Photo from Unsplash
Originally Posted On: https://www.learndispatch.com/make-money-as-truck-dispatcher/
Introduction Hello, everyone. Today, we’re going to discuss whether you can earn five to $10,000 a month as an independent truck dispatcher.
Disclosure I’d like to start this post with a disclosure. As you may know, Alfa X Logistics operates a project called LearnDispatch.com, where we offer training related to truck dispatching. So, for me to claim that you can earn a lot of money easily would not be objective.
Objective Analysis And since I strive to make my posts objective, today we’re going to break down the numbers and discuss how much money you could potentially earn and the effort required to achieve this. In fact, with this post, I aim to counteract those YouTube videos where people flaunt checks or display spreadsheets of their earnings made by dispatching trucks. First and foremost, I believe that many of these claims are exaggerated, and even if they’re not, the fact that someone has earned a significant amount doesn’t guarantee the same for you. So, with this clarification out of the way, let’s dive into the numbers.
Earnings Potential Breakdown First, we need to determine how much you can earn by dispatching one truck. If we conduct some research, we’ll find that most dispatchers charge a percentage of the gross revenue, ranging between 3 and 8 percent, at least at the time of writing this post. Now, knowing the average percentage charged, we need to calculate the gross revenue each truck generates.
Revenue Calculations From our data, most semi-trucks generate between $6,000 and $10,000 in gross revenue every week, with $6,000 being on the lower end and $10,000 on the higher. Assuming a conservative average, let’s say the gross revenue stands around $8,000. Applying the math, if you receive three to eight percent of $8,000 in gross revenue, you’d earn about $240 per week at a three percent charge, or up to $640 at an eight percent charge.
Monthly Earnings Estimate Multiplying these numbers by the average number of weeks in a month, which is four, you’ll find a range from $960 to approximately $2,560. So, you have this approximate range between $1,000 and $2,500 that you could potentially earn with just one truck. However, I recommend adopting a conservative approach and planning your business on the lower end of this spectrum.
Realistic Expectations It would be great if we could earn $2,500 a month from one truck, but realistically, that’s unlikely, at least because trucks won’t run consistently. There will be downtime due to drivers taking vacations, truck breakdowns, and other factors. Thus, it’s not reasonable to assume that you can consistently earn that amount, especially if you’re charging a high percentage, which is unlikely when you’re just starting out. You’ll probably be charging less. So, I believe that $1,000 per month is a very conservative yet realistic estimate of what you can earn by dispatching one truck full-time.
Vehicle Type Impact on Earnings Now, it’s important to mention that the figures I’ve provided are specific to semi-trucks. If you choose to dispatch smaller vehicles, their gross earnings may not match those of semi-trucks. This difference can significantly affect the income you generate as a dispatcher for these smaller vehicles.
Scaling Your Dispatch Business Understanding that dispatching one truck full-time can conservatively net you $1,000, it becomes clear that managing five to ten trucks could result in a monthly income of $5,000 to $10,000. But is it feasible to find five to ten trucks to dispatch? Absolutely. Sometimes, partnering with just a couple of small fleet owners could bring the number of trucks you manage to this target. If you’ve read our post on small fleet owners, you’ll understand how this can benefit your business. Whether targeting small fleet owners or individual owner-operators, marketing your services is essential to attract this volume of trucks. We’ve covered online marketing, direct marketing, and developing your sales pitch in other posts.
Managing Multiple Trucks Assuming you’ve secured enough clients to manage ten trucks, the next question is whether you can efficiently handle this number on your own. From personal experience, managing around five trucks is doable and efficient. Beyond that, efficiency can begin to decrease as the workload increases. My advice, based on what worked for me, is to consider hiring virtual assistants when you exceed five trucks. These assistants can take on specific tasks, such as completing broker-carrier packets.
The Role of Virtual Assistants Completing broker-carrier packets is a time-consuming yet crucial part of the load-booking process. By delegating this task to a virtual assistant, you free up time to focus on securing loads for other trucks. Virtual assistants aren’t just for paperwork; with proper training, they can also make phone calls, effectively acting as your substitute when necessary. This can be incredibly beneficial, providing you with a backup for times when you’re unavailable, and ensuring your operations run smoothly without interruption.
Efficiency and Scalability Utilizing virtual assistants allows for more efficient management of a larger number of trucks, potentially exceeding five or ten trucks. This approach not only helps in handling the increased administrative workload but also ensures you have capable support ready to step in when needed, all without significantly increasing your operational costs.
Though we veered off from the original question, it’s crucial to recognize the strategic importance of diversifying your dispatching business, not just in terms of the number of trucks but also in how you manage the growing demands of your operation. Implementing effective strategies like hiring virtual assistants can significantly impact your ability to scale and succeed in the truck dispatching industry.
Achieving Your Financial Goals Can you earn $5,000 to $10,000 dispatching trucks? Based on the numbers we’ve reviewed, managing five to ten trucks could indeed result in earning $5,000 to $10,000 monthly. However, finding those trucks will require you to leverage your marketing skills rather than your dispatching skills initially.
The Importance of Marketing Your marketing abilities will be critical in this initial phase. Once you’ve found the trucks, that’s when your dispatching skills come into play. Retaining those trucks will depend on your performance as a dispatcher, highlighting the importance of both skill sets in this venture.
A Gradual Process It’s essential to understand that entering the field of dispatching and immediately securing five to ten trucks is unrealistic. Growing your operation will be a gradual process, starting with one truck and incrementally adding more as you prove your reliability and efficiency. If you handle this process well, expanding your client base to five to ten trucks is achievable.
Scaling Beyond Initial Goals Is it possible to earn more than $10,000? Absolutely, but not likely by working alone. You’ll need a team. Utilizing the strategy of employing virtual assistants, as previously mentioned, can be a game-changer. Training a competent virtual assistant in dispatching can allow you to manage an additional five trucks per assistant, thereby expanding your capacity.
Managing Operations and Scaling Your role will evolve to include finding more trucks for your virtual assistants to dispatch and managing operations efficiently. With this approach, managing 15 to 20 trucks, and thereby earning $15,000 to $20,000 a month conservatively, becomes feasible. Though costs such as virtual assistant fees must be considered, the potential for scaling the business is substantial.
Unlimited Potential This opportunity demonstrates that your income in this field is not capped. With dedication and hard work, the potential for growth and expansion is limitless. Success in truck dispatching, as in any business, requires learning, marketing, dispatching, attracting clients, growing your team, and maintaining a strong operational foundation.
Conclusion As we conclude this post, remember that hard work, strategic planning, and continuous improvement are key to building a successful dispatching business. I look forward to seeing your progress and achievements in the field of truck dispatching. Until our next post, keep striving for excellence, and I’ll see you next time.
Copyright by Roman Shmundyak February 2024
Are you thinking about becoming an independent truck dispatcher?
LearnDispatch offers online truck dispatcher training courses that are suitable for people not familiar with the transportation industry. Learn more about our training by visiting the Training Details page or choosing your course by clicking here.
