Truck dispatch invoice template
A dispatch invoice is how a dispatcher bills a carrier for the dispatch fee, usually once a week, from the loads booked for that carrier. Below: what to include, a template to copy, a filled weekly example and the habits that get dispatch invoices paid on time.
Trial includes 2 sales agents and 1 dispatcher. No credit card.
How truck dispatchers get paid
The broker pays the carrier, or the carrier's factoring company, for the freight. The dispatcher then invoices the carrier for the dispatch fee. Fees are usually a percentage of the gross on the loads the dispatcher booked, or a flat weekly amount per truck, as written in the dispatch agreement.
For example, at a 6% fee, a week with $7,500 in gross produces a $450 invoice. At a flat $150 per truck per week, the same week bills $150 whatever the gross was.
What to put on a dispatch invoice
- Your company name, address, contact details and logo
- Invoice number, invoice date and due date
- The carrier's legal name, MC number and address
- The week the invoice covers
- Each load: load number, lane, pickup date and gross
- The fee basis (percent or flat) and the fee for each load
- Any other agreed charges or credits, each on its own line
- Total due and how to pay
Copy the template
DISPATCH INVOICE [Your company] [Address] [Phone] [Email] Invoice #: ______ Date: ______ Due: ______ Bill to: [Carrier legal name] MC #: ______ [Carrier address] Week: [Monday date] to [Sunday date] Load # Lane Pickup Gross Fee ______ ______ to ______ ______ $______ $______ ______ ______ to ______ ______ $______ $______ ______ ______ to ______ ______ $______ $______ Fee basis: ____% of gross per load (or flat $____ per week) Other charges or credits: ______________________ $______ Total gross booked: $______ Total due: $______ Payment: [method and details] Questions about this invoice: [name, phone]
A filled weekly example
The numbers are an example at a 6% fee, to show how the lines add up.
| Load | Lane | Pickup | Gross | Fee at 6% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LD-1042 | Dallas, TX to Atlanta, GA | Monday | $2,400 | $144 |
| LD-1047 | Atlanta, GA to Charlotte, NC | Wednesday | $1,350 | $81 |
| LD-1051 | Charlotte, NC to Dallas, TX | Thursday | $3,750 | $225 |
| Total | $7,500 | $450 |
Five habits that get dispatch invoices paid
- Invoice on the same day every week, so the carrier expects it.
- Match every line to a signed rate confirmation, so nothing is disputed.
- Send the carrier's statement with the invoice: gross, your fee, other costs and their net.
- Write down in your dispatch agreement what happens to the fee when a load is cancelled or the broker does not pay.
- Keep a ledger of billed, paid and open amounts for each carrier, and call about anything overdue before the next invoice goes out.
Invoices and statements in KeepCarrier
Every week KeepCarrier prepares each carrier's statement from the loads on the dispatch board: gross, your fee, other costs and the carrier's net. Invoices carry your logo and company details and export as a PDF, and a ledger tracks billed, paid and open amounts for every carrier.
Questions
How often should a dispatcher invoice a carrier?
Weekly is common because loads settle weekly and carriers plan their cash by the week. Pick one day and keep it.
Should the dispatch fee be a percentage or a flat fee?
A percentage of gross grows with the carrier's revenue; a flat weekly fee is easier for the carrier to predict. Whichever you choose, put it in the dispatch agreement before the first load.
What is the difference between a dispatch invoice and a carrier statement?
The invoice asks the carrier to pay your fee. The statement shows the carrier's whole week: each load's gross, the fee and other costs, and what the carrier nets.
Do I invoice the broker or the carrier?
The carrier invoices the broker for the freight. The dispatcher invoices the carrier for the dispatch fee, unless your agreement says otherwise.
Let the statements write themselves
Start the 7-day trial with 2 sales agents and 1 dispatcher. Log a week of loads and prepare the carrier's statement and invoice from them.