Power only means you provide the tractor and driver, and the broker or shipper provides the trailer — usually preloaded and sealed. It is one of the fastest-growing segments in U.S. trucking, and power only dispatch has become a specialty of its own.
How the model works
You show up, hook to a preloaded trailer, run the lane, drop, and go home or grab another trailer. No detention loading, no lumpers, minimal touching of the freight.
Who plays here
Amazon Relay, JB Hunt 360, Uber Freight, and Convoy-successors dominate. Most freight is drop-and-hook dry van, 500–800 miles.
Real economics
Rates are typically lower than traditional van freight ($1.75–$2.20/mile), but utilization is dramatically higher — often 3,000+ miles per week. Power only dispatch optimizes for miles, not RPM.
The bottom line
Power only is not about rate per mile — it's about miles per week. If you love efficiency and hate detention, it can be a phenomenal fit. Our /power-only-dispatch team runs Amazon Relay and JB Hunt 360 carriers every week.