Dispatch is the point in a shipment when a carrier formally accepts the load and a driver is scheduled to pick it up. Before dispatch, an order is booked but not yet matched to a truck. After dispatch, the shipper usually gets the carrier's name, a contact number and a narrower pickup estimate.
In brokered auto transport, the broker offers the vehicle to carriers, often through a load board or to carriers it already works with. A carrier with room on a truck running that route accepts the price and terms, and the broker sends a dispatch sheet with addresses, contacts, vehicle details and payment terms. How quickly this happens depends on the route, the price, the vehicle type and the season.
For dealers and auctions, dispatch is the moment to make sure release paperwork, gate passes and keys are ready. A driver who arrives to a vehicle that cannot be released may move on to the next stop. Rural pickups, inoperable vehicles and peak seasons can all take longer to dispatch.
AutoTransportVehicle.com does not dispatch carriers. Bookings made through an AutoTransportVehicle.com widget are dispatched by AutoTransportVehicle.com's FMCSA-licensed fulfillment partner. The full sequence from quote to delivery is in how auto transport works.