Dedicated Fleet / Dedicated Contract Carriage

Dedicated contract carriage – often called a dedicated fleet – is a hybrid between running your own trucks and using common carriers. A for-hire carrier assigns specific trucks and drivers to your freight under a multi-year contract. You get consistent capacity, reliable drivers who learn your facilities and customers, and priority service – without the capital investment, maintenance burden, and HR complexity of owning the fleet yourself.

The arrangement typically covers a defined set of lanes or routes with guaranteed capacity. The carrier handles driver hiring, training, compliance, equipment maintenance, and fuel – you pay a fixed or cost-plus rate that's usually lower than spot market pricing but higher than the most competitive common carrier contract rates. The trade-off is cost certainty and service consistency: you know what you're paying and you know trucks will be available.

Dedicated fleets work best for shippers with steady, predictable volume on core lanes – think daily deliveries to the same distribution centers or regular routes between manufacturing plants and warehouses. Food and beverage and cold chain shippers often favor dedicated arrangements because temperature-controlled freight demands consistent equipment quality and drivers trained in proper handling. The driver continuity also matters – a dedicated driver who knows your dock procedures, delivery requirements, and customer expectations reduces errors and speeds up operations.

The risk is committing to capacity you don't consistently fill. If volumes dip below the contracted minimum, you're paying for empty trucks. Shippers considering dedicated carriage need accurate volume forecasts and should negotiate contract terms that allow flexibility for seasonal fluctuation. Pairing a dedicated fleet for base volume with common carriers for surge capacity is a common and effective approach.