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How to Be a Successful Transportation Dispatcher

Emails, messages and phone calls are coming at you left and right, from customers and truck drivers. You need to make sudden changes to routes based on construction or bad weather. And your driver might not make it in time. In those moments, it’s easy for a dispatcher to get stressed out.

A transportation dispatcher with a purple overlay sits at a desk.

A dispatcher monitors where trucks are located, checks on how the runs are going, deals with customers, finds the next load assignments for the current truck, and much more. You might be a dispatcher for owner operators, or for company drivers. Since the job is fast-paced and continually changing, readiness and adaptability are required characteristics of a prospective truck dispatcher.

If you’re thinking about becoming a transportation dispatcher, first, you’ll want to know whether the position is right for you. Education is not always required to become a truck dispatcher, but there are helpful programs out there—programs in supply chain management, transportation or logistics are useful and very applicable to a dispatcher position. While education is a great way to acquire the skills needed to become a dispatcher, direct experience in the field is also highly valued—positions in transportation, customer service, or as a courier should help to develop the skills needed to enter into the world of dispatch.

Once you’re in a dispatcher position, there are certain keys to success in a position that can occasionally prove to be stressful. One tip is to always stay consistent—check your documents and work before moving forward, because one single mistake can cause a domino effect of many more mistakes. Dispatchers must also be good at multitasking: you’ll get off the phone, and having received multiple emails in that time, you might need to get right back on the phone again and manage to answer those emails, and then move on to another issue to solve. It’s also important to plan ahead—know what the weather will be like the next day (snow can always cause major delays), whether there’s construction on your route or not, and map out a general plan.

Overall, dispatching can be a fast-paced position, but it can also be rewarding. But if you’re interested in becoming a dispatcher, there’s always room for opportunity at Evans. Check out our Careers page for more information.