Dispatch ROI calculator
Put in your week now and your own assumptions about what a dispatcher changes. You get the weekly gain or loss, with and without valuing your time, and the rate gain the fee needs.
Updated October 2026 · Free, no signup
Your week now
Your assumptions with a dispatcher
Dispatch ROI per week
EXAMPLE- Net, counting your time
- +$38
- Net cash only
- -$263
- Dispatch fee
- -$263
- From the rate change
- +$0
- From fewer empty miles
- +$0
- Your 12 hours back
- +$300
- Rate gain for the fee to pay for itself
- +$0.11/mi
Over 50 working weeks, that's +$1,875. The gains come from your assumptions, not from us: no dispatcher can promise rates. Try 0 for the rate change and see whether your hours alone justify the fee.
On your numbers, dispatch comes out ahead by $38 a week. Want to test it for real? Month-to-month, no setup fee, and you confirm every load.
Try a month of dispatchHow it's calculated
| Line | Formula |
|---|---|
| Gross now | Loaded miles x your average rate |
| Gross with dispatch | Loaded miles x (your rate + the change you assume) |
| Dispatch fee | Gross with dispatch x fee % |
| Rate gain | Gross with dispatch - gross now |
| Empty-mile saving | Empty miles saved x cost per empty mile |
| Your time | Hours back x value of an hour |
| Net cash | Rate gain + empty-mile saving - fee |
| Net with time | Net cash + your time |
The break-even rate gain is the change in your average rate that makes the fee pay for itself in cash: (gross now - empty-mile saving) / (loaded miles x (1 - fee %)) - your current rate.
Worked example
| EXAMPLE week | |
|---|---|
| Loaded miles | 2,500 |
| Your average rate | $2.10/mi (gross $5,250) |
| Hours on boards and calls | 12, at $25/hr = $300 |
| Rate change assumed | $0.00 |
| 5% fee | $263 |
| Net cash | -$263 |
| Net counting your time | +$38 |
| Rate gain needed to break even in cash | about $0.11/mi |
With no change in rates, the fee costs cash, and your hours back roughly cover it. Every cent the dispatcher adds to your average rate or every empty mile they cut is on top.
How to read it honestly
Start with the rate change at zero. If the result is close to even on your time alone, a dispatcher is a reasonable test. If it's deeply negative, you're either very efficient on your own, or your hourly value is low enough that the work is worth doing yourself.
Then compare fees. Our tiers are 7% for new MCs, 26 ft box trucks and hotshots, 5% standard and 4% for fleets of 2 or more. Many services charge more; switch the fee to 10% and watch the break-even jump. Our full comparison is on the dispatcher vs load board page.
Questions about this calculator
Is a truck dispatcher worth the fee?
It is when the dispatcher's work is worth more than the fee: better rates, fewer empty miles, or hours you get back to drive or rest. On a $5,000 week, a 5% fee is $250. If you'd spend 12 hours on boards and calls, and your time is worth $25 an hour, those hours alone are worth $300.
How much does a dispatcher need to raise my rate to pay for itself?
Roughly the fee divided by what you keep. At a 5% fee on a $2.00 average rate, rates need to rise about 10.5 cents a mile for the fee to pay for itself in cash, before counting your time or fewer empty miles. The calculator shows your exact number.
Can a dispatcher guarantee higher rates?
No, and you should be wary of anyone who does. Rates depend on the market, the lane, the season and your equipment. That's why every gain in this calculator is your assumption. Test a dispatcher month-to-month and judge them on your real numbers.
What should I count as the value of my time?
What you'd do with the hours instead: more driving, which earns revenue, or rest, which keeps you safe and legal. A useful floor is what you'd pay someone else per hour to do the work.
How do I measure a dispatcher's results?
Compare four weeks before and after: average all-in rate per mile, empty miles, loaded miles per week and your hours on the phone. A good dispatcher gives you a weekly report with those numbers.
Numbers done. Want someone to find loads that beat them?
No setup fee. No contract. No haul, no pay.