Before hiring a U.S. truck dispatcher, ask about their 30-day average RPM on your equipment in your region, how they vet broker credit (DAT and Ansonia), who signs your rate cons, load-approval workflow, detention recovery process, after-hours coverage, setup fees, contract length, and how many trucks each dispatcher covers.
The 12 questions (with what a good answer sounds like)
Use this list as a phone-screen script. If the dispatcher hesitates on any of the first six, keep interviewing.
- What's your 30-day average RPM on my equipment in my region? (Good answer: a specific number like '$2.42/mi all-in on reefer out of Georgia last 30 days.')
- How do you vet broker credit? (Good answer: 'DAT credit scores plus Ansonia Credit Data; anything under 90 days pay we skip.')
- Who signs my rate confirmations — you or me? (Good answer: 'You approve, we sign as your agent under the carrier-agent authorization on file.')
- How do I approve loads before they're booked? (Good answer: 'Text or Slack thread; nothing gets booked without your yes.')
- What's your detention recovery process? (Good answer: 'We open a claim within 24 hours with photo timestamps and driver logs.')
- Do you cover nights and weekends? (Good answer: 'On-call dispatcher until 10 p.m. weeknights, rotating weekend coverage.')
- Are there setup fees or monthly minimums? (Good answer: 'No.')
- Can I leave any time? (Good answer: 'Yes, 7-day notice, no early termination.')
- How many trucks does each dispatcher cover? (Good answer: '4–6 trucks per dispatcher.')
- Do you push your existing freight or hunt new lanes? (Good answer: 'Mostly open board, some direct broker relationships.')
- What load boards do you use? (Good answer: 'DAT One primary, Truckstop secondary, Amazon Relay if we're onboarded.')
- Will you talk to my factoring company directly? (Good answer: 'Yes, we submit paperwork within same day.')
Red-flag answers to walk away from
"We can't share RPM numbers — every truck is different." (Translation: they don't track.) "We book what pays best — you trust us." (Translation: no approval workflow.) "Setup fee is $497." (Translation: they earn on signup, not retention.)
"Our dispatchers cover 12–15 trucks each." (Translation: your calls go to voicemail.) "We have a 6-month contract." (Translation: they can't retain you on service.)
One question most operators forget to ask
"Who owns the broker relationships when I leave?" A dispatcher who's been booking under your MC has built call history — but the loads and rate history are logged under your MC on the brokers' side. Confirm you'll get a load history export on exit.
Red flags to listen for on the first call
If the dispatcher promises a specific RPM before seeing your truck, authority age, and lanes, they are guessing. Rate lift depends on equipment, MC age, insurance limits, and broker credit access — not a headline number.
If they refuse to name the load boards they use, will not send a sample rate confirmation, or cannot describe their credit-check process (DAT credit score threshold, TransCredit, or broker payment history), keep interviewing. Reputable shops answer these in under 30 seconds.
Contract terms that protect the carrier
Insist on month-to-month with 7–14 day termination, no percentage on detention/layover/lumper reimbursements, and a written no-double-brokering clause. The dispatcher should never sign the rate confirmation without your prior approval on rate and pickup window.
Money should always flow through the carrier's account or factoring, then to the dispatcher on a weekly invoice — never the other direction. That single term prevents the most common dispatch fraud pattern.
Frequently asked questions
What's the single most important question?
30-day average RPM on your equipment in your region — it's the only number that ties their work to your bank account.
Should I ask for references?
Yes, but with a caveat — ask for the reference's monthly gross before and after. Vague testimonials don't tell you much.
How long should a screening call take?
15–25 minutes. Under 10 minutes usually means they're pitching, not qualifying. Over 40 means they're not efficient.