01
Load sourcing
Search for opportunities suited to your equipment, current position, lane preferences, and available time.
DISPATCH SUPPORT / OWNER-OPERATORS
Owner-operator dispatch built around your priorities.
You know how you want to run your truck. Merlin supports the work around the wheel—finding opportunities, discussing rates, coordinating with brokers, and keeping the next market in view—while every booking remains your decision.
Your authority. Your choice. No forced dispatch.
THE OWNER-OPERATOR PLAN
Start with how you want to run.
A dispatch plan should reflect more than the truck’s current location. We begin with your equipment, preferred lanes, operating priorities, and the time you want at home, then use those details to guide each load conversation.
- 01
Set the operating priorities
Share the lanes you prefer, the markets you want to avoid, your equipment, and your home-time plans so the search starts with useful boundaries.
- 02
Evaluate the whole opportunity
Review the offered rate alongside pickup miles, delivery timing, destination market, and likely reload options instead of treating the headline rate as the complete decision.
- 03
Connect one move to the next
Use each delivery as a checkpoint in the week, considering where the truck finishes and how the next move can support your broader plan.
CONNECTED DISPATCH SUPPORT
Dispatch work handled with your operation in view.
Merlin provides one dispatch relationship for the recurring coordination behind a working truck. The support stays connected to your priorities, and you stay in control of the freight you accept.
02
Rate negotiation
Discuss the rate and relevant load details with the broker, then bring the complete opportunity to you for review.
03
Broker communication
Maintain a clear point of contact for load discussions, appointment details, and information needed while the load is moving.
04
Paperwork support
Help organize dispatch documents and load information through the secure sharing process agreed during onboarding.
05
Lane and reload planning
Consider the destination market and the next practical move before the current load becomes the end of the plan.
06
Home-time planning
Keep your preferred time at home in the conversation as loads and weekly routes are considered.
LOAD APPROVAL / CARRIER CONTROL
Your authority. Your approval.
Your dispatcher can source, discuss, and organize an opportunity, but the final decision stays with you. Merlin does not force dispatch. You review the load details and decide whether the move fits your operation before it is booked.
- Review the rate, lane, timing, and load details.
- Ask questions before a booking decision is made.
- Accept or decline the opportunity without forced dispatch.
DISPATCH, EXPLAINED
Owner-operator dispatch, explained.
Need to discuss your setup directly? Call the dispatch team at (816) 750-3988.
Q / 01Do I have to accept every load Merlin finds?
No. You approve every load before it is booked. Your dispatcher presents the opportunity and discusses how it fits your operating plan; you decide whether to accept it.
Q / 02Will my lane preferences be part of the load search?
Yes. Your preferred lanes, equipment, current position, and operating priorities guide the search and the loads brought to you for review.
Q / 03Can dispatch planning include my home-time goals?
Yes. Share your home-time plans at the start and as they change. Merlin considers them alongside delivery timing, destination markets, and reload options when discussing potential loads.
Q / 04What support happens after a load is selected?
Merlin supports broker communication, load details, and dispatch paperwork through the agreed process while keeping the next move in view.
Q / 05Does Merlin work with more than one equipment type?
Yes. Merlin supports dry van, reefer, flatbed, box truck, hot shot, power only, and step deck operations. The dispatch approach changes with the equipment and the operation.
YOUR NEXT MOVE
Put a smarter plan behind the next load.
Tell us about your equipment, preferred lanes, and operating priorities. We’ll start with a conversation about how you want to run.
Get Started With DispatchText (816) 750-3988