The job of a truck dispatcher includes acquiring loads, scheduling, routing, and providing drivers with their load information.
A dispatcher also is the go to person between the driver, shipping and receiving customers, and the broker.
Some people consider a truck dispatcher, a freight dispatcher, they are both the same. Continue reading to find out more about a dispatcher’s job duties.
And at the end, find out the difference between a freight dispatcher and a freight broker.
What Does A Truck Dispatcher Do?
A dispatcher looks at a schedule that includes all of his drivers, where they are coming from, where they are at any moment, and where they are going.
A dispatcher has to plan ahead, looking for loads for drivers to pick up so the driver is not just sitting and making no money.
The size of a company can determine what duties are required of a dispatcher.
A small company dispatcher may only have 10 drivers but have more duties than the dispatchers at a larger company, who has more that 50-100 drivers to manage.
Generally, within a small company, a dispatcher not only schedules drivers, but has a lot of other responsibilities. They provide drivers with the name and address of where they need to pick up and deliver freight, along with the pickup and delivery times.
Often providing drivers with weather reports along any given route, providing the driver with alternative routes.
The dispatcher negotiates for loads with brokers, inputs the rate confirmation details into a computer system, verifies that drivers received signed bill of lading, obtains a copy from the driver, then sends the copy to the broker for verification of piece count, damaged freight detention, and lumper fees.
If the dispatcher is working within a larger company they may have more drivers, but a lot less responsibilities.
The dispatcher may only need to keep up with where the driver is at any given time and provide the driver with load information, while other member of the company take care of all the other details.
Keep Drivers Moving
The dispatcher, starts looking ahead, checking load boards for more freight to keep the drivers moving.
Depending on the area and demand for trucks versus freight it may take one call to a broker or it could take several calls over a few days.
Many times, drivers sit waiting for loads, while the dispatcher continually checks load boards and calls contacts for freight.
Many times, the dispatcher has to take loads for much less than it cost to operate the truck, but that is better than paying a driver to sit, while making no money hauling freight.
Managing Miles
As the dispatcher searches for loads he or she also looks at deadhead miles, the empty miles that a truck will have to travel to pick up a load.
I have deadhead trucks several hundred miles, when they were in areas with no freight.
While deadhead miles are important, so are head haul miles, miles that a truck travels with freight.
Government Regulations
However, mileage is not the only thing to consider.
Government regulations state that a truck must not exceed a gross weight of 80,000 lbs.
This includes freight, fuel, truck, trailer, and even the weight of the driver.
But weight also determines fuel consumption, the heavier the freight the more the fuel a truck requires.
Diesel fuel weighs approximately 7lbs per gallon. Most trucks have two tanks for fuel, one on each side of the truck.
Each holding 150 gallons of fuel each, for a total of just over a 1,000 lbs. A truck and trailer can weigh anywhere between 30,000 lbs. to 35,000 lbs. empty, sometimes more than that, depending on apu’s, reefers, and trailer skirts.
A dispatcher must know how much each truck can haul. If a truck gets to its pickup and the freight is to heavy, the customer is angry, the trucking company loses money, and the driver has wasted hours of valuable time trying to pick up a load that is too heavy.
Hours Of Service Regulations (HOS)
While searching for loads, dispatchers must be familiar with the Hours of Service regulations that states how long a driver is allowed to drive, without a break.
A dispatcher must consider how long the driver has already driven and also how long he has been on duty without driving.
As of February 2019, the overall rule states a driver must take a 30-minute break, off duty within an 8-hour period, he may not drive more than 11 hours, without a 10 hour break, and can work up to 14 hours driving and on duty not driving, but cannot drive after 14 hours on duty in any given status.
There are more rules and regulations, certain circumstances where exception may be made, but very few.
Managed Unexpected Problems
If there is a problem with the load, damaged freight, late delivery, detention time, angry drivers, customers, or brokers, the dispatcher is the one who negotiates for a solution to the problem.
It can be a very stressful situation, having an angry customer in one ear and a yelling driver in the other.
A dispatcher must think fast, consider many different options, and above all else try to keep himself calm.
How Much Does A Truck Dispatcher Make?
Truck dispatchers can start off making minimum wage, but most of the times this happens when the dispatcher has no previous experience.
However, if the dispatcher has experience in the trucking industry, such as driving a truck, loading and unloading freight, other management positions, and or a degree in the Logistics or Transportation industry, he/she can make as much as $40,000 a year or more.
The position of dispatcher can lead the way up the ladder to a management position in many companies, where the employee makes $60,000 a year or more.
Traits And Skills Of A Successful Truck Dispatcher
Traits of a successful freight dispatcher include organizational skills, attention to details, record keeping, excellent communication skills, negotiation skills, and people skills.
He/she can handle stressful situations while multi-tasking.
Basic computer and typing skills are a must.
Additional skills include speaking more than one language, especially Spanish and a college degree in Logistics or Transportation areas.
Organization is a skilled needed in many jobs, keeping paperwork in order, know where to find rate confirmations, load numbers, and customer information cuts down on the time rummaging around to find what is needed during a stressful situation.
A bit of mechanical knowledge helps when a truck is breaking down on the side of the road, but this is something that can be learned through on the job training.
Accurate Record Keeping And Organized
Attention to details and record keeping go hand and hand with organizational skills.
To manage drivers, customers, brokers, and other employees, in an accurate manner, information must be written or entered correctly.
Although, we all are human, we all make mistakes.
However, it helps to keep accurate records as possible, it maybe weeks or years before, information is reviewed. In the fast-paced world we live in, it can be hard to remember what happened yesterday, let alone weeks, months, or years from now.
And if other dispatchers and office employees work with your drivers, they will be able to assist the driver if you are not available.
Communication, negotiation and people skills are all important assets in the day of a dispatcher.
Good People Skills
Dealing with people all day long, is a large part of dispatching. From talking, texting, emailing, drivers, customers, brokers, and other office personnel to negotiating with brokers for the most money possible on a load.
People skills include talking, but it also includes listening.
Many times, a dispatcher may be the only person a driver talks to all day.
For a driver, the dispatcher is the one who listens while a driver blows off steam, the only one who asks how their day is, and possible be the only friend a driver has.
Being able to handle stress and difficult situations while multitasking is a necessity.
A dispatcher has to fly by the seat of his pants at times, making the best decisions possible.
Computer Skills
In this day and time, most people have some knowledge of computers.
While many of us who fall within the classification of the baby boomers or generation x, are not as computer savvy as the Millennials and generation z, computer skills are a must have skill for today’s working society.
Knowing English And Spanish
With the rise of immigration and the growing population in America, an added advantage for a dispatcher is the ability to speak another language.
The truck dispatcher must have excellent command of the English language, but Spanish is becoming more common among drivers.
College Degree
A college degree provides employers with the knowledge that a person has taken the time to study beyond what is required by law.
Degrees in Business Management, Human Resources, Organizational Leadership, Logistics, Transportation, and many others, are all useful skills for dispatchers.
How To Become A Truck Dispatcher?
Becoming a truck dispatcher can be as easy as applying for the job, many companies provide on the job training.
An applicant must have at least a GED or High School diploma to be considered for a dispatcher position.
Experience with the public, working at grocery stores or restaurants require many of the same skills that a dispatcher uses every day.
As stated above a college degree can help in acquiring a job, but
that is not always the case.
If becoming a freight dispatcher is something you are interested in start researching the Hours of Service regulations that drivers must adhere to, understand the weight limits and acquire book knowledge surrounding the trucking industry.
Read articles like this one that provides knowledge about the job duties of a dispatcher.
Truck Dispatching From Home
In 2019, the world has become more mobile and computerized.
With all the advances in computer technology many companies are allowing employees to work from home.
Among the advantages of working from home, my favorite one is not having to get up early every morning, drive through rush hour traffic, work in the stressful, noisy office, then drive back home in rush hour traffic.
With video conferencing, emails, online programs that offer the ability for many people to work on the same document in real time, working from home has become more popular.
If the dispatcher has a computer, internet, phone, and a place to work, most every task can be done in the confines of home.
Difference Between Freight Broker And Freight/Truck Dispatcher
The job of a freight dispatcher is different than that of freight broker.
A truck dispatcher will call freight brokers to obtain loads for their drivers. Or the freight broker will call trucking companies looking for a truck to haul their freight.
It is the freight broker’s job to acquire loads from organizations that need the services of a trucking company.
Similar to the job of truck dispatcher, a freight broker is the middle man between distribution companies and trucking companies.
The freight broker bids for different loads, negotiates a price with the customer, then negotiates a price with the trucking company.
The freight broker makes money by charging higher rates to the distribution companies, then turning around finding trucking companies with trucks available in the area, to haul the freight.
Of course, the freight broker negotiates a lower price with the trucking company, than the distribution company. The excess money is kept by the freight broker.
Being a freight broker can be a challenging job also, once the broker bids and wins the load, it is his responsibility to find a truck to haul the freight.
Sometimes the broker bids to low, he will have a hard time finding a truck to haul the freight, he then will have to lower his profit to get the freight moving and will lose money in the process.
Freight brokers need to know how to haggle, not just with distribution companies, but also with trucking companies.
Sometimes, distribution companies cut the middle man out, the freight broker, and go straight to a trucking company that they have either worked with in the past or are referred to by other distribution companies.
This cost less for the distribution companies and provides the trucking company with more revenue also.
