the shipper updated until delivery.
02Which trucks can haul expedited freight?
Many kinds. We dispatch expedited loads for 26 ft box trucks, hotshots and team tractors, and for dry vans, reefers and flatbeds when the window allows. The unit has to fit the freight and make the delivery time within hours of service.
03Do you dispatch sprinter or cargo vans?
No. We don't dispatch cargo vans, sprinter vans or box trucks shorter than 26 ft, even though a lot of expedited freight moves in them. If you run a 26 ft box truck or larger, we can help.
04Does expedited freight pay more?
Often more per mile than standard freight, because shippers pay for speed and certainty. But it can come with empty miles to get to the pickup, waiting for the next urgent load, and runs that end far from home. Judge it by the week, not by the best load.
- Response in minutes, day or night
- Window checked against hours before you see it
- Updates to the shipper while your driver drives
Hot loads, still your call
Tell us about your 26 ft box trucks, hotshots and team tractors. A dispatcher calls back and brings expedited loads that fit the clock.
4% for 2+ trucks, 5% for one, 7% while your MC is new