2026 Drayage Dispatch Spreadsheet in Excel — Free Template

Step 1: Review rates and lists on Settings

Start with the editable assumptions in the Settings Value column. The supplied planning assumptions include Fuel price per gallon, Fuel surcharge per mile, and Target gross margin. Replace these sample assumptions with figures appropriate for your operation. The target is used to highlight loads below the planning margin.

Rows 15 through 114 provide an accessorial rate catalog. Enter an accessorial type, its nonnegative rate, and a rate unit from the available list. The readiness output reports Ready or Missing rate. Settings also contains editable lists for status, priority, container size, yes or no selections, terminals, customers, drivers, steamship lines, and rate units.

Step 2: Enter each move in a prepared Dispatch row

Use the populated opening records only as layout examples. Enter actual work in available blank rows from 5 through 154. The light cells are manual inputs. Begin with a unique Load ID and Dispatch Date, then complete Status, Priority, Customer, Container Number, Container Size, Steamship Line, and Terminal.

Add Pickup Appointment, Delivery Appointment, Driver, Tractor, Chassis, Origin, and Destination. Enter Loaded Miles, Empty Miles, Fuel Gallons, Base Revenue, Driver Pay, and Other Cost. Dropdowns are provided for selected fields. Validation also checks duplicate populated Load IDs, limits container numbers to 15 characters, restricts applicable amounts to nonnegative values, and applies date boundaries.

Step 3: Complete financial and delivery details

Select an Accessorial Type and enter its quantity or hours only when a charge applies. After delivery, complete On-Time? and Actual Delivery Date, then add Dispatch Notes as needed. These fields are entered by the user and are not supplied by an external system.

The mint cells are calculated. Total Miles adds loaded and empty miles. Fuel Surcharge multiplies total miles by the Settings rate, while Accessorial Revenue multiplies quantity or hours by the matched catalog rate. Fuel Cost uses reported gallons and the fuel-price assumption. Total Revenue, Total Cost, Gross Margin, Margin %, and Days Open are then calculated. Avoid typing over these formula cells.

Step 4: Review filters, dashboard results, and guidance

Update Status as each container move progresses. Use the Dispatch filters to isolate active work, exceptions, appointments, missing assignments, overdue records, or low-margin loads. Dashboard is a calculated review sheet rather than an operating-entry area. Its Operational Checks are review counts, not compliance findings. The Instructions sheet provides the file’s recommended workflow and field guidance.

Dispatch brings the details needed for a drayage move into a single row. Pickup and Delivery Appointment fields include local date and time, while Terminal, Driver, Tractor, and Chassis fields document the planned assignment. Origin and Destination provide the lane endpoints, and Loaded Miles plus Empty Miles capture the distance split.

Filters cover the prepared range, making it possible to review records by status, priority, customer, terminal, driver, or other entered values. Appointment changes and equipment availability still require manual confirmation. No terminal, port, carrier, or driver data is imported into the file.

Base Revenue, Driver Pay, Other Cost, Fuel Gallons, and applicable accessorial quantity or hours are manual inputs in U.S. dollars, miles, and gallons. Formulas combine those entries with the editable Settings rates. A blank accessorial or the None selection returns zero accessorial revenue.

Gross Margin is Total Revenue less Total Cost. Margin % divides gross margin by total revenue with error handling when revenue is zero. The target margin on Settings is a planning threshold, while the Dashboard includes a count for negative-margin loads. These figures depend on the completeness and accuracy of the entered operating data.

The Dashboard shows Open Loads, Loads MTD, Revenue MTD, Gross Margin MTD, Margin % MTD, Delivered MTD, average revenue per load, total miles, and fuel gallons. Month-to-date calculations use Dispatch Date entries from the first day of the current month through the workbook’s current date.

The On-Time Rate compares delivered loads marked Yes with all delivered loads in the month-to-date period. Status counts support the Current Load Mix chart, and a separate six-month chart displays revenue, total cost, and gross margin. A Priority Mix summary counts Standard, High, and Critical records.

Days Open uses the current date for active loads, Actual Delivery Date for delivered loads, and zero for canceled loads. This provides a consistent aging field that can be filtered alongside Status and Priority.

Dashboard checks count Exception Loads, Active Missing Driver, Missing Pickup Appointment, Negative Margin Loads, Open Beyond Alert Days, and Accessorial Rate Review items. They identify records that may need manual attention. This workbook is a planning aid and does not replace accounting, legal, tax, DOT/FMCSA, safety, regulatory, or compliance advice.