Say What?

Question: What type of person makes a good dispatcher?

Gary Close, 43, Windsor, Ontario, Canada 
Professional driving experience: 24 years   
“Communication is the key. He or she’s got to have been in the trenches and know what it’s all about. A lot of drivers will tell you that dispatchers who used to be drivers forget what it’s like out on the road real quick, but it still comes down to communication. If you can’t communicate, you’re just beating your head against the wall.”

Edward Bosket, 56, Lake City, FL  
Professional driving experience: 35 years 
“A good dispatcher will try to get you to deliver the loads that have to be delivered—looking out for the company—but they will also be looking out for your home time and the runs that you like. They’ll pick the happy medium, so they can be happy and we’ll be happy, too.”

Cleo Yates, 51, Pioneer, LA 
Professional driving experience: 31 years    
“They’ve got to be a people person. They also need to have a sense of humor to get along with truck drivers, because most truck drivers have a pretty good sense of humor. At least they think they do.”

Brian Boyd, 36, Grayson, LA  
Professional driving experience: 17 years 
“Someone who understands the needs of a driver. I don’t think an ex-driver makes a good dispatcher, because he tends to remember the things that happened to him, and now it’s payback time. At the same time, I do think they need to know something about the industry as opposed to someone who just came out of college.” 

Woody Miller, 64, Speedwell, TN  
Professional driving experience: 40 years  
“The dispatcher we had was a lady, and she did a good job. She didn’t yank you around. Everything was laid out a couple of days in advance. You knew where you were going. A good dispatcher is well organized and most of all, he or she won’t lie to you.”