Every Trucker Needs to Know These 3 Things About Dispatching

Posted On Jan 25, 2022

Knowledgeable, reliable dispatching is the backbone of a successful trucking business. They act as the go-between for truck drivers, customers, and the trucking company. Additionally, they manage every behind-the-scene aspect of a delivery run, from pick-up to drop-off. Finally, they help ensure that freight gets where it has to go, on time. Truckers play an equally important role in the everyday operations of a trucking company since they are the ones actually doing the driving and delivering.

When it comes down to it, the dispatching operations of a trucking business can be chaotic and confusing. Oftentimes truckers and dispatchers end up at odds. However, they are working towards the same goal: getting freight to the right place at the right time. Dispatchers may have limited authority in terms of assigning loads or granting special privileges. However, they can have a significant impact on the success and happiness a trucker will experience out on the road. Here are three things every trucker needs to know about dispatching.

1. Dispatching is not an easy job

When it comes to dispatching, there are a lot of moving parts and a lot of details to keep track of, which can be stressful for everyone involved. Customers are impatient because they need the shipment delivered to a certain place by a certain time. Drivers are under pressure to get it there in a timely manner, and dispatchers are at the center of it all. At times, dispatchers are managing between 30 and 50 drivers and trying to keep everyone happy and on track. That is the main reason many trucking companies use dispatch software specifically designed for trucking businesses. This way, they can track everything related to dispatch in one convenient place. This also helps reduce the margin of error.

2. Communication is key in dispatching

The most important person in a trucker’s work life is the trucking dispatcher. Ninety-five percent of all communication that occurs between truckers and their trucking company goes through dispatch. When that communication breaks down, it can result in a headache for everyone, from the driver to the dispatcher to the boss.

3. Developing a good relationship is crucial

As a trucker, your trucking dispatcher can be your best friend or your worst enemy. Either way, no one will have more of an influence on your success as a driver than your dispatcher. Taking that into consideration, you can make things much better for yourself by developing a good working relationship with dispatch. That means having a clear understanding of the dispatch’s responsibility to you as a driver and, equally as important, your responsibility to dispatch. For instance, as a trucker, it is your duty to keep dispatch up to date on your schedule and any potential problems that could prevent you from sticking to that schedule. Things such as suddenly feeling ill, noticing a bad storm on the horizon or experiencing a problem with your truck should all immediately be reported to dispatch.

In turn, dispatch is expected to make sure that you have all the information you need to handle the loads you are assigned to and notify you of any changes that could affect your current load assignment. Whenever a potential situation arises, dispatch is responsible for gathering as much information as possible and notifying the appropriate people in order to help you resolve the situation as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Trucking companies rely on dispatch to monitor their fleets and drivers closely and your dispatcher can make your life a whole lot easier (or harder) by speaking on your behalf to the people who make the important decisions. Think of your dispatcher as your voice within the company and you’ll understand why developing a solid relationship with dispatch is so important.

Original Article : https://www.truckingoffice.com/blog/every-trucker-needs-to-know-these-3-things-about-dispatching/