Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Cargo Dispatcher

🎯 Role Definition

The Cargo Dispatcher coordinates and manages the end-to-end movement of freight across road, rail, air and ocean carriers. This role is responsible for scheduling pickups and deliveries, optimizing routes, assigning loads to carriers or drivers, monitoring in-transit shipments, ensuring regulatory compliance (DOT, customs, HAZMAT where applicable), resolving service disruptions, and maintaining clear customer and carrier communications. The Cargo Dispatcher acts as the operational hub between operations, customers, carriers and internal teams to maintain on-time performance, control costs and protect freight integrity.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Logistics Coordinator or Freight Coordinator transitioning into dispatch
Warehouse Supervisor or Shipping & Receiving Clerk moving into transportation scheduling
Driver or Owner-Operator interested in shore-side operations

Advancement To:

Senior Dispatcher / Lead Dispatcher
Fleet/Operations Manager
Transportation Manager / Logistics Manager
Regional Operations Director

Lateral Moves:

Freight Broker or Carrier Sales Representative
Customer Success / Account Manager for logistics customers

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Receive, validate and prioritize new shipment requests from sales, customers and internal stakeholders, ensuring accurate pickup/delivery addresses, contact information, commodity details, weight and special handling requirements for each load.
Assign and schedule freight to carriers or company drivers based on equipment availability, carrier capacity, lane performance history and cost-efficiency while maintaining customer delivery windows and SLA commitments.
Use Transportation Management Systems (TMS) and load boards to post loads, match capacity, negotiate rates, confirm carrier acceptances and route assignments, and document all booking details and confirmations.
Develop optimal routing and load consolidation plans to maximize asset utilization, minimize empty miles, reduce shipping costs and comply with transit time expectations and regulatory limitations.
Monitor real-time shipment status using GPS, EDI feeds and carrier updates; proactively identify delays, exceptions or at-risk shipments and execute contingency plans to minimize customer impact.
Communicate proactively with customers, carriers and internal teams regarding pick-up confirmations, ETAs, exceptions, delays, re-routes and proof-of-delivery (POD) documentation to maintain high service levels and transparency.
Prepare, review and manage required shipment documentation including bills of lading (BOL), commercial invoices, customs declarations, dangerous goods paperwork, delivery receipts and chain-of-custody records as applicable.
Ensure all dispatch activities comply with federal, state and local transportation regulations (DOT, FMCSA), carrier safety requirements and company policies, including hours-of-service monitoring and driver log verification.
Negotiate carrier service agreements, spot rates and detention/demurrage terms, balancing cost control with capacity and service reliability to achieve operational and commercial objectives.
Manage claims, cargo damage incidents and loss investigations by coordinating evidence collection, photographing damage, obtaining carrier statements, filing claim paperwork and communicating status to customers and insurers.
Schedule and coordinate cross-docking, transloading and intermodal hand-offs to maintain smooth freight flow across modes and minimize dwell time at terminals.
Maintain accurate shipment records, manifests and billing information in TMS and ERP systems to support invoicing, financial reconciliation and audit readiness.
Track and report key performance indicators (KPIs) including on-time delivery (OTD), detention, dwell time, carrier performance, load acceptance rate and cost per mile to identify improvement opportunities.
Liaise with customs brokers and import/export teams to ensure timely customs clearance for international shipments, providing necessary documentation and following up on hold or release statuses.
Conduct daily reviews of driver and carrier capacity, forecast load volume by lane, and coordinate capacity planning to address seasonal peaks and unexpected surges.
Execute emergency response procedures during accidents, cargo theft, severe weather or other critical incidents — coordinating with safety, insurance and legal as needed and ensuring timely customer notification.
Maintain integrity of hazardous materials shipments by verifying proper HAZMAT classification, packaging, labeling and placarding and confirming that carriers and drivers have required certifications.
Facilitate onboarding and qualification of new carriers and owner-operators, including insurance verification, safety ratings review and performance baseline setting.
Optimize freight tendering strategy by balancing long-term carriers and spot market purchases, using performance analytics to guide decisions and reduce overall transportation spend.
Proactively identify process gaps and contribute to continuous improvement initiatives such as standard operating procedures (SOPs), automation, EDI/TMS integrations and load planning best practices.
Coordinate with warehousing and inventory teams to align pickup windows, staging requirements and loading priorities to meet shipper schedules and reduce detention costs.
Ensure accurate and timely transmission of PODs and delivery confirmations to billing and customer service teams to accelerate accounts receivable and reduce invoice disputes.
Provide weekend or after-hours dispatch support as required during peak operations or time-sensitive shipments, maintaining high responsiveness for critical lanes and customers.

Secondary Functions

Produce ad-hoc operational reports and support exploratory analysis to help operations leadership make informed capacity, routing and procurement decisions.
Contribute to the organization's logistics strategy and roadmap by identifying automation opportunities, vendor consolidation candidates and technology integrations that increase throughput and reduce cost.
Collaborate with sales, customer success and procurement teams to translate commercial commitments into operational execution plans and actionable dispatch instructions.
Document process flows, update SOPs and participate in change management activities when new TMS features, EDI mappings or partner integrations are deployed.
Participate in continuous improvement and agile-style process reviews to refine dispatch workflows and reduce manual touchpoints.
Provide training and mentorship for junior dispatchers and cross-functional colleagues on TMS usage, load planning techniques and regulatory compliance requirements.
Support periodic audits and compliance reviews by compiling records, carrier files, DOT logs and insurance certificates for internal and external stakeholders.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Proficiency with Transportation Management Systems (TMS) such as MercuryGate, Oracle Transportation Management, Descartes, Manhattan or DAT; ability to create loads, tender shipments, and extract reports.
Experience using EDI integrations and load board platforms (DAT, Truckstop, 123Loadboard) to tender freight and receive automated status updates.
Strong MS Excel skills including pivot tables, VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, basic macros and data cleansing to analyze lane costs and carrier performance.
Knowledge of DOT/FMCSA regulations, hours-of-service (HOS) rules, driver log management and safety compliance procedures.
Familiarity with international shipping documentation (BOL, AWB, commercial invoice) and customs clearance processes or ability to coordinate with customs brokers.
Ability to read and interpret weight/dimension statements, cargo classifications and special handling instructions, including HAZMAT placarding and handling requirements.
Basic understanding of freight rate structures (cost per mile, accessorials, fuel surcharges, detention/demurrage) and invoice reconciliation processes.
Experience with GPS tracking platforms, carrier telematics and real-time ETA monitoring tools to manage on-road shipments.
Proven ability to use CRM or ERP systems to capture customer instructions, update order statuses and trigger billing events.
Familiarity with claims management processes and incident documentation protocols for damaged or lost cargo.

Soft Skills

Excellent verbal and written communication skills to coordinate between drivers, carriers, shippers, customs brokers and internal stakeholders.
Strong problem-solving and crisis management skills with the ability to de-escalate issues and implement rapid corrective actions.
High attention to detail to ensure accuracy in shipping documentation, load assignments and billing data.
Time management and prioritization skills to handle multiple concurrent shipments, deadlines and exceptions.
Negotiation skills to secure competitive rates and favorable service commitments from carriers.
Customer-focused mindset with the ability to maintain positive relationships and manage expectations under pressure.
Collaborative teamwork skills to work effectively with operations, warehouse, sales and finance teams.
Analytical mindset to interpret KPIs, identify trends and recommend process or carrier performance improvements.
Adaptability and resilience to handle fluctuating capacity, seasonal demand and last-minute changes.
Ethical judgment and compliance orientation to ensure safety, regulatory adherence and proper documentation processes.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

High school diploma or equivalent.

Preferred Education:

Associate's or Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Logistics, Business Administration or a related field preferred.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Supply Chain Management
Logistics & Transportation
Business Administration
International Trade / Customs

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

1–5 years of professional experience in freight dispatch, transportation operations, carrier coordination or logistics.

Preferred:

3+ years dispatching experience in asset-based or non-asset freight operations, or equivalent experience in freight brokerage, carrier operations or TMS administration. Prior experience with intermodal, TL/LTL, air cargo or ocean freight operations is a plus.