Starting a freight dispatching business is the best way to become your own boss. However, success doesn’t come overnight, as you have to work hard with diligence and a smart approach. Being a truck dispatcher, you work as a middleman between shippers and carriers for on-time and safe freight delivery. It’s your responsibility to coordinate the pickup and delivery of freight between shippers, drivers, and clients. That’s why freight dispatching plays a vital role in streamlining supply chains.

Additionally, starting your career as a truck dispatcher opens the doors to many success opportunities for you. You can start a full-fledged dispatching business, be an independent dispatcher, or start working for a reputable trucking company. Besides this, working as a freelance dispatcher is an excellent option for you. But do you know how to become a freight dispatcher? Are you familiar with the requirements and qualifications you must meet to be a truck dispatcher? This article is a step-by-step freight dispatcher guide that will answer all these questions in detail.

How to become a dispatcher?

·        Acquire the basic education

Unlike other professions in the transportation industry, freight dispatching doesn’t need you to be highly educated. You’re only required to obtain basic education, mainly a high school diploma, GED (General Education Development), or equivalent certificate. You don’t need to get a college or university degree to become a dispatcher. However, if you hold graduation or a higher education degree, it can be a plus point on your resume and help you secure a dispatcher position in a leading trucking company.

·        Take a comprehensive dispatching training course

Enrolling in a freight dispatching course can give you an advantage over your peers and a leg up in starting your dispatching business. It helps you prepare and train in the best way with first-hand experience and knowledge of different aspects of the dispatching industry. Taking a dispatching course builds a solid foundation for your career as a truck dispatcher. There’re many freight dispatching training courses available in the market, but if you’re looking for a to-the-point, interactive, and step-by-step online freight dispatcher course, then DispatchPrep is the best option for you. It will train and guide you on all concepts, responsibilities, and tasks you’re going to encounter as a freight dispatcher, such as fleet management, driver dispatching, route optimization, factoring, safety and compliance, and broker negation.

·        Acquire industry experience

Having first-hand industry experience can make you stand out among your fresh counterparts. You can gain experience by working on internships in different transportation companies or firms. While working in the industry, you’ll have the opportunity to meet with different people and understand their roles which will certainly give you an edge during your career.

·        Work on communication and customer service skills

Freight dispatching is all about communicating and engaging with clients. If you have good communication and customer service skills, your chances of being successful in the industry are double that of other dispatchers. It’s part of your job to coordinate with shippers, carriers, brokers, drivers, and suppliers, and with good communication skills, you can forge a strong business relationship with them.

·        Learn using load boards and modern logistics tools

Truck dispatching has become a technical job nowadays that involves the use of the latest technologies. If you’re familiar with modern logistics tools, then it cannot only make your job easy but also help you take your customer service to the next level. Load boards are one the best examples of modern logistics tools. Being a dispatcher, you must know how to use load boards to get more loads for your carrier clients. Other logistics tools that you must learn include GPS systems, freight tracking systems, and TMS (Transportation Management System).

Once you have completed all these steps, all that is left is to start working as a freight dispatcher! You can establish your own dispatching business or start a job in the trucking industry. For better guidance and mentorship, you can count on DispatchPrep!