Understanding how much truck dispatchers make and what the job entails can help you decide whether it’s the right career path for you.
The national median wage for a truck dispatcher is $46,810, per the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
We define the job of a truck dispatcher in this article, go over what they do, what skills they frequently need, and how much money they can make.
How Much Does a Truck Dispatcher Make?
The national median pay for a truck dispatcher is $46,810, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. These salaries may vary depending on a number of variables, including location, employer, the type of trucking for which they are performing dispatching duties, and others. Pay may also vary depending on your level of experience and the size of the fleet you’re dispatching.
How Can a Truck Dispatcher Make More Money?
By starting their career at a smaller, local shipping company and moving up to a bigger, national shipping company, a dispatcher can increase their earnings. Your short-distance shipping operations experience may entitle you to a long-distance shipping position with greater responsibility. Larger businesses that transport more freight over longer distances typically pay more. Coordination of significant numbers of freight shipments can increase your income because, for many dispatching jobs, volume is a key performance indicator when it comes to earning a higher salary.
What is a Truck Dispatcher?
The person in charge of organizing the routes and schedules for truck drivers is known as a dispatcher. The coordination of truck loading and unloading may be assisted by these experts. They stay in touch with the drivers as they follow their routes, and they may let the warehouse staff know when a truck is on its way.
What Does a Truck Dispatcher Do?
A truck or fleet dispatcher’s responsibilities include:
Scheduling
The schedules and routes that truckers take to get to their destinations are planned by a truck dispatcher. Additionally, if their intended routes change, they might let them know. Dispatchers could also make timelines with staffing assignments for weeks or months at a time. When necessary, they occasionally also need to find stand-in drivers.
Maintenance
Sometimes, dispatchers assist in organizing and scheduling vehicle maintenance. These experts could work with mechanics to schedule maintenance tasks and guarantee that the right tools are available. To make sure there is always an adequate fleet of trucks available, dispatchers frequently try to stagger the maintenance of trucks.
Maintaining Logs
Usually, dispatchers are involved in keeping track of how many hours each truck driver logs on the road. In order to ensure their safety, the government limits the amount of time truckers can spend on the road. Due to this rule, truck drivers keep time logs and make sure to take breaks as needed. Dispatchers check for any errors and assist in ensuring the accuracy of these logs.
Managing Inventory
Additionally, dispatchers keep track of shipments and inventory. In order for goods to be delivered on time and undamaged, a dispatcher must make sure these things happen. Additionally, they respond to inquiries from customers about shipments and problems like late or damaged deliveries.
Monitoring the Weather
To guarantee the security of drivers and the prompt delivery of shipments, a dispatcher may also keep an eye on the weather. A dispatcher might alter the route of a shipment or delay it due to severe weather. Customers and drivers are informed of these issues by the dispatcher.
What is the Work Environment of a Truck Dispatcher?
Drivers and customers are regularly contacted by dispatchers to arrange deliveries or relay shipping instructions. As a result, dispatchers talk on the phone a lot. Dispatchers may work from home using remote call equipment or in an office that typically resembles a call center. Some dispatchers have a hybrid work schedule where they alternate between working in an office and at home.
Regional deliveries typically involve short-distance trucking. Regular business hours are spent in an office by a short-distance truck dispatcher. The dispatcher organizes the loading and unloading of inventory as well as drivers’ travel plans throughout the working day. Trucking over great distances typically entails transporting cargo thousands of miles. Long-distance truckers’ dispatchers frequently work odd hours, including weekends, and take calls from drivers until the wee hours of the morning.
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How to Become a Truck Dispatcher?
People often wonder, “How do I train to be a dispatcher for semi-trucks?” Are you considering becoming a truck dispatcher for another employer or as a stand-alone business opportunity? is the first question that follows the response to that first one.
The hiring process is essentially the same if all you want to do is work as a truck dispatcher for another company. If there are any open truck dispatcher positions that interest you, you can search job boards for them or you can approach specific carriers and express your interest in working as a freight dispatcher. You can inquire about possible training opportunities or possible entry-level employment.
There are a variety of requirements, but many employers will at the very least require a high school diploma or GED in addition to some prior customer service experience. Instead of working as an independent truck dispatcher, many people are perfectly content to be an employee of one particular company.
For those who see working as a truck dispatcher as a business opportunity, things are, however, even more interesting. The first requirement for becoming a self-employed truck dispatcher is education. People frequently assume they can launch their own business right away, but the reality is that you need to begin with training that focuses on both the fundamentals of truck dispatching and how to market your business.
Once you have a grasp of truck dispatching and of how you want to operate your business, you can follow these steps to become an independent truck dispatcher:
Register Your Business
Selecting a name for your business and registering it formally are the first steps in becoming a truck dispatcher. The secret to choosing a business name is to keep it simple and direct. I recommend that you include terms like “independent dispatch” or “dispatching services” in your name so that it will be easier for people to find you. Having a distinct name also ensures that potential clients will immediately understand what your company does when they come across it. Too many dispatchers use names like “trucking” or “logistics,” which don’t actually give any information on what their business does.
Once you’ve decided on a name for your company, you need to register for an Employer Identification Number (EIN) with the IRS and choose your legal structure. You can choose from a corporation, partnership, limited liability company (LLC), or a sole proprietorship. Ordinarily, I advise submitting an application for an LLC or Inc. structure.
Drafts of some of the contracts that are necessary for your company to operate should also be made. Included in that are the service agreement, in which you specify the price you will charge and the services you will offer in exchange, and the dispatcher-carrier agreement, which guarantees the carrier’s insurance will shield you from liability if something unforeseen occurs with the freight you negotiated. You will be able to start working for your partners sooner if you have drafts of these documents ready.
Establish An Online Presence
A website must be built as well as accounts on various social media platforms to establish an effective online presence and marketing strategy. Pick a short, simple to remember domain name for your website that also includes the name of your company. Sites like GoDaddy allow you to check if your desired domain name is available and even register it there.
Once your domain name has been registered, you can set up a Facebook page with the same name for Facebook and Instagram advertising. If it appeals to you, you ought to think about starting a YouTube channel as well. You can prove your expertise and increase your authority with subscribers by starting a YouTube channel.
Most importantly, your website will contribute to presenting the case for why any potential business partners should work with you. There are five things you need to keep in mind when building a website that converts:
- The homepage: When someone visits your website, they should be aware of what your company does and what you have to offer. Some people like to include a welcome message on their homepage and force visitors to scroll to read more, but if your message isn’t prominent, potential partners might leave your site before reading what you do. Users should be enticed to explore further after visiting your homepage.
- The sales pitch: The more specific information about what you do and how you differ from the competition is given here. Your potential partner should be eager and ready to work with you by the time your sales pitch is over.
- The likeable CEO: It’s common practice for independent truck dispatchers to conceal their identities online. However, if you’re the CEO of a company, your picture should be prominently displayed on the website. For the potential partner, this fosters a sense of connection and can facilitate rapport-building. Trucking is all about building relationships, and by making your CEO approachable and visible on your website, you increase your chances of doing so.
- The scarcity: You can also think of this as the “FOMO” (fear of missing out) piece of the website. You want your potential partner to feel as though leaving your website will cost them something. This brings up the idea of your messaging once more and emphasizes how you distinguish yourself from the competition.
- The social proof: Some kind of testimonial should be posted on your website. It’s possible that you don’t yet have any carriers who can recommend you if you’re a new independent truck dispatcher just getting started. Even personal recommendations from professionals in the field, whether they are friends, mentors, or teachers, are better than nothing and can make you appear more reliable to a potential partner.
Get a Load Board Subscription
Finding dependable, pertinent loads for your carriers is a key component of the job of a truck dispatcher. To do that, you will require a membership to a reputable load board where you can access thousands of freight listings from all over the country. Although there are some free load boards available, if you want to find high-quality freight for your carriers, you should really spend the money on a paid subscription board.
You can’t do better than the DAT Power load board if you’re serious about running an independent dispatcher business. With hundreds of thousands of new loads posted each business day, DAT provides the best load board on the market for truck dispatchers. Because of DAT’s extensive listings, you can always find something to satisfy the requirements of your carriers.
Start Making Connections
While load boards are a fantastic resource for carriers to find loads, real success in the trucking industry is all about building relationships. Making connections with shippers and brokers is just as important as finding carriers; you want to do both as soon as you can. Utilizing an online partner search engine like DAT Directory, which makes it simple to find any partners you might need, is a good place to start. You can find contact information in the DAT Directory, which is free with a DAT load board subscription, and use it to get in touch with potential collaborators and establish connections.
Career as a Truck Dispatcher
ONET OnLine states that 62 percent of non-emergency dispatchers have a high school diploma or equivalent. They learn how to handle emergencies involving trucks from more seasoned workers or supervisors, as well as how to use communications equipment. ONET does see jobs not growing very much from 2018 to 2020. However, as the population and economy grow, more goods will be bought that need to be transported, increasing demand in the trucking industry.