What are the responsibilities and job description for the Dispatcher position at Forward?
Position: Dispatcher
Job Description:
The Dispatcher is responsible for the planning, scheduling and dispatching of our customers freight. The role owns the relationship with our valued Independent Contractors and is instrumental in the successful coordination of the timely and accurate delivery of goods. The key responsibilities of this function are to provide exceptional support to our drivers, be quick to respond to questions and troubleshooting concerns and to pro-actively monitor the movement of freight to ensure customer satisfaction.
Core Duties & Responsibilities:
- Responsible for the coordination, scheduling, dispatching and planning of customer freight shipments
- Act as the main point of contact for all driver facing communication via phone, Qualcomm and E-mail
- Develop a strong relationship with Independent Contractors within assigned fleet
- Offer exceptional support to drivers to ensure that their professional needs are being met
- Monitor shipments throughout transit in order to effectively meet delivery schedules
- Respond to customers efficiently, thoroughly, and professionally
- Manage customer and driver expectations to align with operational capabilities
- Monitor performance and available hours of Fleet Drivers
- Work cooperatively with customer service/sales to provide solutions for customers’ needs and resolve issues
- Other duties as assigned
Requirements:
- Self-motivated problem-solver with strong desire to meet customer needs
- Strong verbal and written communication skills
- Desire for a long-term career with an industry leading company
- Ability to present and maintain a positive corporate image in a fast paced environment
- Proactively establish and maintain effective working team relationships with all support departments
- Must be proficient with Microsoft Office products including; Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, etc.
- Must be willing to work a flexible schedule
Skills:
- Ideal candidate will possess a “can do" attitude with a “will do" work ethic
- Must have the ability to work in a fast paced environment
- Experience with AS400 operating systems is a plus
- Transportation industry knowledge and experience is a plus
- Prior dispatch/load planning experience is a plus
Forward Air is an Equal Opportunity employer.