Dispatching trucks means matching available loads to available trucks and drivers, confirming the details in writing, and tracking the freight until it’s delivered and paperwork is collected. For a fleet running 10 to 75 power units, that process has to repeat dozens of times a day without dropping a stop or losing a signed POD. Here’s the workflow, step by step, plus where it breaks down when you’re still running it on a whiteboard or a spreadsheet.
How to dispatch trucks: what’s the actual workflow?
Dispatching a truck is a five-step loop: find or receive a load, match it to a truck and driver, confirm the rate and details in writing, track the load until delivery, and close it out with paperwork and settlement. Each step depends on the one before it — a bad match creates deadhead, and a missing RateCon creates a billing fight later. Most dispatch failures trace back to skipping one of these steps under time pressure, not to a lack of trucks.
If you’re still running this loop out of a shared spreadsheet and a group text, the cracks show up fast: double-booked trucks, drivers who never got the updated pickup appointment, and a dispatcher who can’t answer “where’s load 4412” without calling the driver. The piece on why spreadsheets break down for dispatch covers the specific failure points if that sounds familiar, and the broader TMS and dispatch guides hub has more on tools that fix this once you outgrow manual tracking.
How do you pick the right load for the right truck?
Match loads to trucks by location, available hours, equipment type, and the deadhead cost to get there — not just by who called first. A load that pays well but sits 150 miles from your nearest truck can cost more in empty miles than it earns. Run the math before you commit, not after.
A practical matching checklist:
- Proximity — which truck is closest to pickup, empty or finishing a delivery nearby
- Equipment fit — reefer, dry van, flatbed, straight truck — matched to what the load actually requires
- Hours of service — does the driver have enough drive time left to make pickup and the first leg
- Deadhead cost — miles run empty before the load even starts, and what that does to your margin
- Next load potential — does this delivery point put the truck somewhere with outbound freight, or strand it
Deadhead is the silent margin killer in this process. A load that looks fine on the rate sheet can turn into a loss once you add 180 miles of empty running on both ends. The breakdown in how to reduce deadhead and empty miles walks through the math brokers and carriers both need to run before accepting a load.
On a manual system, this matching is mental math and gut feel, repeated for every load. A drag-and-drop dispatch board makes the same decision visual — you can see every truck’s location and status on one screen and drop a load onto the right one instead of cross-referencing three spreadsheets. For fleets that want the matching ranked automatically by deadhead and margin instead of eyeballed, an AI Dispatcher feature that shortlists the best driver or carrier for a load is available on higher plans of Techvia TMS.
How do you assign a driver without a dozen phone calls?
Assign the driver by sending one confirmed document — the rate confirmation — with pickup time, delivery time, stops, and rate, instead of relaying details verbally across multiple calls or texts. Verbal assignments are where “I thought you said Tuesday” disputes start. A written RateCon that the driver can pull up on their phone closes that gap.
The assignment should include, at minimum:
| Field | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Pickup location and appointment window | Avoids missed or early/late arrivals |
| Delivery location and appointment window | Sets the detention clock if the receiver is slow |
| Commodity and weight | Confirms equipment and permit needs |
| Rate and accessorials | Prevents pay disputes at settlement |
| Stops in order | Keeps multi-stop loads from running out of sequence |
| Contact name and phone at each stop | Saves time when the driver can’t find the dock |
Getting this document right the first time — and getting it signed before the truck rolls — is its own discipline. The detailed walkthrough on rate confirmation workflow is worth a read if your RateCons are still built from scratch in a word processor every time.
How do you track a load once it’s rolling?
Track the load with scheduled check calls at pickup, mid-route, and delivery, backed up by GPS so you’re not relying on the driver to remember to call. A check-in schedule protects you from the customer calling first asking where their freight is. GPS tracking from the driver’s phone removes the guesswork between calls.
A standard check-call cadence looks like this:
- At pickup — confirm loaded, BOL number, departure time
- Mid-route — confirm on schedule, flag any delays (traffic, weather, breakdown)
- Approaching delivery — confirm ETA so the receiver can plan the dock
- At delivery — confirm unloaded, POD signed, any detention time noted
Calling a driver every two hours to ask “where are you” is a dispatcher workload problem, not a tracking strategy — it burns hours that should go toward booking and matching the next load. The guide on reducing dispatcher workload digs into what to automate first. Live GPS tracking from the driver’s phone, paired with a shareable tracking link you can send a customer directly, cuts most of those calls out entirely — see tracking a load without calling the driver for the mechanics.
What paperwork does dispatch need to collect?
Dispatch needs to collect the signed BOL at pickup, the signed POD at delivery, and the rate confirmation for every load before it’s closed out — missing any one of them delays invoicing and risks a short pay. These three documents are the backbone of every settlement and every customer invoice. Losing one means chasing it down after the truck is already three loads away.
A load isn’t actually “delivered” in your system until:
- Rate confirmation is signed by the carrier or driver
- BOL is captured at pickup with piece count and weight
- POD is captured at delivery with a legible signature and timestamp
- Any detention or accessorial charges are noted on the POD or a separate ticket
- All three documents are attached to the load record, not sitting in someone’s email
Paper trails that live in email threads and phone photos are the number one reason settlements run late. Keeping BOL, POD, and RateCon attached directly to the load inside a TMS built for brokers and carriers means the documents are there when billing needs them, not scattered across three inboxes.
Manual dispatch vs. software-assisted dispatch
The core steps don’t change between a whiteboard and a dispatch board — what changes is how much manual re-entry and phone-checking each step requires.
| Task | Manual (spreadsheet/whiteboard) | Software-assisted dispatch board |
|---|---|---|
| Finding an available truck | Scroll a spreadsheet, call around | Visual board shows status at a glance |
| Assigning a load | Verbal call, written up later | Drag load onto truck, RateCon generates |
| Tracking progress | Scheduled check calls only | Check calls plus live GPS from driver’s phone |
| Sharing status with customer | Call or email the customer directly | Send a shareable tracking link |
| Collecting documents | Email, text photos, printed copies | Attached directly to the load record |
| Closing out for settlement | Re-key rate and miles into a payroll sheet | Pull straight from the load into settlement |
None of this requires an ELD to get started — GPS tracking from the driver’s phone covers the core visibility most small fleets need day to day. ELD integrations with providers like Samsara and Geotab are available on higher plans for fleets that want that data flowing automatically.
FAQ
How many loads can one dispatcher handle per day?
It depends heavily on lane complexity, multi-stop loads, and how much of the process is automated versus manual. A dispatcher spending time re-keying data or making unnecessary check calls handles fewer loads than one using a dispatch board and tracking links — the workload guide linked above breaks down where that time actually goes.
Do I need an ELD to dispatch trucks effectively?
No — basic dispatch and load tracking can run on GPS pulled from the driver’s phone, which is enough for check calls, ETAs, and customer tracking links. ELD integrations add engine and hours-of-service data on top of that, and those integrations are available on higher plans of Techvia TMS.
What’s the difference between dispatching and load planning?
Load planning is deciding which freight to pursue or accept based on lanes, rates, and equipment; dispatching is the execution — assigning the specific truck and driver, confirming details, and tracking the move. Small fleets often blend both roles into one dispatcher, especially under 25 trucks.
How do I stop drivers from missing appointment times?
Put the pickup and delivery windows in writing on the rate confirmation, confirm the driver has seen it, and set a check call ahead of each appointment so you catch delays early instead of