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How to become a Dispatcher?
Share your journey & guide aspiring Dispatchers on their path.
Note: We've seen a lot of interest in this career, so we're looking for guidance from our community of professionals.
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Barbara Zoerner
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Marshfield, Wisconsin
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Barbara’s Answer
I worked several years as a truck brokerage dispatcher. It was a great job. It wasn't difficult to get the job. The company I worked for hired me with zero dispatch experience. If you want to work in emergency dispatch, you will need training that is usually provided for you on the job. Every dispatch company has their own protocols and standards so you will be required to know and abide by those. Some of the requirements to function as a dispatcher are regulatory, so check into the requirements for the type of dispatch you wish to perform.
I worked supporting construction materials. Basically, I was responsible for obtaining daily hauls from established customers and assigning the load to a driver for a percentage of their pay. The company I worked for was in construction, so the loads were mostly some type of aggregate (rock/sand/gravel/concrete washout). I had a list of about 10 customers to call every day, usually towards the end of the day (14:30-1700) as that is when they schedule for the next day's load. I had a list of 75 drivers with the type of truck they used and assigned the loads first based on seniority then on the rate of earnings for the company. I had two cell phones plus a dedicated CB radio to talk with the drivers, if necessary, throughout the day in case of last-minute job changes, a truck breaking down, driver issues, etc. Each day, the job had to be done quickly and with a minimum of mistakes.
Some key points to consider:
You must be able to handle changing requirements swiftly and accurately with a calm demeanor. If you don't deal well with stress, this is not the job for you.
Your schedule for the daily and next day hauls needs to be posted clearly or communicated to and accepted by the assigned hauler. If you call and the driver doesn't respond, you leave a message with a time frame of response. If the driver misses the timeframe, you must assign the load to the next hauler. If you don't speak to the hauler directly, they have NOT accepted the load. You can't leave a load sitting without an assigned hauler unless there is a very important reason. And, there is no important reason to leave a load sitting.
You must be very detail oriented. With one hand you are receiving jobs for the next day and with the other you are assigning drivers and getting them to accept the load. It is a very frantic and confusing dance that must be clearly communicated to the haulers while keeping the customer happy.
Know your loads and the prices you will be accepting. Sometimes customers want to negotiate a lower rate for the haul. During dispatch time is not the time to do this. Have them make an appointment to speak with you or whomever sets the rates.
Same goes for knowing the prices of what percentage you take and what the drivers will be earning for the load. Is the price based on mileage, tonnage, number of trips, whatever as the drivers will ask you and you need to know so you can efficiently do your dispatch.
Last but not least, your dispatch and driver tickets are processed for billing and payment. As the dispatcher, you are responsible for matching your dispatch to the driver ticket and getting it to the person entering the data to create payment. Without this step, no one gets billed and no one gets paid.
Dispatch is a great job for anyone who enjoys interacting with many different people daily and can handle the stress. There is a lot of variety for dispatchers as they are often tapped to also provide backup for other positions as needed. Good Luck!
I worked supporting construction materials. Basically, I was responsible for obtaining daily hauls from established customers and assigning the load to a driver for a percentage of their pay. The company I worked for was in construction, so the loads were mostly some type of aggregate (rock/sand/gravel/concrete washout). I had a list of about 10 customers to call every day, usually towards the end of the day (14:30-1700) as that is when they schedule for the next day's load. I had a list of 75 drivers with the type of truck they used and assigned the loads first based on seniority then on the rate of earnings for the company. I had two cell phones plus a dedicated CB radio to talk with the drivers, if necessary, throughout the day in case of last-minute job changes, a truck breaking down, driver issues, etc. Each day, the job had to be done quickly and with a minimum of mistakes.
Some key points to consider:
You must be able to handle changing requirements swiftly and accurately with a calm demeanor. If you don't deal well with stress, this is not the job for you.
Your schedule for the daily and next day hauls needs to be posted clearly or communicated to and accepted by the assigned hauler. If you call and the driver doesn't respond, you leave a message with a time frame of response. If the driver misses the timeframe, you must assign the load to the next hauler. If you don't speak to the hauler directly, they have NOT accepted the load. You can't leave a load sitting without an assigned hauler unless there is a very important reason. And, there is no important reason to leave a load sitting.
You must be very detail oriented. With one hand you are receiving jobs for the next day and with the other you are assigning drivers and getting them to accept the load. It is a very frantic and confusing dance that must be clearly communicated to the haulers while keeping the customer happy.
Know your loads and the prices you will be accepting. Sometimes customers want to negotiate a lower rate for the haul. During dispatch time is not the time to do this. Have them make an appointment to speak with you or whomever sets the rates.
Same goes for knowing the prices of what percentage you take and what the drivers will be earning for the load. Is the price based on mileage, tonnage, number of trips, whatever as the drivers will ask you and you need to know so you can efficiently do your dispatch.
Last but not least, your dispatch and driver tickets are processed for billing and payment. As the dispatcher, you are responsible for matching your dispatch to the driver ticket and getting it to the person entering the data to create payment. Without this step, no one gets billed and no one gets paid.
Dispatch is a great job for anyone who enjoys interacting with many different people daily and can handle the stress. There is a lot of variety for dispatchers as they are often tapped to also provide backup for other positions as needed. Good Luck!