Dry van dispatch
Dry van dispatch services
We find dry van freight that fits your lanes and home time, negotiate the rate, plan the backhaul before you unload and handle broker calls and paperwork. You approve every load.
- A flat 5–12% per load
- You approve every load
- In business since 2017
At a glance
Dry van dispatch means a dispatcher finds and books enclosed-trailer freight for your truck: packaged food and drinks, retail and consumer goods, paper and packaging, and palletized freight for distribution centers. Digital Storming’s dispatchers plan lanes and backhauls around your home time, for a flat 5–12% of each load’s gross. You approve every load, with no long-term contract.
- Equipment
- Dry van trailers, most often 53 ft
- Loads
- Packaged, retail and palletized freight
- Dispatch fee
- A flat 5–12% of each load’s gross
- You decide
- Every load is booked only with your OK
Who it is for
Dry van carriers we work with
Dry van owner-operators
One truck and a van trailer under your own authority, looking for steady lanes.
Regional and OTR drivers
Home every night, every weekend or out for weeks: we plan the loads around it.
Small dry van fleets
Several trucks whose loads and backhauls are coordinated by one dispatch team.
What is included
What we handle for your dry van
Lanes and backhauls
We build the week around the lanes you prefer and your home time, and look for the backhaul before you unload.
Rate negotiation
We negotiate every rate with the broker and price the trip out and the trip back together.
Appointments and detention
Pickup and delivery appointments confirmed, and the broker’s detention terms on the rate confirmation.
Broker calls and paperwork
We are the broker’s contact for check calls, appointment changes and detention, and keep carrier packets, rate confirmations and load documents in order.
Freight and rates
Dry van freight, and what moves the rate
Dry van is the most common trailer on the road, so lane planning and timing make the difference.
What dry vans haul
- Packaged food and drinks that don’t need temperature control
- Retail and consumer goods for distribution centers
- Paper, packaging and household products
- Palletized industrial and automotive parts
What makes loads hard to find or price
- The most competed-for freight. Posted dry van loads draw many carriers, and rates move with the market week to week.
- Waiting eats your hours. With an 11-hour driving limit inside a 14-hour window, a long wait at a shipper can cost you the next load.
- Strong and weak markets. Some areas ship far more freight than they receive, so a well-paid load in can mean a cheap load out.
- Heavy loads. Freight near the 80,000 lb federal gross limit has to fit your tractor and trailer weight, so we check before booking.
How it works
How dry van dispatch works
Step 1: Free consultation
Tell us your trailer length, door type and suspension, your load locks or straps, the lanes you prefer, your home time and the rate you need.
Step 2: Send your documents
Your MC authority, certificate of insurance and W-9. We fill in the carrier packets brokers ask for, with your trailer and the lanes you prefer.
Step 3: Approve your loads
Each load comes to you with the rate, appointments, weight and stops. Nothing is booked until you say yes.
Step 4: Drive, we line up the next one
You haul; we handle broker updates and load documents, and book the backhaul you approve.
Pricing
Simple dispatch pricing
One pricing model for every operation, whether you drive solo or manage a growing fleet.
Dispatch fee
5–12%of each load’s gross
One flat percentage per load, negotiated by truck type and carrier profile. For owner-operators and fleets alike.
- No retainer and no weekly fee
- You approve every load
- No long-term contract
- Load search, rate negotiation and paperwork
- A dedicated dispatcher and load updates
- Multi-truck coordination for fleets
Tell us about your truck and we’ll tell you what we’d charge. To estimate it yourself, try the dispatch fee calculator or read our truck dispatcher cost guide.
Getting started
What you need to start
Documents to send
- Your operating authority (MC) letter and USDOT number
- Certificate of insurance
- W-9
- Your factoring company’s notice of assignment, if you factor
The limits we plan around
After 10 hours off duty you may drive 11 hours, and not past the 14th hour after coming on duty, with a 30-minute break after 8 hours of driving. Gross weight on the Interstate is capped at 80,000 lbs.
If you are ordered not to open a sealed trailer, the rule to inspect the cargo on the road doesn’t apply to you. For-hire general freight needs at least $750,000 in liability insurance.
Sources (checked October 2026): 49 CFR 395.3 (hours of service) · 23 CFR 658.17 (80,000 lb gross weight) · 49 CFR 392.9 (cargo checks on the road) · 49 CFR 387.9 (minimum insurance)
Questions
Dry van dispatch questions
Can you plan loads around my home time?
Yes. Tell us when you need to be home and the lanes you prefer, and we plan the load out and the way back around it. You still approve every load.
Do you negotiate detention?
We ask for the broker’s detention terms before you accept and make sure they are on the rate confirmation, because detention is set by each broker’s terms. Waiting matters: you may drive 11 hours within a 14-hour window after coming on duty (49 CFR 395.3), so a long wait at a dock can cost the next load.
Do you book multi-stop and drop-and-hook loads?
Yes, when the stops and appointments fit your hours. We check the route and appointment times against your hours of service before you accept.
How do you keep my deadhead down?
We look for the backhaul before you unload, and when a well-paid load goes to an area with little freight coming out, we price the trip there and the trip back together before you accept.
How much does dry van dispatch cost?
The same as all our dispatch: a flat 5–12% of each load’s gross, set by your truck type and carrier profile, with no retainer and no weekly fee. Tell us about your truck and we’ll tell you what we’d charge.
Ready to fill your van both ways?
Tell us about your truck, your lanes and your home time.
Mon–Sat, 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM ET · We reply within one business day
Related services
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Dispatchers who find and negotiate loads for your truck and lanes. A flat 5–12% per load; you approve every load.
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Get paid on delivered loads sooner: we set you up with our factoring partner, Porter Freight Funding.
DOT Compliance Services
IFTA, UCR, drug and alcohol consortium enrollment, DOT audit preparation and CSA support.
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