Power only lets a fleet grow tractors without buying trailers. Our desk dispatches power-only fleets of four trucks and up into shipper and 3PL trailer programs — with the interchange terms read before you sign and the trailer's condition documented before your driver pulls it.
Quick answer: Power only dispatch is load sourcing for a trucking company running tractors that pull trailers owned by the shipper, broker or 3PL. Badass Logistics dispatches power-only fleets of four or more power units, reviews trailer interchange terms before a program starts, and builds the condition record that protects you on a trailer you do not own.
In a power-only arrangement your tractor shows up, hooks a loaded trailer that belongs to someone else, and delivers it. No trailer purchase, no trailer maintenance, no trailer sitting empty depreciating — which is why a growing fleet can add revenue-earning tractors far faster on power only than on any other equipment type.
The trade is that you are responsible for equipment you do not control. Tyres, lights, brakes and a roof you never inspected become your problem the moment the driver hooks, and a trailer interchange agreement decides who pays when something goes wrong. That agreement, not the rate, is the thing a power-only dispatcher has to get right.
Dedicated drop-trailer programs at manufacturers and distribution centres.
Pulling brokered trailer networks on a program basis rather than load by load.
Short repeatable moves between plants, yards and rail ramps.
Covering a shipper's trailer pool through a peak without them adding tractors.
Who carries physical damage on the trailer, who pays for a roadside tyre, what happens if a trailer is damaged in a yard you never entered — that is all in the interchange terms. We read them and flag what they put on your fleet before the program starts.
Photos at hook, noted defects, and a record of what the trailer looked like when your driver took it. It takes two minutes and it is the only thing standing between your fleet and a damage claim for something that was already broken.
Power only pays best as a repeating program, not as a load-by-load scramble. We target shippers and 3PLs running real trailer pools so your tractors have somewhere to go every week.
Detention on power only works differently — a driver may be waiting on a trailer rather than on a dock. What counts, and from when, is settled per program up front.
Every load is negotiated against the lane and the work the freight actually takes. These are the factors the desk argues from — no rate sheet, and no number quoted before we know your fleet:
You keep your operating authority, your insurance and your drivers. You approve every load before it is booked — no forced dispatch. Hiring, maintenance, and your safety and compliance program stay in-house; the desk plugs into your company rather than replacing it.
Badass Logistics is an industrial rigging company first, which is where the freight advantage comes from: our own projects generate loads that need covering, and project freight between sites moves through our licensed broker and carrier partners. Badass holds no operating authority and owns no trucks — your fleet hauls the freight, our desk finds and papers it.
See the full fleet dispatch service, browse dispatch by equipment type, or see how the desk works for 4–10 trucks, 10–25 trucks, 25+ trucks, after-hours coverage.
Van fleets running appointment freight — lane density, drop-and-hook programs, and detention billed as it happens.
Dry Van Dispatch →Temperature-controlled fleets — set points on the rate con, download-backed claims defence, and seasonal lane planning.
Reefer Dispatch →Partial truckload fleets — linear feet, co-loading two or three partials into one truck, and reclass exposure.
LTL & Partial Dispatch →Yes — power only dispatch for trucking companies running four or more tractors under their own authority. Never single-truck owner-operators. Apply for fleet dispatch →
No — that is the point of it. Your tractors pull trailers owned by the shipper, broker or 3PL, which is how a fleet adds earning tractors without adding trailer capital.
It depends entirely on the trailer interchange agreement, which is why we read it before a program starts and tell you what it puts on your fleet. We also build a condition record at every hook so a pre-existing defect does not become your claim.
It depends on whether you can keep the tractors loaded. Power only removes trailer capital and maintenance but ties you to someone else's equipment and programs. A fleet with steady program volume usually comes out ahead; a fleet hooking one-off spot trailers usually does not.
Yes. Your authority, your insurance, your drivers, and you approve every load before it is booked.
Tell us your fleet, your equipment and the lanes you want to run. We'll set up an onboarding call and get your trucks covered.