5 Checks Before Hiring a Dispatch Truck
By John Akande in Booking Guides. Published 25 August 2026, updated 13 November 2026. 3 minute read.
Image: driver checking a delivery note beside a loaded pickup truck
Key takeaways from this guide
- Get the price in writing before the truck leaves. A WhatsApp message counts.
- Ask whether loading help is included and how much free waiting time you get.
- Confirm they actually reach your LGA, and how much notice they need.
- Ask how they handle delays, and whether they confirm delivery with the receiver.
- Check that there's a real business behind the driver: an address, a phone line, a listing.
1. Is the price flat or flexible?
Ask for a number before the truck leaves, and get it in writing (a WhatsApp message counts). Anyone who won't commit to a price until they've seen your load in person is telling you the number is negotiable later, usually upward. A flat, zone-based quote protects you from that conversation entirely.
2. Does the driver help load?
Some dispatch services treat loading as your problem. That's fine if you have people to help. If you don't, ask specifically whether loading assistance is included, and whether there's a time limit on it before extra charges kick in. Twenty minutes of free loading time should be standard, not a favor.
3. Can they actually reach your LGA
Akwa Ibom has 31 Local Government Areas, and not every dispatcher covers all of them at the same speed. Ask directly: can they deliver the same day, how much notice do they need, or does it need special arrangement? A dispatcher who says yes to everything without checking is more likely to give you a vague answer on delivery day too.
4. What happens if it's late
Trucks get delayed. Traffic, weather, a previous job running long: it happens. What matters is whether the dispatcher tells you before you're standing outside wondering, or after. Ask how they handle delays before you book, not after you're already waiting.
Need this sorted today?
Message us your pickup point, drop-off point, and what's moving. We'll quote a flat price before anything is booked.
Get a Quote5. Do they confirm the delivery?
A good dispatch service gets confirmation from the person receiving the goods and passes that back to you. If a company can't tell you whether your delivery actually arrived without you calling the receiver yourself, that's a real gap.
Bonus check: is there a real business?
With informal haulage, the bigger risk is usually accountability, not price. If a solo driver damages your goods or stops picking up the phone, there's often nobody else to call. Before you hand over anything valuable, check a few basics:
- A business name and a phone number that someone answers, not just a driver's personal line
- A physical address you could visit, ideally with a Google Maps listing
- Reviews or references from people who've booked before
- A written record of the booking: price, pickup, drop-off, and date
Questions to ask on the first call
You can cover all of the above in a two-minute conversation. Copy these into your WhatsApp message and see how clearly they're answered:
- What's the total price, and what does it include?
- Is loading help included, and how much waiting time is free?
- How much notice do you need for my location?
- What happens if you're running late?
- How will I know the goods have arrived?
How we answer those checks
Here's how we answer them. You get a flat price on WhatsApp before the truck leaves. Loading help and the first 20 minutes of waiting are included. We cover every LGA in Akwa Ibom. If we're running late, you hear from us before you're left waiting. And the receiver confirms the drop-off. You can also find our base on Google Maps.
Common questions about this topic
Is it safe to book a truck I found on WhatsApp or social media?
It can be, as long as you check that there's a real business behind it: a working phone line, an address, and a written price. If any of those are missing, be careful with valuable goods.
Services covered in this guide
About the author: John Akande
Content & Growth Lead, Zozzah Logistics
John Akande leads content and growth for Zozzah Logistics. These guides draw on the jobs our dispatch team handles every week, and we update them when prices, routes, or the roads change. Prices quoted are our published rates as of the updated date.