Before You Book That Truck: Dispatcher Checklist for New Shippers

Booking a truck on a load from a brand-new customer? Take a breath. Before you hit confirm, run through this checklist, because nothing kills a day faster than realizing too late that you’re missing a crucial detail and you can’t back out now.

This isn’t just a CYA move (although yes, it's that too). It's about protecting your time, your team, your drivers, and your profit. Putting in extra effort on the front end helps you avoid the possibility of an absolute dumpster fire later on. Skipping these questions is how you end up with equipment mismatches, rejected freight, or worse safety violations.

Let’s keep you out of that mess.

14 Things to Confirm With a New Shipper Before You Book a Truck

1. What’s being shipped?
Ask: Shipper/Customer
You don’t want to send a dry van when the load requires hazmat coverage or temperature control. Commodity impacts everything from insurance to driver eligibility.

2. Are special handling instructions required?
Ask: Shipper/Customer
Blankets, straps, load bars, temperature-sensitive product? You’ll want to know now, not when your driver is already being turned away at the dock.

3. Is unique equipment needed?
Ask: Shipper
Liftgate, straight truck, pallet-jack? These aren’t last-minute requests. If you don’t ask, you risk not being loaded and missing appointments.

4. Who’s providing the Bill of Lading (BOL)?
Ask: Shipper/Customer
Some facilities expect the carrier to provide one. Others won’t let freight leave without their in-house version. Don’t assume, ask. If you have to provide one, verify the information they need reflected on the document.

5. What are the pickup and delivery hours?
Ask: Shipper
Don’t just grab times off Google Maps. Confirm real operating hours, cut-offs, and whether they take lunch, to avoid unnecessary wait-time for your driver.

6. Is it First-Come, First-Served (FCFS) or by appointment?
Ask: Shipper
This will change how you schedule the driver and how you communicate to your carrier. This also may affect how you rate the shipment.

7. If appointment-based, who books the time slot?
Ask: Shipper
Some shippers book the appointments. Others expect the carrier/driver to call/email/login to a separate facility scheduler. 

8. What is the reference number/s or PO/s needed to load/unload?
Ask: Customer
Without this, your driver could be turned away, especially at high-volume or contract-only facilities. Verify these numbers with the shipping facility ahead of time.

9. What are the terms for TONU (truck order not used), detention, or layover?
Ask: Customer
Know what you’re working with. Are fees pre-approved? Do you need to submit documentation? Get this in writing. Also make sure they cover 3rd party or their customer facilities.

10. Any access restrictions at the facility?
Ask: Shipper
Low bridges, tight turns, no overnight parking. If there’s something that’ll mess with routing or setup, your driver deserves to know before they head out.

11. Who’s the main contact at the shipper and receiver?
Ask: Customer
Not the sales rep. You want boots-on-the-ground names and phone numbers in case of trouble at the dock. Verify this contact when you get it.

12. Are there additional documents required beyond the BOL?
Ask: Customer
Customs documents, invoices, permits? Some industries require extras, don’t let paperwork be the reason a load is late

13. What is the value of the load?
Ask: Customer
This is important to ensure you have the required insurance and to ensure that the value is included on the BOL.

14. What is the case count, pallet count, and weight of the shipment?
Ask: Customer/Shipper
You need to know what the driver needs to verify and cross check to ensure nothing is missed and there are no issues at scales.

15. How is the product packaged?
Ask: Customer/Shipper
Pallets, bins, floor loaded etc all have different needs and timing associated with them. Knowing ahead of time ensures more accurate planning.

Coming Soon in the Series:

• Coordinating with your safety department and drivers

• What to do day of pickup

• What to monitor in transit and at delivery

• How to wrap it up after delivery without leaving money on the table