Dispatcher
Ghost Transportation Services
Posted: Jun 25, 2024
Apply by Aug 09, 2024
Number of Jobs: 1
Job Description
Do you like puzzles? Figuring things out?
Have you ever played chess? Does solving problems give you joy? Are you like
Hannibal from the A-Team and “Love it when a plan comes together!”
Ghost Transportation Services is looking
for a Senior Truck Coordinator. This used to be called a dispatcher, then they
got broke down to Planner, Customer Service Rep and Driver Liaison, or at least
the big companies with a whole lot of trucks do. We quite frankly don’t care
what its called, you could be called a Driver, Freight, Truck and Trailer
Integration Engineer if you want. What we need is someone to build the plan, execute
the plan, adjust the plan on the fly and make sure what needs to happen does
happen.
What skills are needed?
Well, you need to be able to use a
computer. No not for solitaire, you need to be able to utilize email,
spreadsheets and figure out how to use a TruckMate, which is the dispatch
system we use. While it is as easy as filling out blanks and clicking on
things, you need to look at it as a tool that with the right blanks filled out,
the proper clicks and good formatting of columns, you then see your dispatch
board. You need to be able to use our tracking site to see when and where the
trucks are.
You need to see the future. Well not
really, but you do need to look at things and try to figure out the best case,
worst case and multiple scenarios in between. You need to look at what has
happened before to predict what will happen next.
You need to understand where you can go and
where you can not. What weights can you haul on different roads, in different
jurisdictions, on different truck and trailer configurations. You need to
understand hours of service and how long a driver can drive and how fast a
truck can go.
You need to understand what we are hauling.
Is it eggs or is it concrete? All freight has different aspects to it. How does
it fit in a trailer? Does it fit in a normal trailer? Is it over dimension?
There are a lot of questions that will require answers
You need to have great communication and
people skills. All drivers are different. They have different goals and
desires. Some aren’t happy unless they are rolling at 4 am but shut down at 6
pm. Others do not bother having a load till 10am but they will run late into
the night. And they all have stories and knowledge they want to share. So you
have to be a good listener.
Scheduling. You need to make the plan for
the trucks and discuss with the drivers. Nothing is worse than a driver showing
up late because they were not told they had a specific load or unload time. Or
the driver needs to know that you have to be somewhere at 0800 in order to get
unloaded to reload at 1000. If they don’t know, it usually does not happen. You
also need to work with the fleet manager for repairs, services, etc to keep the
trucks (and drivers) operating.
Learning geography is a must. You may not
know where Love is, or how to say Waskatenau (its wa-set-na) or that Lodi isn’t
just a song by CCR. You don’t need to know where everything is, but you do need
to use the tools to find out. And yes, if you can read a paper map, that is a
bonus.
Math is important too. How far/how fast=
how long it takes. How much paid/how far=Revenue per Mile. How many hours does
a driver have left? Can he/she make the delivery? How much does the rounder
pay? Is the truck making money this trip? How much payload can we put on? How
much space is left in the trailer. Math skills are ESSENTIAL!!!!!
So yeah, it can look like a lot. But if you
can learn this, you can do it.
FYI, many successful dispatchers move up
the ladder if that is something you are interested in, because the skill set
needed to do it well if fairly robust. This skill set is also transferrable to
many other industries.
Hours for this vary. Yes the general
expectation is Monday to Friday 8-5. But there will be days that something
happens at 445 that needs to be dealt with. But there will also be days where
you need to come in a little later because of some appointment and the answer
is yes. As long as the trucks and customers are looked after, that is fine. You
will have a cell anyway. So yes, it can be flexible, as long as the work is
done properly.
Is it an easy job, no. but it is a
fulfilling job when you do it well. Putting all the pieces of the puzzle
together and then tear it apart the next day and start again. But no two days
are the same.
As a bonus, we will even pay you to do the
job!!!, complete with benefits!
So if you are looking for a mindless job
that does not require any thought, no this is not for you. If you want
something that will challenge your mind, give you the opportunity to learn
everyday and develop skills that will help you see the world a little differently,
by all means, send in a resume.
We Offer
Salary Range: $50,000 - $350,000 / Year