GlossaryIndustry roles

What Is Central Dispatch in Auto Transport?

A high rating on this board tells you a carrier finished jobs before, not that it's insured today. Central Dispatch is a load board where brokers post vehicle-shipping jobs and carriers search and accept them.

A broker with a load to move lists the pickup and delivery points, the vehicle, and the offered rate, and any carrier holding active operating authority can view the listing and accept it. The board itself is a marketplace, not a broker or a carrier, and posting a load there doesn't shift any responsibility for the shipment away from the broker who posted it.

Also called
Central Dispatch load board, carrier load board, Central Dispatch rating
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A transport coordinator reviewing available vehicle shipments on a computer. Illustration of a coordinator using a digital dispatch marketplace.

Why Central Dispatch matters when you ship a car

Central Dispatch matters because a broker that has run out of carriers on its own network goes there to find one, and a carrier's rating on the board is one of the few public signals a broker can check before assigning a shipment to a company it hasn't worked with before. A listing on Central Dispatch gives a carrier a performance rating built from completed jobs, but the board itself does not verify a carrier's insurance or operating authority, so a broker still checks those separately before assigning a shipment to a carrier found there.

When Central Dispatch is used in a car shipment

Central Dispatch gets used after a broker accepts an order and before a carrier is assigned, while the broker searches for a truck to take the load. A broker posts the job, and any carrier searching the board that day can see it and accept it at the posted rate. Some brokers rely on the board for most of their capacity; others use it mainly to fill gaps left by carriers already in their own network, turning to the public board only when a preferred carrier isn't available on a given lane.

Central Dispatch vs Super Dispatch

Central Dispatch and Super Dispatch are two separately operated platforms a broker can check when vetting a carrier, and neither replaces the other.

Central DispatchSuper Dispatch
What it isA load board carrying a carrier performance rating, described as the largest dispatch board in the countryA separate carrier-vetting platform used for a second, independent performance check
What a broker uses it forPosting loads and reading a carrier's job-completion ratingCross-checking that rating against an independent source
Whether it replaces an insurance or authority checkNoNo

A broker that checks a carrier's standing on both platforms is running two independent checks rather than trusting one rating alone, which is why a published enclosed-carrier vetting checklist lists both as separate steps.

Frequently asked questions about Central Dispatch

Is Central Dispatch a broker or a carrier?
Neither. It's a load board, a marketplace where brokers post jobs and carriers accept them. It doesn't arrange or perform transportation itself.
Does a high Central Dispatch rating guarantee a good carrier?
No. The rating reflects a carrier's job-completion history on the board, not a current check of that carrier's insurance, operating authority or safety record, which a broker verifies separately.
Can I book a shipment directly through Central Dispatch?
No. Central Dispatch is built for brokers and carriers to find each other. You book through a broker, who then finds a carrier, sometimes using the board.
What is the difference between Central Dispatch and Super Dispatch?
Central Dispatch is a load board where brokers post jobs and carriers accept them. Super Dispatch is a separate platform brokers use for a second, independent check of a carrier's job-completion rating. A broker that checks both is running two independent checks rather than relying on either one alone.

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