Let me start by saying, "Love this place" anyway I have been an over the road driver for aprox. 10 years and due to some medical issues i had to take the last step down out of my truck a few months ago. So now I;m looking into starting a dispatch service/business. Where do I start? and I guess How? Any replies will be great
Thank You.

All depends on HOW you are going to get compensated...Dispatch services right off the bat invoke the thought " Double Brokered"
And, what expierence do you have in nego. rates on the loads that you will be dispatching to your customers?
These are 2 of the most important questions to address.
1. If you take a flat fee, for a service, well its hard for anyone to say /claim double brokered. If you take a % of the gross on the loads you "dispatched", i am sorry, thats double brokering.

2. What expierence do you have in negoiating rates? Are just going to take what the broker is offering? Are you going to be aware of inbound to outbound load ratio, freight density, and the such?

Just a few things to get you thinking.
Good luck, hope it works out for you.

Everybody here who I can think of that has used a dispatching service comes back soon afterward complaining about it. Either they feel they were wronged with the rates, or they didn't want to go where the dispatcher wanted them to go. GMAN was doing dispatching for a time, I'm not sure if he still is. He would be a good person to talk to about it though.

A dispatch service is not a freight brokerage. You work for the carrier or owner operator rather than the shipper. However, it would probably be a good idea to get your broker authority at some point if you want to broaden your services. As was stated, most dispatch services charge a percentage or flat weekly or monthly fee. Personally, I think percentage is the most fair. The carrier or owner operator only pays money when you produce. You make your money when the load is booked. If you operate for a flat fee, then the owner operator or carrier pays that regardless of what you do. If he wants to take a couple of weeks off you still get your money. Regardless of how you charge, you need to be a good negotiator. Most people use a dispatch service because they either are not a good negotiator or don't want to take the time. It can take a lot of time to find the best paying loads. It is more difficult to find better paying loads when you also drive the truck.