Transportation dispatchers schedule and dispatch workers, work crews, equipment or service vehicles for the transport of materials or passengers. They can also handle installations, services or emergency repairs. To transmit assignments, communicate information and record data concerning work in progress, they use radios, phones and computers.
Being a transportation dispatcher requires good organizational skills. After preparing the schedule for the days ahead, which involves determining the types of equipment, vehicles, materials and personnel that will be required to perform various tasks, the dispatcher must relay work orders, messages and information to work crews, supervisors and field inspectors. If there are any problems, such as delays or necessary repairs that need to be performed, the dispatcher will have to factor these changes into the schedule and react accordingly. He or she will also have to confer with customers in order to address questions, problems, and requests for service or equipment.
The ideal candidate
Some of the traits that a transportation dispatcher needs to develop to be effective in this line of work include:
- Active listening
- Judgment and decision making, such as being able to make decisions quickly while considering the relative costs and benefits
- Communications skills, including being able to delegate and instruct others on how to perform certain tasks
- Time management, including being able to efficiently manage the time of others
- Critical thinking
- Active learning, such as always looking for opportunities to improve operations, which may come through trial-and-error and experience
- People skills, such as being able to motivate and direct people as they work, and getting to know the available personnel to select the best candidate for a job
Obviously, good knowledge of transportation principles, including methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including their relative costs and benefits, is extremely important. Knowledge of public safety and security, including relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies for the protection of people, data, property and institutions, can be a tremendous asset as well. Lastly, some professionals with dispatcher training also choose to pursue transportation operations training.
Career diversity
The best part about being a transportation dispatcher is that you can take your career in many directions, depending on what your favourite aspect of the job is, or the type of transportation you prefer. There are a wide variety of careers available, in a number of different sectors. These careers include:
- Local Dispatcher
- Highway Dispatcher
- Load Planner
- Safety & Compliance Officer
- Driver Manager and Recruiter
- Safety & Compliance Officer
- Operations Manager
- Log Book Auditor
- Fleet Maintenance
- Loss Prevention Administrator
- Warehouse Supervisor
- Customer Service Rep
- Representative
- Sales
The average salaries for these types of positions are all very decent to excellent, and there’s currently good demand on the marketplace for graduates who have successfully completed dispatcher courses. If you’re someone with a passion for organization, details and transportation, you should consider a career as a transportation dispatcher.
