Today we’re going to discuss how to choose truck dispatcher training courses. I have to start this post with a disclosure. One of the reasons this video is not called “how to choose the best truck dispatcher training” is because our company, Alfa X logistics, operates the learndispatch.com project, which sells truck dispatcher training.
So, for me to select which one is the best would probably be very biased and unfair to all the other trainings.
And since I really would like to at least try to make it somewhat objective, I’ll discuss a couple of factors you should consider when selecting your training course. This gives you the tools to analyze these factors on your own and select the best training for you.
1. Credibility
Let’s start with factor number one: credibility. You should learn who is selling your training. Is this person or a company actively involved in truck dispatching? How long have they been in business, and do they know what they’re talking about? Someone may say that they’ve done dispatching in the past, which is fine.
However, someone who is actively doing it right now has to stay on top of all the trends and changes that occur in the industry. This person can relate those changes to their students. For example, in our particular case, Alfa X logistics has been in business since 2012. The LearnDispatch project has been operated since around 2016.
Alfa X logistics is also a member of the Better Business Bureau with an A+ rating. So again, we can say that we are an actual company that does exist and actually operates in this field. Therefore, we can provide this type of information to our students. So, do your research and make sure that you feel comfortable with whoever you are going to be dealing with.
2. Content
Factor number two is content. We see a lot of sellers of different trainings that don’t even post their curriculum. That means you don’t really know what you are going to learn. And this is important because you want to know what subjects will be covered.
Maybe you are already familiar with those subjects, or maybe the subjects that you want to learn about are not being covered in this particular course. So, if such curriculum is not being posted on their website, you should ask for a detailed description of what they do cover in the training.
3. Support
Factor number three is support, and this factor is very, very important. I like to point out to prospective students that we’re not selling the course as much as we’re selling our support. That support is what makes our training great. I believe it’s what makes our training better than any other. So, you want to know what kind of support you’ll get during the training and post-training.
For example, at LearnDispatch, if you have any questions, we have a support team available Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. So, as soon as you submit your question, someone’s going to look at it and respond as quickly as possible.
Depending on the complexity of your question, it can be answered in as soon as a few minutes or as long as a couple of hours for more complicated questions. Post-training support is equally important because once you complete the training, you may start your operations and run into some situations not covered in the training course.
At this point, you want to have someone who could help you resolve the situation. And again, in our case, you can reach out to us and explain what is happening, and we can advise you on what your options are and how you can resolve any given problem or situation. So, you definitely want to learn what kind of support you’re going to receive and how quickly you will get responses to your questions and inquiries.
4. Price
Factor number four is price. Now, price is a very, very subjective thing! For one person, paying $20 is a lot, but for somebody else, paying a thousand dollars is not much at all. Therefore, there is no truly correct price point. So, we cannot say that courses that start at a certain price range are good and others that are below a certain price range are bad.
I would like to offer you an alternative view on how you can evaluate different training prices. Actually, I’m going to tell you a secret; most of the information that you’re going to find in various trainings can be found on the internet for free. The question is how much time and effort you are going to have to put into finding this information.
For example, our course was developed based on the manual, which we previously developed to train employee dispatchers for our company. With this manual in hand, it took us another six to eight months to put all the material together, organize it in a logical order, add documents, etc. So, we spend a decent amount of time on developing this training.
Let’s imagine that you decide to do it on your own, and it’s actually not going to take you that much time. Let’s imagine that you’re going to spend eighty, or maybe a hundred, hours collecting all the information that we provide all on your own. You find it for free, you pay absolutely nothing.
With that number in mind, I will say that, for example, our courses are mostly priced between $300 and $400. So you just saved yourself $300 to $400, but you have spent about a hundred hours of your time. That means that your labor is worth about $3-4 per hour. Is your time worth more than $3 or $4 an hour? I would think so.
But then again, if you have a different opinion, you can venture out into the World Wide Web and try to collect all the information. You’re going to save a few hundred dollars, but then you are going to have to do a lot of work on your own without any kind of support. And as we have discussed previously, support can be very important, in some cases critical, when you start your operations as an independent truck dispatcher.
5. Refund Policy
And since we’ve been talking about money, let’s talk about the fifth factor: a refund policy. While the refund policy of a training program should not be a determining factor when choosing your training, it could give you some clues about who you are dealing with. There are usually three types of companies and the way they deal with the refunds.
The first type offers no refund policy. They say, “this is a digital product, and we’re not going to give you your money back.” To some extent, I respect this approach. It’s a digital product; if you buy a song on iTunes, you cannot really return it because you didn’t like the song, and while it may not always be fair, at least you are being told what to expect. You either accept these conditions, or you do not.
The second type of company, which we belong to, offers a simple 30-day money-back guarantee. There is no fine print, and there are no conditions attached. Basically, what you see is what you get.
However, it is the third type that you should be aware of. I believe it to be the most dangerous one. Some companies offering truck dispatch training pose as someone who is offering a money-back guarantee, but there are a lot of conditions attached to it.
When you see something like that, take a look at the bottom of their web page. Is there any fine print? Is there a refund policy page? Take a good look at it because you may learn that while they say they do offer a 30-day money-back guarantee, in reality, to receive your money, you’re going to have to fulfill many conditions. Those conditions may be something like that you have to implement and prove that you have done everything that they taught you in the course.
And while completing the course within thirty days is fairly realistic, implementing all the knowledge you are going to receive and setting up your dispatch service just may not be. Therefore, such policies should be an indicator that someone is trying to trick you.
They don’t want to be straightforward and tell you, “No, we’re not going to give you your money back,” but they don’t really want to give you your money back either. That’s the trick they are going to use. So, pay close attention to such factors because that gives you an idea of who you are dealing with.
Conclusion
With all that being said, we just covered five different factors you can consider when selecting your truck dispatcher training. Pay close attention to them, and they should help you form an opinion as to who you want to deal with and who you don’t want to deal with.
At the same time, I want you to remember that any knowledge is valuable, and investing money in yourself is the best investment you can make. Sometimes, things work in very strange ways. For example, you may not become a truck dispatcher, but you may learn some new skills that will be very useful in another job or business you’re going to start in the future. So, try to learn as much as you can and invest in yourself!
© By Roman Shmundyak May 2022
Are you thinking about becoming an independent truck dispatcher? LearnDispatch offers online truck dispatcher training courses which are suitable for people not familiar with transportation industry. Learn more about our training by visiting Training Details page or choose your course by clicking here.
