Truck Dispatcher Job Description: Know What it Takes to Become a Successful Dispatcher

Truck dispatchers play a crucial role in the transportation and logistics industry, helping companies ensure efficient delivery operations. They work for trucking organizations of small, medium, and large business sizes. 

A report shows that around 7.99 million people were hired in the trucking industry jobs in 2021. So, the market is huge and offers lucrative opportunities to truck dispatchers. While many people may not aspire to be a truck dispatcher, those who like working in supply chain management can apply for this job. 

So, what does a truck dispatcher job description look like? This blog will help you know the key responsibilities, skills, qualifications, and best practices to be a successful truck dispatcher. 

Responsibilities of a Truck Dispatcher 

The truck dispatcher’s responsibilities include planning and coordinating with drivers about parcel shipments. Here are the other duties associated with this job:

• Scheduling truck drivers to collect packages and shipments or make freight deliveries
• Being in touch with the customers about delivery details such as pickup or delivery times, and handling special requests
• Planning delivery routes and making changes as and when required
• Creating dispatch documents along with generating invoices and freight bills
• Keeping track of dispatched orders, delivery routes of truck drivers, route adjustments, and pickup/delivery timelines
• Ensuring that truck drivers comply with transportation regulations and laws
• Tracking drivers’ logs such as dispatched orders and arrival times
• Monitoring truck repairs and ensuring their regular maintenance
• Recording customer complaints and inquiries

Skills and Qualifications Required for Truck Dispatchers 

A truck dispatcher job has its own rewards and excitement. But, you must fulfill the requirements before sending your truck dispatcher resume for this position. Below, we have listed the key qualifications and skills needed for the same.

• A GED (Graduate Equivalency Degree or General Educational Diploma) or High School Diploma
• Bachelor’s or associate degree in logistics or transportation 
• 2 to 3 years of experience as a truck dispatcher is an added advantage 
• Basic knowledge of how trucking, shipping, and logistics work
• Analytical skills to analyze problems like unanticipated road blocks
• Proper coordination with truck drivers about changes in routes and other situations.
• Technological and computer skills, particularly in transportation management software
• Knowledge of using office software like Excel, Microsoft Word, and Outlook Express 
• Exceptional time management and organizational skills 
• Ability to handle difficult situations calmly, especially during customer complaints

How to be a Successful Truck Dispatcher?

To be a truck dispatcher, you must have the ability to work under pressure. This job role requires you to think on your feet when you need to make fast decisions. Here are some tips that will help you sail smoothly as a truck dispatcher:

1. Know your truck drivers

As you would be working with drivers, it is essential to make the effort and get to know them personally. This will help you have a great work-relationship and make your drivers feel valued. As drivers are extremely important in the shipping and delivery business, you must ensure that they are well-treated. 

2. Explore your service location

When you have prior knowledge of the shortcuts and fastest routes in the delivery region, you can tackle challenges in route planning. Local understanding can take you one step forward in managing things easily as a dispatcher. 

As most haulers and contractors are always on the run, this knowledge will help you dispatch routes quickly.

3. Practice professionalism and transparency

Integrity and transparency will help you go a long way when you face issues. Keeping things hidden may backfire and take a toll on your job. So, practice honesty from the start and be open to accept your mistakes. 

Building a professional environment is also crucial to keep healthy relationships with your co-workers. Afterall, it’s all teamwork that gets unlimited parcels to your customers, isn’t it!

4. Create a ”to-do” list

Maintaining an updated and clear schedule for your dispatch operations will help you remain organized. This works when you are interrupted by some other tasks that may come up in between your work.

So, detailed “to-do” lists will serve as good companions in your daily tasks. You can add all the details for your truck dispatch operations and keep it handy to check it every once in a while. 

5. Adopt latest technology 

Advance planning reduces last-minute problems and enhances routine workflow that results in high productivity. Learning about the latest technology and adopting a delivery management software can help you streamline your dispatch process. 

Planning routes and scheduling them for months in advance can bring down a lot of your workload. Along with saving your time through automated dispatch, it helps save fuel as drivers don’t need to search for routes while on the road.  

What does the Future Hold for a Truck Dispatcher?

As we saw, a truck dispatcher needs to be effective in communication and exhibit remarkable organizational skills to make it into the industry. A decade back, no one could imagine that a truck dispatcher could work from home or manage drivers without using phone calls.

The advancement in technology has brought truck dispatchers into being data analysts. So, you get to learn a lot when you enter the world of trucking services. A lot of freight businesses are going to hire more dispatchers as the numbers of online orders are skyrocketing.

A truck dispatcher is a point of contact for drivers to swap routes or reroute in case of problematic situations. As the customer demand for timely deliveries is growing each day, the demand for such occupations will certainly increase.

However, with technology taking the front seat, it is vital for truck dispatchers to adapt and take up additional tasks. In the constantly changing world and technological evolution, you must be prepared to work on tasks outside your routine.

Get Benefit of a Hassle-Free Dispatch Process with Upper

As a truck dispatcher, you would be great at coordinating freight movement in the right manner. But, it is stressful to manage different roles and responsibilities. As you focus on one area, you need to ensure that your other operations are automated. 

Here’s how Upper Route Planner reduces hassles and helps plan routes with ease for truck dispatchers:

1. Quick route optimization 

With Upper, you can automate route optimization and quickly find the best routes for your truck drivers. The intelligent software algorithm considers driving preferences, helps you set priority levels, and delivery constraints. So, you no longer need to spend hours on route planning and optimization.

2. One-click dispatch 

Once you have planned routes for a truck driver, you can dispatch them within a click. The assigned driver can simply get going with their shipment after receiving their route plans via text message, email, or through the driver app. This simplifies your duties and makes the overall operational efficiency much better.

3. Accurate ETAs 

Upper comes with real-time notifications, which makes it super easy for you to fetch positive feedback. With alerts about the estimated time of arrival, your customers can remain informed and be there to collect their orders on time. This helps you build a good reputation and provide excellent customer service. 

4. Proof of delivery

One of the issues with parcel delivery is delivery proof. It doesn’t just increase your truck driver’s accountability, but also helps you stay out of false claims. Thanks to Upper that your drivers can collect proof of delivery via e-signatures and photos. They can also record additional notes in case of a missed delivery. 

Take advantage of all the incredible features of Upper by signing up for a 7-day free trial today!

Conclusion

Now that you are aware of the job description for truck dispatcher, you will be easily able to apply for the job. As delivery services are meant to generate a lot of revenue for the country’s economy, it increases the importance of dispatchers in the trucking industry. 

Opting for a route planning software can make you deal with day-to-day route optimization and dispatch tasks productively. Upper Route Planner lets you schedule multi-stop deliveries and find the fastest routes. In case a driver isn’t available, you can quickly re-assign their route to another one. It also means that you can put down those extra work hours to rest. 

Sign up for the 7-day FREE trial and get started on your route optimization journey with Upper!