Dispatch service
Rate Negotiation
Finding a load is only the beginning.
We negotiate with freight brokers to maximise your revenue on every booking — not just the line-haul rate, but everything attached to it.
What we negotiate for
- Higher freight rates
- Fuel surcharge
- Detention pay
- Layover pay
- TONU (Truck Ordered Not Used)
- Extra stops
- Driver assist
- Lumper reimbursement
- Accessorial charges
The accessorials are where a lot of carriers leave money behind. We do not.
In practice
Why this is the part that costs you money
Brokers post a rate they hope to pay, not the rate they are prepared to pay. There is almost always room, and how much room depends on how long the load has sat, how tight capacity is in that lane this week, and whether the broker believes you will walk.
The reason carriers leave money on this table is not that they cannot negotiate. It is that they are negotiating from a bad position — tired, parked, empty, and needing something today. We negotiate before you are in that position, which is the entire advantage.
And line-haul is only half of it. The accessorials attached to a load — detention, layover, TONU, extra stops, driver assist, lumper reimbursement — are individually small and annually significant. They are also the easiest thing in the world to forget to claim after a long day.
How it runs
Rate Negotiation, step by step
- 1
We check the lane before we call
What comparable freight is moving for in that lane this week, and how long this particular load has been sitting.
- 2
Line-haul first
We open above the posted rate and work down to a number that reflects the lane, not the broker`s opening position.
- 3
Then everything attached to it
Detention terms, layover, TONU protection, extra stop pay, driver assist and lumper reimbursement — agreed up front and written into the rate confirmation.
- 4
It goes in writing
Verbal agreements on accessorials are worth very little when the invoice is disputed six weeks later. Everything agreed appears on the rate con before you roll.
What carriers get wrong
The mistake: negotiating only the line-haul
A carrier who pushes the rate up $150 and never claims detention has probably lost money on the day. Two hours of detention at a slow shipper, a lumper fee absorbed, a TONU eaten when the load cancelled — that is real revenue, already earned, that simply never made it onto an invoice.
Questions
Rate Negotiation — common questions
Do you actually negotiate every load, or just the big ones?
Every load. The small increments are where the year is made — a hundred dollars on each of forty loads is four thousand dollars you would otherwise not have.
What if the broker will not move on the rate?
Then we tell you what it is and you decide. Sometimes a flat rate on a lane you want to be in anyway is the right call. We will not pretend we won a negotiation we did not.
Will negotiating hard damage broker relationships?
Negotiating professionally does not. Brokers respect carriers who know their numbers and communicate cleanly. What damages relationships is missed appointments and silence — not asking for a fair rate.
No price list
See it before you commit to anything
We do not publish rates. The honest answer depends on your equipment, your lanes, how many trucks you run and how you like to operate — and a number posted on a page has to ignore all of that to exist at all.
What we offer instead is a free trial week. We take your operating preferences, complete your broker setups, find you a load, negotiate the rate and run the week with you. Everything described on this page is included — it is the real service, not a trimmed demonstration of it. If the week justified itself we carry on and talk terms. If not, you owe nothing and you keep the revenue from the load.
To start we need your active operating authority, a certificate of insurance and a signed W-9. With those in hand, broker carrier packets can begin the same day.
Also included
Other dispatch services
High-Paying Load Search
We search thousands of loads across multiple load boards and broker networks to find freight that matches your equipment and pays.
Route Planning
Efficient trip planning that reduces empty miles, fuel spend and toll costs.
Load Booking
Once you approve a load we handle the booking, rate confirmation review and appointment setup.
Broker Communication
We become your primary point of contact with brokers so you can stay focused on driving.
Appointment Scheduling
We coordinate pickup and delivery appointments, including FCFS, drop and hook, and live loads.
Driver Support
Our dispatchers stay connected throughout every trip, from traffic delays to breakdowns.
Check Calls
Proactive status updates to brokers and customers throughout every load.
Freight Planning
We plan your week ahead instead of booking one load at a time.
Reload Planning
We start searching for your next load before the current one delivers.
Ready to keep your truck loaded?
Talk to a dispatcher today. No long-term contract, no obligation on the first call.