Many of you have been asking if truck dispatching can be done remotely. Let’s see if that is even possible.
Let’s imagine I am no longer in my office. I am sitting at the table in a restaurant near the beach. Let’s see if I have everything I need for my dispatch operations.
First of all, I have my work phone, which allows me to communicate and also provides internet connection for my laptop. As you may recall from my other posts, the main duty of an independent truck
dispatcher is to locate, negotiate, and book loads for their clients. So, can I look for loads? Well, with my laptop here, I can just fire up the load board, set up the searches, and look for the loads that could match my client’s needs.
If I find a load that like, then I’ll just make a phone call to the broker. My system allows me to make phone calls directly from my laptop, so it’s even easier for me. Negotiating a load with the broker is done exactly the same way I would in my office.
Now, let’s assume that I have booked a load with a broker and have to complete some paperwork, such as a broker carrier agreement. Can I complete the paperwork remotely? Absolutely. I have a very good PDF editor installed on my laptop, so I can complete all of the forms, get them signed, and emailed back to the broker.
Even if I ran into some sort of an old school freight broker who decides to fax me the paperwork, it will go to my e-fax, which will come in a PDF format to my email. Once again, I will complete it with my PDF editor and send it back out via e-fax to this broker. So, all of the paperwork, regardless of which form it’s going to come, will get completed and sent out while I’m here enjoying my coffee.
So, at this point, all I need to do is wait for the rate confirmation, which again will arrive in my email. Once I review it, I will go ahead and send it out to the client and possibly make a phone call to their driver to get them dispatched on the load.
And that is pretty much it. You just went through a load booking process in a remote location. Now, I know this is a bit of an extreme, but I just wanted to show that this can be done just about anywhere you are as long as you have a reliable internet connection.
Yes, there are also other tasks you may need to work on such as billing or marketing. But with the right tools, they all can be done remotely.
And speaking of the right tools, in our LearnDispatch course, we’re discussing all of the necessary tools that can help you successfully operate as an independent truck dispatcher. And if you are one of our students, you could reach out to our support team and tell them what your situation is, and they could help you find an optimal setup for your remote operation, if that’s something you are interested in doing.
I hope that our little imaginary outing shows you that truck dispatching can be done remotely as long as you have a decent internet connection and the right tools. Therefore, you can do it from the comfort of your home, your basement, a coffee shop, or even from the beach.
© By Roman Shmundyak March 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.
