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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.).
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.
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: