What Should Be in a Dispatcher-Carrier Agreement

"Get it in writing" shows up in almost every piece of advice about hiring or working with a dispatcher — including our own. It's the right advice, but it's incomplete on its own. A one-line agreement on "7% per load" is technically in writing and still leaves most of the actual disputes uncovered.

The Fee, Stated Completely

Not just the percentage — when it's charged (per load, not upfront), when it's paid, and what happens on a load that falls through before delivery. Most legitimate dispatchers charge per load, only once they've booked you something — if the agreement doesn't say that explicitly, it's worth adding before anyone signs.

Scope of the Relationship

What lanes, equipment, and freight types the dispatcher is actually working for you. Whether they're expected to run everything past you before booking, or book directly within agreed parameters. Vague scope is how a carrier ends up with loads they never would have agreed to, and how a dispatcher ends up blamed for decisions the carrier actually made.

Communication Expectations

How often you'll hear from them, and through what channel. What happens if a load falls through or runs late — who calls whom, and how fast. This is the exact category covered in questions to ask before hiring a dispatcher; the agreement is where those verbal answers actually become enforceable.

Term and Exit

How either side ends the relationship, and what happens to any loads already in progress when that happens. An agreement with no exit terms at all tends to turn an ordinary parting of ways into a dispute neither side planned for.

Dispute Handling

How detention, late payment, or damaged freight gets resolved — ideally decided before anyone's actually upset about one of them, not during.

If It's a Co-Dispatch Arrangement

When two dispatchers are splitting a fee rather than one dispatcher working directly with a carrier, the same completeness applies to the Points split itself: which dispatcher retains which Points, who's the carrier's primary point of contact, and what happens if the opportunity falls through after it's accepted. The worked numbers behind a split are covered in what are Xchange Points.

You Don't Have to Start From Scratch

Dispatch Xchange provides complimentary templates — a Traditional Dispatch Agreement, a Co-Dispatch Agreement, and a Dispatch Addendum for specific loads or terms — as a convenience, since co-dispatching in particular is a newer concept for a lot of the industry. They're a starting point, not a requirement: members can use their own agreements instead, and independent legal review is worth getting regardless of which template ends up in play. More detail in the FAQ.