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Dispatch operations refers to the way a transportation company carries out and performs its day-to-day functions and activities. It simply means how the carrier gets things done (i.e., move freight, dispatch drivers, manage resources, plan routes, manage fuel purchases, etc.).
Scope
All transportation companies, whether it is an airport limousine service, a local pick-up and delivery company, a regional motor coach, or a 48-state over-the-road carrier, have an established method or procedures they use to, among other things, assign drivers work, utilize equipment, and service customers.
Methods for managing drivers, equipment, and customers (in other words, a dispatch operation) can range from a manual T-card paper system to very sophisticated computer-generated scheduling support programs.
Regulatory citations
- 49 CFR 392.3 — Ill or Fatigued Operator
- 49 CFR 395 — Hours of Service of Drivers
Key definitions
- Personal conveyance (PC): Personal use of a commercial motor vehicle (CMV) for personal purposes only when a driver is completely relieved of all responsibility for work. This is also called off-duty driving.
Summary of requirements
Picking up and delivering freight or personnel safely, legally, claim-free, and on time is the mission of any dispatch operation. Drivers and dispatch team personnel must be properly trained to accomplish this mission in the manner as prescribed by the company and in a consistent manner to reduce risk and to service the customers.
Dispatch teams also must assign drivers to trips that can be done safely and legally without the driver being ill or fatigued which would be in violation of 392.3 and in accordance with limits as outlined in Part 395 of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs).
Proper trip planning takes into account such things as hours needed to complete a run, total miles of a run, time of day, city vs. highway driving, the hours-of-service regulations, hours available as calculated by the electronic logging device (ELD), and, in many cases, weather conditions. Proper trip planning also requires basic map-reading ability and time-management skills.
A carrier should consider having dispatch policies and procedures covering the following topics:
- Verification of load information and cargo handling
- Freight claims management
- Scaling of loads and proper loading
- Dash cams or video event recorders
- Independent contractors
- Movement of non-company vehicles
- Personal use of company vehicles (personal conveyance)
- Return-to-work from leave or illness
- Toll road use
- Unsafe equipment or working conditions
- Company speed limit
- Idling policy
- Items prohibited in the vehicle
- Moving violations and hiring criteria
- Permits and permit book maintenance
- Pets
- Prohibited driving practices
- Rider / passenger policy
- Use of electronic equipment while driving
- Verification of load information on the bill of lading
- Weapons on the property or in the vehicle
- Expense reimbursement
- Out-of-route miles
- Pay for loading/unloading services (lumping)
- Payment of fines
- Per diem