Trailer availability is the business
The rate matters less than whether there is a trailer where you are. Program access and pool density decide whether this is a good week or a parked one.
Power Only dispatch
Power only dispatch services: trailer availability beats board scraping
Low overhead, fast turns. The winning strategy is trailer availability and program relationships, not board scraping.
- Typical market range $2.10 – $2.60 per mile
- Common lane: Atlanta ↔ Jacksonville
- Common lane: Dallas ↔ San Antonio
The short answer
How does power only dispatch actually work?
Power only dispatch means pulling someone else's trailer, so your overhead drops and your turns speed up. The winning strategy is trailer pool and programme access, not scraping the load board. MSM Transit plans drop-and-hook density and fast-turn regional lanes so the tractor keeps moving.
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 power only 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.
- Trailer pool and program access
- Drop-and-hook density planning
- Fast-turn regional lanes
Typical market range
Power Only rate per mile
$2.10 – $2.60typical 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 power only rate
Three things that decide what this freight pays
Generic dispatch treats every trailer the same. These are the power only-specific factors we argue on, load by load.
Pre-trip on somebody else's trailer
You are responsible for the equipment you pull. Lights, brakes, tires and a proper inspection before you hook — a CSA violation on a pool trailer still lands on your record.
Fast turns, thin margins
Low overhead means the math runs on turns per week, not rate per mile. Idle time hurts here more than in any other segment.
Lanes we work for power only
Representative corridors for this equipment — the kind of lanes a strategy for it is built around.
- Atlanta ↔ Jacksonville
- Dallas ↔ San Antonio
- Chicago ↔ Indianapolis
- Inland Empire ↔ Las Vegas
Seasonality
Follows retail and parcel networks: heavy from October into January, quieter in late Q1.
What we watch for on power only loads: Trailer condition disputes at drop. Photograph the trailer at hook and at drop, every time. It takes two minutes and settles arguments you would otherwise lose.
Services applied
How we dispatch power only freight
The same services every carrier gets — but these three are the ones that decide a power only account.
Truck Dispatch
We pair this with power only because trailer pool access beats board scraping.
How it worksRoute Planning
We pair this with power only to plan drop-and-hook density and fast turns.
How it worksFactoring Assistance
We pair this with power only to keep cash moving as fast as the turns do.
How it worksWorth reading alongside this: Deadhead math: why a $3.10 load can pay less than a $2.60 load.
60-second request
Get power only 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 power only 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 power only lanes.
Send your last 10 power only loads. We will show you the rate we would have negotiated on each one, and where trailer condition disputes at drop. Photograph the trailer a…
- Reply within 1 business hour
- First load usually booked in 24 hours
- Cancel with 15 days notice, any time