What Does a Truck Dispatcher Do? You Would Be Surprised!
If you’ve ever driven down the road and passed large tractor trailers, you’ve probably wondered what goes on inside those trucks and inside the companies that own them. Are they just driving aimlessly? Are they sleeping all day? Do they have fun social lives? The answer to this question is easier and more complicated than you think; Yes, truckers get paid to drive their trucks, but they also have more duties when they’re not driving than many people might imagine!
1) Everything you didn’t know about dispatchers
The dispatcher service is not what it seems at first glance, they are a group of professionals who strive every day to achieve the maximum with the minimum. They are in charge of monitoring the movement and performance of their company’s vehicles, cargo and drivers. They can also provide important information about your network to minimize delays. Some people may think that dispatchers have an easy job because they just push buttons all day. Wrong! They have a lot on their plate and typically need some form of dispatch training as well as related experience.
2) Why it can be a challenging job
The work of a truck dispatcher must be very complete since he has to know the routes of the trucks and also know about the loads and types of loads that there are and as well as all the paperwork that all this entails. In addition to all these things, an organized schedule is also maintained for the drivers. In short, dispatchers take care of every detail so you don’t have to worry about a thing.
3) The hours you may have to work
Although the hours can be long and sometimes you may have to work weekends and holidays, being a truck dispatcher can be a very rewarding career. To get an idea of what a day in the life of a truck dispatcher is like, check out 10 Things They Do Every Day: In addition to moving cargo from one place to another, 5 things truck dispatchers do every day are:
- Coordinate deliveries with multiple drivers for multiple clients
- Schedule pickups and returns for drivers
- Review paperwork, such as cargo manifests or driver’s logs, before sending it to a customer
- Monitor fuel usage and ensure trucks stay on schedule by calculating required mileage per stop so drivers don’t run out of gas before reaching their destination
- Make routing decisions based on factors such as traffic conditions or time of day
4) The required training
A truck dispatcher must have rigorous exhaustive training which is accompanied by route management, satellite locations among other things. A truck dispatcher assumes the responsibility of receiving calls from the company and following their instructions. To ensure the safety of drivers, they are in charge of enforcing speed limits and making sure trucks keep a safe distance from each other. They also monitor the progress of shipments and make sure they reach their destination on time. They keep track of any shipping discrepancies that may arise and help find solutions to these issues where possible. They can be contacted at any time during driving hours, so it is important that they remain alert at all times.
5) How to become a road dispatcher
First of all you have to have a passion for this type of work in addition to having good communication with the truckers. Second, you need to know the federal and state rules regarding driving a commercial vehicle. Lastly, you need computer skills and an understanding of dispatch software. A person can enter this line of work by going to school or working as an office manager for a trucking company.
6) The tasks involved in being an OTR dispatcher
There are many tasks and activities involved in being a dispatcher, among them, a truck dispatcher may be responsible for the following:
- Ensuring drivers get the correct charge
- Communicate with customers about freight costs
- Schedule outbound driver pickups for delivery to customers
- Tracking shipments to ensure they are delivered on time
- Tracking shipment status, including tracking numbers and vehicle mileage at all times during transit
- Assigning loads to drivers based on their needs and preferences, as well as individual drivers’ qualifications and requirements; drivers typically pick up loads at shippers or receivers after being assigned by dispatchers
- Maintain files that track various information such as load status, driver hours of service (HOS), driver qualifications, and more 8.
Now yes! You already know everything that it takes to be a good dispatcher and you are fully prepared to get your loads without leaving anything aside, in the same way you can communicate with any of our advisors to expand the information or start the service with our company.
No comment