One Dispatcher for Many Types

Trucking dispatching is a central role for a large network of professionals. They form the communicative liaison that allows the transportation and delivery industries to run smoothly. Whether helping to plan jobs, or reacting to last minute changes and problems, it is the dispatcher's job to make sure everyone else is on board.

Because of this role, the dispatcher has to be a people-person, and more importantly, know how to deal with different kinds of people, understand their concerns, and speak in their language. The most common professionals the dispatcher works with are:

- Truckers

- Clients

- Fleet Managers

- Servicemen

- Authorities

Each person working in one of these fields expects and deserves a dispatcher who is always ready to communicate and help them to do their jobs better. This is why dispatchers must have the necessary skills to know these different types and be ready work with them on their levels.

Truckers

A trucker's main concern is being focused on the road. They need a dispatcher who can communicate clearly and effectively. At times, truckers may need information quickly, for example if their planned route is unexpectedly interrupted, and so the dispatcher needs to be able to make quick decisions for the trucker. Truckers also spend a lot of time alone, and so it helps if the dispatcher is able to lend a friendly and familiar ear from time to time.

Clients

In dispatcher training, one learns all about the different types of jobs for different types of clients, whether they are sending a load or expecting one. A dispatcher must be professional and courteous when dealing with clients, and know how to be responsive to their needs. Clients might also be less familiar with the technical details of trucking, and a dispatcher should be patient and ready to explain to them what they should expect.

Fleet Managers and Servicemen

These professionals have a special technical language and jargon of their own, which the dispatcher should be somewhat familiar with. Taking some standard automotive service or fleet management courses alongside dispatcher courses is a good way to ease the exchange of information between these two professions.

Authorities

A dispatcher often has to deal with many different types of authorities, like local highway police, international border authorities, and even safety and compliance authorities depending on the job. For this, the dispatcher should have a level of respect and courtesy. It may be the case that problems with the authorities can disrupt the dispatcher's job, but the dispatcher should have patience and understanding in these cases, in order not to further jeopardize the deliveries.

If you are they type of person that knows how to adjust your style of communication depending on whom you speak with, then you might just make an ideal trucking dispatcher.

A Dispatcher Training Quiz

So you think you know something about dispatcher training? Take this quiz to test yourself.

Question #1 - True or false: Students who apply to dispatcher training are assessed on the basis of their pre-existing knowledge of the local road system.

Answer: False. A major component of dispatcher courses involves learning how to use a wide variety of computerized mapping and logistics tools. Personal knowledge of an area can be helpful, but, remember that a dispatcher may be mapping out routes for drivers all over North America. More important than pre-existing personal knowledge is a willingness to master the tools of the trade, and to learn the local, regional and national regulations governing transport.

Question #2 - What kind of organizations hire graduates of dispatcher schools?

1) Taxi companies

2) Trucking companies

3) Emergency response services

4) All of the above and more

Answer: 4) all of the above and more. Graduates of dispatcher training have a selection of fields from which to choose. It's up to you to choose which interests you more. Mastering the secret lingo that truckers favor on the CB radio? Helping cabbies find their way? Or making sure that ambulances and other emergency vehicles have precisely the information they need to get where they need to be as quickly and safely as possible? It's your call (no pun intended.)

Question #3 - Which of the following are examples of the kinds of classes you may encounter in dispatcher training?

1) Customs Border Protection

2) Maps and Atlases

3) Load Building

4) All of the above and more

Answer: 4) all of the above and more. It is possible to find a job as a dispatcher without first pursuing specialized dispatcher training, but the major advantage of training is that it teaches you all that you need to know in a low-pressure classroom environment where you have the freedom to make mistakes, and learn from your errors, without incurring the wrath of your boss, or of angry co-workers.

Question #4 - Which of the following are examples of software programs used by graduates of dispatcher schools?

1) PC Miler

2) LoadLink

3) Freight Logix

4) All of the above and more

Answer: 4) All of the above and more. Dispatcher training has traditionally attracted people with good communication skills. This is still true today, but there are other skills required as well, including the ability to master new technology. Dispatching is an industry with many computer aids that help dispatchers to assign routes, minimize drives without cargo, etc.

Question #5 - Which of the following are examples of a dispatcher's responsibilities?

1) Route management

2) Freight matching

3) Freight pricing

4) All of the above and more

Answer: 4) All of the above and more. Graduates of dispatcher courses must also learn how to use GPS tracking, and how to arrange special documents and permissions for border crossings. Another concern: optimizing fuel.

Basically, if you are a graduate of dispatcher training, you are probably fairly comfortable with keeping multiple balls in the air.

Cementing Your Place in History Might Mean Taking a Risk

Everyone has his or her own style. From how people dress to the way they socialize with people, everybody has an individual and memorable touch. When you decide to work in movies, this touch has the ability of reaching the silver screen, to be etched in the minds of viewers forever. Think about it. Walt Disney coined the animated film, and launched the very first feature length cartoon. George Lucas opened up the imaginations across world, while Steven Spielberg is known for his thrilling and suspenseful films. All of these movie producers left something on the screen long after they left the movie set -- sticking to their strengths is what made them famous.

It is individuality that carries you the furthest in the movie business. While networking, education and experience are all essential to the movie business, you have to have something to offer once you reach the top, something to inspire others to aspire towards. It is this motivation that will make you stand out in the competitive entertainment industry. If you're an individual that's always followed the beat of your own drum, and you're creatively inclined, then maybe the film industry is where you belong. It is a playground for the odd, the unusual, and the brave. If you possess any of these characteristics, then you should consider taking your skills to the next level. Consider attending film classes in a bigger city, like Toronto.

In 2012 alone there have been a number of films filmed on Toronto soil, including Total Recall, Waiting for Summer, and the Disney television movie Frenemies. Toronto is a prime location for moviemakers across the globe due to its accessibility, and affordability (filming in Canada is usually less expensive than filming in the United States), and for these reasons, movie producers are making more and more movies in the Canadian city. Attending a film production school in Toronto will immediately put you in contact with members of the film industry, through both your professors as well as your fellow classmates. You will gain both the practical and theoretical knowledge necessary to make you a memorable applicant when applying for your next job.

If music is your preferred medium, then consider an audio engineering program. You can work in movies, in television, in radio, at venues, and of course, independently. Audio courses will provide you with the software training needed to ensure that you can keep up with the ever-evolving demands of the entertainment industry. Education will provide you with the tools necessary for you to create something unique to you.

The greatest moviemakers in the world are risk-takers. Consider the plethora of planes that Howard Hughes plowed his way through to make Hell's Angels. While the majority of filmmakers aren't flanked by an inherited fortune, this is a prime example of the risks that really great filmmakers are willing to take. So remember to take risks - this is what will take you to the top in a movie career.

Transporting Hazardous Material

Fortunately for us, almost everything we come into contact with in our everyday lives is fully manufactured and safe to be around. But if you've spent some time in the factories, constructing sites or laboratories where things are made, you may have been in the presence of materials that could burn, infect, or poison you. Most of us at one point in our lives have been in the presence of hazardous materials, even right in our houses (think of the cleaning products you use to shine your floors, or the propane tank you use to fuel your BBQ). Although these products are in fact hazardous, harm is not imminent insofar as the products are labeled and we are aware of the risks, and thus take the necessary precautions when using them.

That fact that we rely on hazardous materials as some of the building blocks of a developed society necessitates their transportation. From natural resource sites, chemical processing plants to factories, highly skilled specialists are responsible for moving these contents across the country. These not only include truckers, but dispatchers, fleet managers, operations specialists, and especially, safety compliance specialists.

In Canada, there is exists a national standard to regulate several defined classes of hazardous materials. It is called the Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS). This ensures a system where hazardous materials from anywhere in the country can be controlled and safely transported with a common understanding between sender and receiver. There are eight major classes of hazardous materials spelled out by the WHMIS. As a specialist in safety in transportation operations, one must know each class of hazardous material, and how it is transported.

- Compressed gas: gasoline in liquid state. Special cylinders with protected valves and strong metal caps are used for transportation.

- Flammable and combustible material: materials that can explode or otherwise ignite at relatively low temperatures. Some examples are gasoline, ethanol, propanes, and methanes. Containers must be grounded with clips to bare metal and transported in ventilated trucks.

- Oxidizing material: materials that can easily increase a fire's intensity and cause things to burn quicker, like ozone, nitrogen dioxide and peroxides. Similar transportation regulations as flammable and combustible materials.

- Materials causing immediate and serious toxic effects: poisons which can cause immediate bodily harm, like carbon monoxide or cyanides. This class is the skull and crossed bones symbol. The conditions must be well-ventilated during transportation.

- Materials causing other toxic effects: poisons and toxins not quite as dangerous as the above class, like mercury, asbestos or lead.

- Bio hazardous infectious materials: materials that cause diseases, like organisms such as viruses or bacteria. Transportation often requires temperature-controlled trucks.

- Corrosive materials - materials that can burn or irritate the skin or otherwise cause considerable surface damage, like various forms of acid. Each kind of corrosive material requires a special container, ranging from stainless steel to polymer plastic-coated glass.

- Dangerously reactive material: this is a varied class, but basically describes unstable materials that can be damaged or cause damage in a variety of ways, from being banged about, to experiencing rapid changes of temperature, to contact with water.

Transportation training school emphasizes the importance of hazardous material transportation for the integrity of the products, the safety of the driver, and the well-being of society.

Why Choose Toronto for Film School

When thinking about applying to film school, there are many factors to consider. One of the most important things is to study in a city that has a strong connection to the film industry. Similarly, one should choose a city that has in itself very cinematic qualities that can inspire a filmmaker's creativity. Finally, like anyone planning to spend several years studying and honing a craft, one needs to consider the affordability of the city, so that one could focus as much time on learning filmmaking and minimal time working jobs to pay the bills.

For all of the above reasons, Toronto is a fantastic choice for film school. Toronto has several great filmmaking programs ranging from long-term university programs to shorter, more intensive private film schools. It is not uncommon to walk around the city and see film crews working, whether lining streets with vans for full crews and massive gear for the big screen, to seeing two or three young people with digital camcorders making guerrilla short films. A city with many film schools and film students provides many opportunities to network and make connections for the future.

But aside from Toronto's strong local film scene and its connection with Hollywood and the international film community, there are still other good reasons for taking film courses in Toronto.

Firstly, Toronto as a location is unbeatable. The many different neighborhoods can stand in for not only many different places around the world, but also for different times. The famous Kensington Market can be many European cities or even some of the colonial North Eastern cities of the United States like 19th century Boston, Philadelphia or even New York City. Some of Toronto's surrounding suburbs can play the "every town" of Western Suburbia, ranging from affluent locations like Rosedale, to simpler middle-America-style suburbs like Don Mills.

Another reason Toronto is so scenic is its versatile weather. Bright, long summers; gorgeous, colorful autumns; blindingly-white winters; glisteningly serene springs: any setting and mood can be captured during the right time. These facts make Toronto not only a great location to shoot, but as a film student, it is a great place to get inspired by setting, location, and atmosphere.

Studying film isn't cheap, but film school in Toronto won't break your bank. Rent, for one thing, is only moderately priced compared to other Canadian cities, and much cheaper than in Los Angeles or New York City. Tuition costs are also quite competitive in Toronto in comparison with other major North American cities. With money saved on the cost of living, you will have more money for your student film budgets.

Between Toronto as a setting and Toronto as an affordable city, these are only two of many reasons why Toronto is a great city to study film, get inspired by film, and launch a film career.

Dispatcher Training Deals with the Demands of the Industry

Dispatchers have got to be able to multi-task. They are responsible for the running of a very hectic environment, and they are individuals that are allotted with a notable amount of responsibility. And in the middle of all this, they've got to keep it together regardless of their environment. If not, the whole process could fall apart. It's a career that involves a lot more than simply dispatching. It's a lot like directing a train yard without a direct view from overhead.

Because dispatching requires only a high school diploma, most people assume that they are immediately qualified to work as a dispatcher. But with such a demand in the transport and public safety industries, it is becoming more and more important for potential applicants to hold a certificate from a dispatcher school. If a potential employee has attended the proper dispatcher courses, it makes them much more appealing to potential employers. Especially when the dispatcher is not only responsible for organizing deliveries, pickups, arrivals and departures, but also for keeping a physical record of all interactions. If any of these responsibilities are left unfilled, it can lead to the failure of a business, or the loss of clients. In the case of public safety dispatchers, a mistake can even lead to the loss of a life. While dispatching may not need a university degree, it certainly calls for a very capable individual.

Dispatch workers are responsible for much more than just making calls. They must both schedule and dispatch fellow employees, ensure that vehicles are properly attended to, keep a record of all calls and transport enters and departs from their assigned territory.

This is what makes the aforementioned certification so necessary. While it is imperative for workers to excel in both communication and organizational skills, they must also have the sufficient experience to ensure that their job gets done, regardless of pressure or unplanned mishaps. To put it bluntly, the dispatcher has just got to make sure that everything gets to where it needs to be.

Dispatcher training can lead to any of the following careers:

- Operations Manager

- Local Dispatcher

- Highway Dispatcher

- Driver Manager/Trainer/Recruiter

- Load Planner

- Safety & Compliance Officer

- Representative

- Log Book Auditor

- Fleet Maintenance

- Loss Prevention Administrator

- Warehouse Supervisor

- Customer Service Rep

- Sales

These fields are not limited to the transport industry. In fact, 36% of employees work in the public safety fields for either the police department, fire department or for emergency call centers. While some public safety dispatchers work from a centralized call center, some work directly from the police station.