Good dispatchers have a broad base of aptitudes and skills, including an excellent knowledge of routes and geography, and a detailed memory of the policies, rules, and regulations governing transportation and safety. They know specifics on the equipment and service schedules. And, perhaps most important, they’re part diplomat and den mother.

For Larry Dyck at Jade’s Transport, a chemical hauler, some hands-on experience really is an asset. It helps with scheduling when a dispatcher knows from personal experience how long a customer takes to load or unload, or where the nearest tank wash is. In fact, Dyck sends his dispatchers on the occasional trip with a driver so they can get the feel for the work.

Groupe Robert’s Patrick Pagé says it helps when a dispatcher knows, first hand, that stopping to make a pickup, even a single skid, may take over an hour when you’re moving B-train loads around Ontario, Quebec, and Michigan. There, a knowledge of weights and dimensions rules helps, as well as some of the requirements of hauling steel.