Setting Up AI Call Intake for Inbound Carrier Calls

Fifth Wheel turns a single load into an inbound-call machine. Instead of juggling voicemails and missed calls, you give carriers one number to dial and let an AI voice agent handle every conversation, day or night. This tutorial walks through the exact setup: unlocking your load, posting the number, and understanding what the AI captures on each call.

The whole thing takes a few minutes. By the end, carriers will be calling in and their offers will land in your dashboard automatically.

Step 1: Unlock the Load to Reveal Your Call-In Number

Once you've filled out the Create Your Load form and clicked Create Load, your new load appears as a locked card. You'll see a blurred Call-In Number and Reference Code with a "Click to Unlock" prompt.

Unlocking is what actually turns on carrier calls:

1. Click the locked card to unlock it. Unlocking uses 1 credit.
2. If you don't have a credit yet, you'll be sent to Stripe checkout to buy load credits — $29 for a single credit, $75 for a 3-pack, or $199 for a 10-pack ($19.90 per credit). Your first load is $9.99 with code TRIAL at checkout.
3. Once unlocked, the card reveals your Call-In Number — a shared phone number carriers dial — and a unique 6-digit Reference Code tied to this specific load.

Both the Call-In Number and the Reference Code have copy buttons right on the card, so you can grab them without retyping. The Reference Code is what routes an incoming call to the correct load, which is why every load gets its own code.

Step 2: Post the Number Where Carriers Will See It

This is the part that gets the phone ringing. Take the Call-In Number and Reference Code and put them on your load-board listing — anywhere you'd normally list a contact number for a load.

A few practical tips:

• Drop the Call-In Number into the contact-phone field of your load post on whichever board you use.
• Include the 6-digit Reference Code right next to it, so carriers know to enter it when prompted.
• If your board has a notes or comments field, a short line like "Call the number above and give reference code 123456" removes any guesswork.

That's all the setup carriers need on their end. They dial the number, give the reference code, and they're connected to the AI agent for your load. There's no app to download and nothing for them to sign up for.

Step 3: Let the AI Voice Agent Do the Talking

Here's what happens the moment a carrier calls in. The AI voice agent answers 24/7 — nights, weekends, and while you're on other calls. The carrier never hits a voicemail box and you never lose a rate because you couldn't pick up.

On every call, the agent collects a consistent set of information so each offer is easy to compare:

• Carrier MC number
• Carrier name
• Carrier phone number
• Offered rate
• Truck location
• Available date

Beyond the raw data, the agent records the call and produces a full transcript plus a short summary. That means when you review a carrier later, you have the rate, the numbers, and the actual conversation — not a half-remembered voicemail.

Where the Offers Show Up

As calls come in, offers populate your Inbound Calls table in real time. Each row shows the carrier's status, MC number, phone, and rate. A rate that lands at or under your Target Rate is marked In Range in green; anything above it shows as Above Target in amber. Click any row to open the Call Details drawer with the summary, transcript, and audio recording.

Step 4: Set the Load Up So the AI Represents It Well

The AI can only speak to what you've told it. A thin load post produces thin conversations, while a well-filled-out load lets the agent answer carrier questions and pull in stronger offers. Spend an extra minute on these fields when you create the load:

• Target Rate — set this accurately. It's the number the dashboard compares every carrier offer against to decide In Range vs. Above Target, so an off-base target skews your whole view of the offers.
• Posted Rate Min / Max — fill in the range you're advertising. This gives the AI a sensible band to work within when carriers ask what you're paying.
• Commodity and Weight (lbs) — carriers ask about these constantly. Providing them up front keeps calls short and productive.
• Additional Notes — use this for anything specific to the load: appointment requirements, special handling, or details that help a carrier decide quickly.

The required fields — Origin, Destination, Pickup Date, Delivery Date, Equipment Type, and Target Rate — are the minimum. The optional fields are where you sharpen the AI's context, so treat them as part of the setup rather than an afterthought.

Step 5: Know Your Call Limit and How Calls Are Counted

Each load unlock includes 20 inbound carrier calls. That's usually plenty to build a strong picture of the market on a lane, and it keeps your cost per load predictable.

A couple of details on how the limit works:

• A call is counted once it passes roughly 10 seconds, so quick misdials and immediate hang-ups don't burn through your allotment.
• Individual calls are capped at around 3 minutes, which is enough for the agent to collect everything it needs.
• You can watch your usage on the dashboard's call-usage progress bar (for example, 7 / 20), alongside the Left KPI showing calls remaining.

When you reach 20 calls, that load's intake is complete. Review the offers, pick the best In Range carrier, use their MC number to run your own vetting, then follow up directly to book. Archive the load when you're done and create your next one — one active load at a time.

You're Ready to Take Calls

That's the entire setup: create the load, unlock it to reveal your Call-In Number and Reference Code, post both to your load board, and let the AI voice agent answer around the clock. Every offer flows into your Inbound Calls table with the MC number, rate, recording, and transcript already captured.

No more missed voicemails, no more guessing whether you got the best rate. Give carriers one number, and let the calls come to you.