The trucking industry is a great industry with lots of different challenges. The trucking dispatcher duties are an important part of any trucking company. The ability to be an effective communicator is the primary goal. Perhaps that is over simplifying too much, but communication is the main objective of a trucking dispatcher. Therefore, nearly all duties required almost all focus around excellent communication.
I Want To Be A Work From Home DispatcherWhat I Need To Know
The trucking industry has its own technical aspects and jargon that are essential to learn and understand to communicate effectively. The following list provides just a few subjects you can expect to know as a part of a dispatcher's duties.
- Equipment Type - The different truck and trailer combinations, axle configurations, and technical terms used around trucks.
- Basic Math - Use of a calculator to figure rate-per-mile (RPM), fuel surcharge, dimension conversions, revenue itemization, and profit and expense calculations.
- Communication - Effectively negotiate on the phone and communicate with drivers, customers, shippers, and consignees.
- Rules & Regulations - Understanding rules of the road for trucks which include hours of service, oversize hauling, licenses required, and more.
Dispatcher Daily Tasks
Using the skills listed above a dispatcher will speak with drivers and customers throughout the day. When speaking with a driver you must understand the driver's needs and wants. When the driver is the owner of the truck, an owner operator, the needs of the driver are most important, if the owner of the truck is someone other than the driver, then it is likely you will be speaking to someone else or at least taking the wants and needs of the truck owner over the driver's.
Negotiating
Because a dispatcher is negotiating on behalf of the driver and customer your goal is to negotiate a rate and expectations that are agreeable to both parties. The rate, or cost of the load, is the value somewhere between what the driver will agree to be paid to haul the load and what the customer is willing to pay to have the load hauled. These values change on a number of different factors, which I'll list some below. Therefore, a dispatcher will be more successful the better they understand these values which will improve their negotiations.
- Market Fluctuations - Rates vary depending on the time of the year, month, week and even day. Market conditions like cost of fuel can change on a weekly basis.
- Geographical Location - Depending where a shipment picks up and delivers can really change the cost of shipping. A thousand mile shipment can differ by hundreds of dollars just by virtue of the lane the shipment is going from and to.
- Operating Costs - The cost of equipment will vary so it make sense that a trailer that cost $25,000 will run at a cheaper rate than a trailer type that cost $50,000. This same logic can be expanded to include the truck, driver needs, etc.
Paperwork and Data Entry
Agreeing on the shipment's rate is only the first step. There is paperwork and data entry that needs to be done to make the load official. Nearly all the steps listed below are mandatory. Some steps can be skipped if a relationship is already established with the customer.
- Credit Check and Contract - The truck hauling the shipment must provide their authority, insurance, and W-9 to be an approved carrier. The trucking company must also conduct a credit check on the customer to ensure they are credit worthy. Contracts are also generally required.
- Rate Confirmation - A one-page document that outlines the shipment's requirements and load pay. There is legalese that state specific penalties and costs if certain load requirements are not meet.
- Load Data Entry - Entering the load data into software triggers the invoicing to the customer and paying the driver, along with load tracking, etc.
- Dispatching - Communicating with the driver and customer by phone, email, or text. The load status and pickup and delivery times are important, but so is resolving any load disputes.
Communicate To Success
As mentioned several times, but it can not be emphasized enough, the trucking dispatcher duties will focus on excellent communication. You must communicate honestly and effectively while knowing when to listen. Understanding your customer's and driver's needs will eliminate problems and help build stronger bonds.
