What is a trucking dispatcher?

A trucking dispatcher is a professional who is responsible for coordinating the logistics of trucking operations for a carrier or fleet of trucks. The primary role of a trucking dispatcher is to plan and schedule the routes and pickups and deliveries of shipments, ensuring that the trucks are used efficiently and that shipments are delivered on time.

Trucking dispatchers work closely with drivers, freight brokers, shippers, and receivers to coordinate the movement of goods and to handle any issues that may arise during transportation. They may also be responsible for tracking and managing the status of shipments, communicating with drivers, and handling paperwork and documentation related to the transportation of goods.

Trucking dispatchers typically work in an office setting, using computer systems and other tools to plan and track shipments. They may also communicate with drivers and other stakeholders via phone, email, or other communication channels.

Overall, trucking dispatchers play a critical role in the trucking industry by helping to coordinate the logistics of transportation and ensuring that shipments are delivered on time and in a cost-effective manner.

For small trucking companies, the owner of the company is often the dispatcher. They hire drivers to drive their trucks. A dispatcher's customer is the Broker for these companies. 97% of the trucking companies in the U.S have less than 5 trucks, so they often work with freight brokers. Direct shippers often don't want to work with trucking companies because they aren't as professional, there is so many small ones and dealing with many small ones to coordinate moving freight is time-consuming and may require the shipper to hire additional resources at the warehouse to manage the sourcing of carriers, and following them via high-touch communication all the way to delivery. So oftentimes, it is actually much much cheaper for a shipper to work with a broker versus directly with a small carrier.