Dispatchers, Except Police, Fire, and Ambulance
Dispatchers (except police, fire, and ambulance) schedule and dispatch workers, work crews, equipment, or service vehicles for conveyance of materials, freight, or passengers, or for normal installation, service, or emergency repairs rendered outside the place of business. Their duties may include using radio, telephone, or computer to transmit assignments and compiling statistics and reports on work progress.
Dispatchers find available loads for their trucks, negotiate load rates with freight brokers or agents, review and sign carrier contracts, rate contracts and load confirmations, send carrier packets to brokers or agents, and dispatch the truck drivers to pick up the loads and track loaded trucks through delivery.
Dispatcher jobs use radios or telephones to schedule or dispatch workers, work crews, equipment, or service vehicles to appropriate locations, relay work orders to or from work crews, confer with customers or supervise personnel to address service requests, and run schedules.
An aircraft dispatcher works in the operations centre and assists in planning flight paths considering aircraft performance and loading, providing flight following service, and advising pilots if conditions change.
Dispatchers need a high school diploma with some on-the-job training from senior employees. A dispatch work school provides training on types of trucks, their advantages and disadvantages, how to ensure the safety of cargo during transportation, use online tools to search for loads, documentation involved for cargo clearance, and other nuances. The average dispatcher's salary depends on experience and proficiency in the work.
To succeed in this profession, one should possess skills of critical thinking, judgement and decision making, monitoring, social perceptiveness and communication.
Qualifications
Every career requires an element of study and academic qualification, and there can be several study routes and pathways you can take. In following any academic pathway you will study subjects that contribute to the specialised knowledge required to achieve your career goals. These qualifications provide a future employer with the evidence that you have the desired knowledge, understanding and experience of their industry, so it’s important to consider the various types of qualifications available to you and to understand how they can boost your career and create opportunities for you.
- Bachelor's Any Subject
Tasks
- Schedule or dispatch workers, work crews, equipment, or service vehicles to appropriate locations, according to customer requests, specifications, or needs, using radios or telephones.
- Arrange for necessary repairs to restore service and schedules.
- Relay work orders, messages, or information to or from work crews, supervisors, or field inspectors, using telephones or two-way radios.
- Confer with customers or supervising personnel to address questions, problems, or requests for service or equipment.
- Prepare daily work and run schedules.
- Receive or prepare work orders.
- Oversee all communications within specifically assigned territories.
- Monitor personnel or equipment locations and utilization to coordinate service and schedules.
- Record and maintain files or records of customer requests, work or services performed, charges, expenses, inventory, or other dispatch information.
- Determine types or amounts of equipment, vehicles, materials, or personnel required, according to work orders or specifications.
Progression Routes
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