Truck dispatcher training
How to become a truck dispatcher.
I want to tell you something before you learn a single load board. You're not just a dispatcher. Done right, you are the person who keeps a trucking company alive and growing.
What a dispatcher really does
A dispatcher's job is to grow the carrier.
Most people think a truck dispatcher finds loads. That's the smallest part of the job. When I train dispatchers, I teach them that every load they book either moves the carrier forward or sets it back. A cheap load that runs the truck empty for two days isn't a win. A lane that brings the truck home with money in the bank is.
Your carrier is trusting you with the one thing that keeps their company open: the truck has to move, and it has to make money when it moves. If you understand that, you'll never be "just a dispatcher" again.
How to become a freight dispatcher
Five steps to start dispatching trucks
- 1 · Learn the whole circleShippers, brokers, carriers and lanes. You can't protect a carrier in a business you only half understand.
- 2 · Learn to read a loadRate, miles, deadhead, the lane back home, the equipment and the people on the other end of the phone.
- 3 · Learn the rulesHours of service, compliance and the paperwork that keeps your carrier legal and paid.
- 4 · Find your first carrierStart with one carrier, earn their trust, and show them you're there to grow their business.
- 5 · Build it into a businessThe dispatch business model in the training shows you how to turn your service into a company.
The idea Freight University is built on
You're a Professional Logistics Service Provider.
A dispatcher, a broker and a carrier are all serving the same freight. I call the person who can do all of it a Professional Logistics Service Provider, a PLSP. You have services to offer and skills to sell, and the Freight University curriculum teaches every one of them. The training is free. If you want to prove it, the PLSP certification is an optional $125 step after the course.
About the PLSP certificationKeep going
Where to go from here
From overcoming the Catch-22 to choosing the right carrier. Open the training.
Read The Right Seat and The End of Trucking in America to see the carrier's side.
Many dispatchers grow into brokering. How to become a freight broker.
FAQ
Questions, answered.
What does a truck dispatcher do?
A dispatcher finds and books freight for a carrier, plans the lanes, handles the paperwork and keeps the truck moving. The best dispatchers do more: they help the carrier make money on every move and grow the business.
Can I learn truck dispatching for free?
Yes. The dispatch training, the audio teachings and the library are free when you join Freight University.
How much is the PLSP certification?
The PLSP certification costs $125. It is optional and comes after the free course, which never requires it.
Ready when you are