If you’re new to trucking or are doing research on outsourcing your dispatching, you may be asking yourself how much does a dispatch service cost? The answer is not so cut and dry as many may think. Dispatch services have different pricing methods, and no two companies are alike. In this article, we’re going to go over what we charge at Ninja Dispatch. We want to be completely transparent as to what it is we charge and why we charge that amount.
Cost for car hauling dispatch service?
Car hauling is a unique and more challenging form of trucking. It’s really not for everybody, and many companies that try it out, don’t make it. This is the reality. At Ninja Dispatch, we take on brand-new companies and teach them how to be successful in this challenging industry.
We charge a flat 10% fee for our car hauling dispatch service. Auto transportation is completely different when compared to booking loads for dry vans and reefers. Here are some of the differences.
What makes car hauling dispatch so hard?
- Multiple pickups and deliveries
Car haulers have room on their trailers anywhere from 1 car to up to 10+ cars. An ideal situation would be a one pickup, one delivery with all vehicles. A more realistic situation would be that there will be several pickups with several deliveries. This makes the dispatcher’s job a lot harder because they will have to plan an optimal route, taking into account that each location has different hours when the car hauler can go to pick up and deliver the vehicles. Organizing is a must!
- Must match the vehicle to fit the trailer
Think of a car hauling trailer like a puzzle, where the cars are the pieces, and the trailer is the outline where the pieces need to fit. The dispatcher needs to constantly be aware of the size of the vehicles and the capacity of the trailer to make sure that they all fit.
- Weight can become an issue.
Weight also comes into play when working with auto transporters that can haul over 5+ vehicles. SUVs and trucks are very common in the USA and are often the cars that you will find that need to be hauled. The dispatchers will have to be constantly checking the weight of vehicles to make sure that the driver is compliant with DOT regulations.
- Have to watch out for the height of vehicles to clear bridges
Besides watching the weight, dispatchers have to know the height of vehicles as well. When putting vehicles onto a trailer with two decks, the height becomes an issue due to bridges. The East Coast of the USA has some of the lowest bridges that are lower than the National average, making it necessary to load vehicles that can respect the restrictions of the bridge.
- Dealing with dealerships, auctions, and private customers
Dispatchers have to understand how to deal with the different pickup and delivery locations. For example, some dealerships close at certain hours or require certain paperwork for pickup. The same goes for auctions. A driver cannot be sent into the Manheim auction without the gate pass required to complete the pickup. Manheim also closes at 5 pm, however, a good dispatcher knows that with the gate pass, the driver can pick up the vehicle even in the middle of the night if they go to the guard shack.
Private customers are also a breed of their own. Some live in small developments with tiny roads. A dispatcher needs to know how to talk to the private customers, offering them proper customer service, but also to get them to assist the driver in making their pickup or delivery. As an example, many private clients live on streets that are too small for a truck to fit on. A good dispatcher would search for a nearby parking lot that is large enough for the truck and is also near the highway so the driver doesn’t have to go much out of his way.
A key to success
Our dispatchers are well experienced in understanding how to build a profitable route by piecing together cars that will fit on a trailer and make sense for the driver. They are experienced in dispatching auto carriers of all sizes. From a 3-car wedge trailer to a 10-car stinger.
We help drivers just starting out by giving them the knowledge and guidance that they need to be successful. Throughout the years that we’ve been in business, we’ve helped many companies go from an inexperienced car hauler to a professional fleets of several trucks.
To learn more about how much a car hauler can make, please visit our article that highlights what expectations a new carrier can have.
How much does it cost for a dry van and reefer?
At Ninja Dispatch, we charge between 5% – 7.5% for dry van and reefer. This all depends on how experienced the company is and how many months/years the authority has been active.
Dispatching for dry vans and reefers involves much less attention to detail, which is why we charge less for these types of trucks. A good dispatcher needs to watch for where the load is picked up and delivered, whether or not the driver has the hours of service to complete the load and the total weight of the load.
Most picks are “one and one”. This means that there is one pick-up and one drop-off. Also, the vast majority of loads are no driver touch. The load is put into the trailer and unloaded by the shipper and receiver. The driver doesn’t have to do anything other than drive safely.
What’s the pricing for night dispatch?
After hours and night dispatch service is a customized solution that is tailored to a company’s needs. Each company is different and requires different tasks and jobs to be done by a dispatcher.
Things to consider when outsourcing dispatch for after hours
- What is the exact schedule you would need (working hours / days)?
Do you need dispatchers to work the 2nd shift (17:00 – 00:00) or the 3rd shift (00:00 – 08:00).
- What is the exact job description while on duty?
It’s very important to have a clear understanding throughout the shift of what is expected. We ask for a SOP (standard operating procedure) manual. If a company doesn’t have one, we would then sit and create one for the company so that there are well-defined procedures that need to be respected.
- Will the dispatchers be acting only as customer support, or will they actively book loads as well?
This goes along with the previous question about the duties during the job. Some brokerage firms require only track and trace. Calling and getting updates on locations. Other companies have more complex procedures requiring dispatchers to find available drivers to cover loads that may be sent by customers in the middle of the night.
- What TMS system does your company use, and do your clients also have systems that need to be updated?
TMS systems are the central operating system for trucking companies. Some are very intuitive and easy to use, while others are very complex and require proper training. For example, McLeod is a very complex system compared to some of the cloud-based TMS systems that exist.
At Ninja Dispatch, our night dispatch team offers high-end solutions for companies in logistics, brokerage, and trucking transportation. The team is well versed in communicating with drivers, solving problems, and updating clients, brokers, and TMS systems.
We offer clients a dedicated dispatcher for their team. This means that the client has a dispatcher that is working directly for their company on a set schedule.
The cost for night dispatch depends on the complexity of what is needed and the experience level that the dispatcher must have. We charge an hourly rate that is calculated based on the shifts the dispatcher is working. The hourly rate is for one dispatcher.
It’s also important to note that if the volume of work is too high for just one dispatcher, a 2nd one will obviously be needed.
Ninja Dispatch has the capacity and infrastructure to handle night dispatch and weekend dispatch 24-7-365, including all federal holidays. If you’re a freight broker, trucking company or are in need of after-hours phone services, please contact us.
To get a free quote on night dispatch for your company please contact us at office@ninjadispatch.com. If you’d like to learn more about the service you can visit our website or call us at 1-888-853-4778.
