Dry van loads: finding them, reading them, and picking the ones that pay
Steve Woods · Lead Dispatcher, TruckSprint
Steve Woods leads the TruckSprint dispatch desk and reviews every guide we publish. How we research and update guides.
Updated October 2026
Quick answer
Dry van loads are freight in an enclosed, non-refrigerated trailer, one of the most common types in trucking. The rate per mile is only half the story: check whether it's live or drop and hook, no-touch or lumper, how long the docks take, and where it leaves you. Price the load per hour of your day, and get lumper and detention terms on the rate con.
Dry van is where most carriers start, because the equipment is common and the freight is everywhere. That's also why it's competitive: plenty of loads, plenty of trucks. I'm Steve, lead dispatcher at TruckSprint. Dry van is one of the eleven equipment types we dispatch, and the difference between a good dry van week and a bad one is usually in details the load board doesn't show.
Why dry van
- Freight on almost every lane, from almost every kind of shipper.
- Simple equipment: no reefer unit, no tarps or straps for most loads.
- Easy to switch to power only when trailers are provided; see power only trucking.
- But more competition, and rates that swing with the market.
Reading a dry van load
| Term | What it means | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Live load / live unload | You wait while it's loaded or unloaded | Can take hours; your 14-hour clock keeps running |
| Drop and hook | Drop one trailer, hook another | Usually much faster |
| No-touch | You don't handle the freight | Best for your time and back |
| Driver assist | You help load or unload | Should pay extra; ask before you book |
| Lumper | A third-party crew unloads | Someone pays them; get it in writing |
| Appointment / FCFS | Set time, or first come first served | FCFS can mean long waits |
| Floor-loaded | Freight not on pallets | Slow to unload; often a lumper |
Price the load per hour, not just per mile
Two loads with the same rate per mile can pay very differently once dock time is counted. Compare a live load with a drop and hook on the same lane:
One load, priced in hours. EXAMPLE values
- Driving
- 9h 00m
- At docks
- 6h 00m
- All-in per mile
- $2.67
- Per hour of your day
- $80
Doesn't fit one 14-hour window: the load runs into a second day, which lowers its real pay per day.
In the example, the live load takes 15 hours and spills into a second day, paying $80 an hour. The same load as drop and hook takes 10 hours and pays $120 an hour. Waiting time is usually on-duty time, so long docks also cost you driving hours; see the detention pay guide for getting paid when they run long.
Unloading, lumpers and the law
Federal law puts unloading on the shipper or receiver when they require help. Under 49 U.S.C. 14103, a shipper or receiver that requires a driver to be assisted with loading or unloading must provide that help or reimburse the carrier for its cost, and it's unlawful to coerce a carrier into loading, unloading or paying for it.
Source: 49 U.S.C. 14103, Cornell Legal Information Institute · checked 2026-10
On the road, that works through the rate con. Before you book a lumper load:
- Ask how the lumper is paid: broker payment code, fuel card advance, or you pay and get reimbursed.
- Get a receipt every time, and send it with your paperwork.
- Get reimbursement terms in writing on the rate con. More in our lumper entry.
Where dry van loads come from
- Load boards, with plenty of dry van postings; see best load boards.
- Brokers you've worked with, who'll call you first once you've delivered for them.
- Direct shippers on your regular lanes: manufacturers, distributors and retailers.
- Drop-trailer programs at large shippers, which favor carriers who can run regular schedules.
Our how to get loads guide covers each source in detail.
Securing freight in a van
An enclosed trailer doesn't remove the securement rules: cargo must be loaded and secured so it can't shift in a way that affects the truck (49 CFR 393.100). Use load locks or straps behind partial loads, and check pallets that are stacked high or shrink-wrapped poorly. If the shipper loads it, you can still ask to see it, and note problems on the bill of lading before you sign.
Picking loads that pay
- Count the deadhead. A great rate 200 miles away isn't a great rate.
- Ask live or drop, and how long the facility usually takes.
- Ask touch or no-touch, and who pays the lumper.
- Check the appointment against your hours.
- Look at the reload. A load into a weak freight market costs you on the way out.
- Get detention and layover terms on the rate con.
- Check the broker's payment record before you book.
Dry van rewards carriers who read past the rate. The load that pays a little less per mile but drops and hooks in half an hour often wins the day.