The premium is the equipment, not the freight
The same coil pays more on a Conestoga because the shipper is buying weather protection and a fast load-out. If your rate matches the flatbed next to you, the equipment is being given away.
Conestoga dispatch
Conestoga dispatch services: rolling tarp access priced as its own equipment class
Flatbed access with a hard cover. The rolling tarp removes hours of manual work and protects the freight — and the rate should reflect the equipment, not the flatbed parked next to it.
- Typical market range $3.10 – $3.80 per mile
- Common lane: Chicago ↔ Houston
- Common lane: Cleveland → Atlanta
The short answer
How does conestoga dispatch actually work?
Conestoga dispatch should never be quoted like the flatbed parked next to it. The rolling tarp removes hours of hand tarping and protects weather-sensitive freight loaded without a dock. MSM Transit confirms side, rear and top load access before booking and argues the rate against the equipment, not the trailer type.
What moves the rate Broker Negotiation Get rates for your lanes
Who we dispatch: Dry Van, Reefer, Flatbed, Step Deck, Conestoga, Power Only, Hotshot, Box Truck, RGN / Lowboy and Heavy Haul — every rig longer than 26 ft, new authorities included. Not a fit: sprinter vans, cargo vans and 16 ft box trucks.
What we handle
The details that decide whether a conestoga load is worth taking.
Every equipment type has a handful of factors that separate a profitable load from a bad one. These are the ones we screen before a load reaches you.
- Rolling tarp system — no hand tarping, no tarp injuries
- Weather-sensitive freight loaded without a dock
- Side, rear and top load access confirmed before booking
Typical market range
Conestoga rate per mile
$3.10 – $3.80typical market range, all miles
Where a specific load lands inside that range is decided by the things above: the lane, the season, the reload, and who is negotiating. Check a specific lane, or send us the load.
An estimate to orient you, not a quote and not a promise.
What moves a conestoga rate
Three things that decide what this freight pays
Generic dispatch treats every trailer the same. These are the conestoga-specific factors we argue on, load by load.
Load time is the selling point
A rolling tarp opens in minutes where hand tarping takes over an hour, twice. Shippers with tight dock windows pay for that, and it should be argued explicitly in the negotiation.
System weight and clearance
The tarp system costs payload and adds height. Both need checking against the freight before accepting, particularly on heavier steel and building products.
Lanes we work for conestoga
Representative corridors for this equipment — the kind of lanes a strategy for it is built around.
- Chicago ↔ Houston
- Cleveland → Atlanta
- Seattle → Salt Lake City
- Charlotte ↔ Dallas
Seasonality
Steadier than open flatbed through winter, because weather-sensitive freight moves year-round under a hard cover.
What we watch for on conestoga loads: Brokers quoting Conestoga freight at flatbed rates and expecting the tarp system for free. That is a rate conversation, and it is worth having every time.
Services applied
How we dispatch conestoga freight
The same services every carrier gets — but these three are the ones that decide a conestoga account.
Broker Negotiation
We pair this with conestoga so the rate reflects the equipment, not the flatbed beside it.
How it worksTruck Dispatch
We pair this with conestoga to confirm load access before committing.
How it worksDocumentation
We pair this with conestoga for weather-sensitive freight that attracts claims.
How it worksWorth reading alongside this: Six broker negotiation scripts that raise your rate without losing the load.
60-second request
Get conestoga lane rates for your market
Tell us where you run. We will send the current booked ranges for your lanes.
Other equipment
We dispatch mixed fleets too.
Running more than one trailer type is normal. One account, one dispatcher, one invoice — with the right playbook applied to each truck.
Terms
How conestoga dispatch with us works, in plain terms
The same terms for every equipment type. Compare them line by line with any dispatcher you are considering.
| MSM Transit | |
|---|---|
| How you are charged | A percentage of gross on the loads we book, quoted for your operation in writing before you sign |
| Accessorials | Not commissioned. Detention, layover, TONU and other accessorial pay is yours |
| Setup fee | None |
| Monthly minimum | None. If your truck does not run in a week, that week is not billed |
| Loads you find yourself | Not billed |
| Contract | Week to week; either side can end it with 15 days written notice |
| Forced dispatch | Never. You approve every load before it is booked |
| Your broker relationships | Stay yours, including if you leave |
| Trucks per dispatcher | No more than 4 |
| Hours | Desk staffed 24/7, including nights, weekends and holidays |
| Reporting | A written scorecard every week |
| Authority | We work under your operating authority. We are not a broker and not a carrier |
| Equipment and size | Dry Van, Reefer, Flatbed, Step Deck, Conestoga, Power Only, Hotshot, Box Truck, RGN / Lowboy and Heavy Haul, every rig longer than 26 ft |
| New authorities | Welcome, on the same size rule |
| Not a fit | Sprinter vans, cargo vans and 16 ft box trucks |
| Coverage | All 48 US states and all 10 Canadian provinces |
The percentage itself is quoted for your operation, in writing, before you sign.
Free dispatch audit
Let's price your conestoga lanes.
Send your last 10 conestoga loads. We will show you the rate we would have negotiated on each one, and where brokers quoting Conestoga freight at flatbed rates and expec…
- Reply within 1 business hour
- First load usually booked in 24 hours
- Cancel with 15 days notice, any time