Managed dispatch or self-dispatch?
Decide which work you want to keep—and which work you can reliably hand over. Compare time, control and total cost on the same lanes.
Who runs each task?
Self-dispatch
You search freight, call brokers, assess the offer, approve the counterparty, coordinate appointments and manage the documents. Software can help you find and evaluate opportunities; it does not remove the operating work.
Consider this when you have time to work the desk safely, know your lanes and already maintain reliable paperwork and payment follow-up.
Managed dispatch
A service performs the agreed desk work. You should still approve loads, receive the original rate confirmation and understand the money flow. Define the dispatcher’s authority and escalation rules before the first booking.
Consider this when calls, searching or paperwork are taking time away from running the truck or managing the fleet.
Run a fair comparison.
- Pick comparable weeks, equipment and operating availability.
- Record total gross, dispatch/software fees, loaded miles, deadhead and trip costs.
- Record your own desk hours, missed appointments and unresolved paperwork.
- Compare revenue after the relevant costs and the time saved. Flag changes in lanes, weather or availability that make the weeks unlike.
A better market week is not automatically evidence of a better dispatcher. Likewise, a lower fee does not show whether coverage is adequate.
Keep control visible.
Agree how a load is approved, who checks broker credit, how you receive documents and what happens during a dispute. Retain access to your records. Ask how to end the arrangement and recover outstanding paperwork.