So the question of why a dispatcher is even necessary has been asked of me many times. Originally, it was when I was on the other end of the phone with a load board company. However, I couldn't be there after the call to show them how to negotiate, search by region, weight or know which brokers were still reliable. I left it it all in the hands of the driver to navigate through the spot market. So what happened to all my carriers after I hung up and they attempted to preceded into the load board software and make money? Apparently, many of them became lost and overwhelmed with the process.
So it becomes necessary for some carriers or helpful for others to have a dispatcher to do the front end work. This means your dispatcher is doing a lot of heavy lifting and deserves your loyalty as much as his/her paycheck. But what is truly this person's value? I have had so many truckers tell me a dispatching service is unnecessary and they can do it themselves. OK. I can get on board with that. So you have a back up then? Family, wife, or partner that can help you under a load or get you loaded out when you have both hands on the wheel and time is of the essence? So, you are not a new MC and have steady relationships to call on? You have never had trouble negotiating freight and always know what your current market rate should be no matter where you are geographically? Good for you.....but then there is the rest of the trucking industry that may not be as blessed.
A carrier can chose a few options for making money:
1. Find your own freight and manage it on you own, solely.
2. Be provided additional help from a close relation or friend without paying them.
3. Hire an employee at a wage that is fair for the amount of work they provide or
4. Hire a service to provide the additional service.
One way or another the cliche' time is money' is a cliche for a reason and a dispatcher knows the value. Well done if you can get it for free or never find a need, but for the majority it makes the difference in success or failure.
Abby Barros | SUPPORT SPECIALIST Freight Girlz 1 (737) 400-5623
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