Question 1

Do you offer a free trial?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Every new carrier gets 7 days free. We dispatch your truck for the first full week with no dispatch fee — you keep 100% of the linehaul on every load we book during the trial. You see exactly which lanes we run you on, what rates we negotiate, and how fast we answer the phone before you pay us a dollar. There is no contract to cancel and no card on file; if it isn't a fit after seven days, you simply stop.

Question 2

What exactly does Forte Four Freight do for my truck?

Accepted Answer

Forte Four Freight is a US-based truck dispatch service for owner-operators and small fleets. We source loads from load boards, broker relationships, and direct shipper contacts; negotiate the rate and any accessorials; send you the broker rate confirmation for approval; set up your carrier packet with each broker; track pickup and delivery windows; and handle the paperwork behind the load — setup packets, rate cons, BOL follow-up, and invoicing support. You drive, we keep the truck loaded and the miles paying.

Question 3

Are you a broker or a dispatcher?

Accepted Answer

We are a dispatch service, not a freight broker. We work as your carrier's agent under your own MC authority, which means the load is contracted between you and the broker or shipper — never between you and us. You are paid directly by the broker or your factoring company on your own rate confirmation, and you always see the original document, so nothing is marked down before it reaches you.

Question 4

Who can use your dispatch service?

Accepted Answer

Owner-operators with one truck and small fleets running up to about 20 trucks, anywhere in the lower 48. You need active MC authority in your own name, active liability and cargo insurance, and equipment in road-legal condition. We dispatch dry van, reefer, flatbed, step deck, power only, hotshot, and 26–28 ft box trucks. If you are brand new to authority we can still take you on, though expect a short ramp-up while brokers finish your setup packets.

Question 5

How much does truck dispatching cost?

Accepted Answer

We charge 4–8% of the gross linehaul on loads we book, with the exact percentage set by your equipment type and weekly volume. Van and reefer typically sit at the low end, specialized flatbed and step deck freight at the higher end because it takes more work to source and negotiate. There is no signup fee, no monthly software fee, no per-load admin fee, and no charge for loads you find yourself. Detention, layover, TONU, and lumper reimbursements are yours in full — we do not take a percentage of those.

Question 6

Do I pay a dispatch fee when my truck is down?

Accepted Answer

No. Our fee is tied to loaded, paid miles. If you are home for the week, in the shop, or on vacation, there is nothing to invoice and you owe nothing. That is the difference between a percentage model and a flat weekly fee — our income only moves when yours does.

Question 7

Is there forced dispatch?

Accepted Answer

Never. You see the lane, the rate, the miles, the weight, and the pickup and delivery windows before anything is booked, and you have the final yes or no on every single load. If a rate is too cheap or the lane takes you the wrong direction, we keep looking. We would rather spend another hour on the board than put you under a load you regret.

Question 8

Will I see the original broker rate confirmation?

Accepted Answer

Yes, on every load. You get the unaltered rate con straight from the broker showing the full linehaul, fuel surcharge, and accessorials. Our fee is invoiced separately and transparently, so you can always reconcile what the broker paid against what we charged.

Question 9

How fast can I get started?

Accepted Answer

Most carriers are moving within 24 to 48 hours. Send us your carrier packet — MC authority letter, W-9, Certificate of Insurance, and a voided check or factoring Notice of Assignment — and we begin broker setups and load sourcing the same day. Setup packets with new brokers usually clear in a few hours during business hours, and we build your profile around the lanes and home time you actually want.

Question 10

What documents do you need from me?

Accepted Answer

Four items: your MC authority letter from the FMCSA, a completed W-9, a Certificate of Insurance listing the required auto liability and cargo coverage, and either a voided check for direct broker payment or your factoring company's Notice of Assignment. We also ask for a signed dispatch agreement and, if you run reefer or flatbed, a quick note on your equipment specs — temperature range, deck length, and available securement.

Question 11

Do you check broker credit before booking?

Accepted Answer

Always. Before a load is confirmed we review the broker's credit score, days-to-pay history, and carrier feedback. If the numbers look thin or the payment history is slow, we either skip the load or require quick pay terms up front. Booking a great rate with a broker who pays in 90 days — or not at all — is not a win, and we treat credit screening as part of the job, not an extra.

Question 12

Can you help with factoring, quick pay, and fuel advances?

Accepted Answer

Yes. We work with your existing factoring company or can point you toward reputable ones if you are shopping. We can request quick pay on loads where the broker offers it and negotiate fuel advances at pickup when cash flow is tight, especially useful for newer authorities waiting on their first receivables.

Question 13

What happens if I get detention, layover, or a TONU?

Accepted Answer

We document it and chase the money. That means confirming arrival and departure times, collecting signed in-and-out times on the BOL, filing the claim inside the broker's notice window, and following up until it is approved. Detention, layover, and truck-order-not-used pay belongs entirely to you — we do not take a percentage of accessorial recovery.

Question 14

Which states and lanes do you cover?

Accepted Answer

All 48 contiguous states. We are heaviest in the freight corridors our carriers actually run — Texas, Georgia, Illinois, Ohio, and Florida — with regular volume through Dallas, Houston, Laredo, Atlanta, Chicago, Columbus, Jacksonville, and the Northeast out of our Brooklyn, NY base. Tell us your preferred region and home time and we build your load plan around it instead of running you wherever freight happens to be cheapest.

Question 15

What are your dispatch hours?

Accepted Answer

The dispatch desk is staffed 24/7. Load sourcing and broker negotiation run through business hours, but if you are stuck at a receiver at 2 a.m., a shipper is closed, or a rate con has a problem, there is a real person in the United States to call — not a voicemail box or an offshore call center.

Question 16

How many trucks does one dispatcher handle?

Accepted Answer

We keep dispatcher-to-truck ratios deliberately low so you get one dedicated person who knows your equipment, your lanes, and when you want to be home. You are not passed around a queue, and you are not the twentieth truck on someone's board fighting for attention.

Question 17

Do you dispatch box trucks and hotshots?

Accepted Answer

Yes. We dispatch 26–28 ft box trucks with liftgate or dock-high configurations on regional and expedited freight, and hotshot rigs on flatbed and step deck loads within weight limits. Rates and lane strategy differ significantly from Class 8 freight, so we build a separate plan for those units instead of treating them like a small dry van.

Question 18

Is there a contract or cancellation fee?

Accepted Answer

There is a simple dispatch agreement that defines the fee and the working relationship, but no long-term lock-in and no cancellation penalty. Give us written notice, we finish the loads already booked, and we part cleanly. We would rather earn the next week than trap you in a term.

Questions owner-operators and fleet owners ask before signing on

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