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 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.

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.