Dispatch coordinator vs transportation dispatcher

The differences between dispatch coordinators and transportation dispatchers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a dispatch coordinator and a transportation dispatcher. Additionally, a dispatch coordinator has an average salary of $38,470, which is higher than the $36,218 average annual salary of a transportation dispatcher.

The top three skills for a dispatch coordinator include customer service, data entry and customer inquiries. The most important skills for a transportation dispatcher are customer service, patients, and data entry.

Dispatch coordinator vs transportation dispatcher overview

	Dispatch Coordinator	Transportation Dispatcher
Yearly salary	$38,470	$36,218
Hourly rate	$18.50	$17.41
Growth rate	4%	-8%
Number of jobs	16,930	12,205
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 37%	High School Diploma, 31%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	2	2

What does a dispatch coordinator do?

A dispatch coordinator is primarily in charge of dispatching and tracking vehicles that provide different services. The extent of their duties varies upon their industry or institution of employment. In emergency dispatch centers, they answer calls from the public and coordinate police cars, ambulances, or fire trucks to respond to emergencies, all while staying on the line with the caller. A dispatch coordinator may also work trucking or delivery companies where they are in charge of coordinating shipping details and schedules, managing routes, and monitoring the vehicles.

What does a transportation dispatcher do?

A Transportation Dispatcher's job is to coordinate the transportation of goods by trucks with suppliers, drivers, etc. He/She schedules drivers for pickups and deliveries on specific routes. He/She maintains up-to-date records and reviews the driver log to check for violations and errors. As a Transportation Dispatcher, you will basically act as the middle man between several units and people. You will be required to always be in communication with the maintenance team to see which vehicles are ready for use and when the out-of-service ones will be returned to the fleet.

Dispatch coordinator vs transportation dispatcher salary

Dispatch coordinators and transportation dispatchers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Dispatch Coordinator	Transportation Dispatcher
Average salary	$38,470	$36,218
Salary range	Between $30,000 And $47,000	Between $28,000 And $46,000
Highest paying City	Bellingham, WA	Paramus, NJ
Highest paying state	Alaska	Alaska
Best paying company	Balfour Beatty plc	Northrop Grumman
Best paying industry	Finance	Manufacturing

Differences between dispatch coordinator and transportation dispatcher education

There are a few differences between a dispatch coordinator and a transportation dispatcher in terms of educational background:

	Dispatch Coordinator	Transportation Dispatcher
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 37%	High School Diploma, 31%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Dispatch coordinator vs transportation dispatcher demographics

Here are the differences between dispatch coordinators' and transportation dispatchers' demographics:

	Dispatch Coordinator	Transportation Dispatcher
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 45.8% Female, 54.2%	Male, 45.9% Female, 54.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.5% Asian, 3.8% White, 62.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%	Black or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.5% Asian, 3.8% White, 62.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between dispatch coordinator and transportation dispatcher duties and responsibilities

Dispatch coordinator example responsibilities.

Manage high volume of data entry A/R invoices and mail out invoices to customers.
Manage the customer relationship and expectations, communicate effectively, and troubleshoot and resolve technical issues.
Enter loads into AS400 system.
Dispatch drivers to customers using AS400.
Dispatch 25 HVAC technicians to various job sites.
Monitor CCTV for student activities during high traffic times.

Transportation dispatcher example responsibilities.

Manage customer service satisfaction by providing update eta and location of drivers.
Monitor and report various GPS routes, road and weather conditions.
Work with different lines of accounting (LOA) for DTS and PCS transactions.
Keep track of all drivers on the road and delivery times and departure times through GPS tracking.
Schedule and coordinate HVAC technician's daily activities, part requisitions, and deliver detail customer information for technicians.
Determine the nature of the call and deploy the proper medical units and equipment need within the contracted eta time standards.

Dispatch coordinator vs transportation dispatcher skills

Common dispatch coordinator skills

Customer Service, 33%
Data Entry, 7%
Customer Inquiries, 5%
Delivery Appointments, 4%
Windows, 4%
Emergency Calls, 4%

Common transportation dispatcher skills

Customer Service, 33%
Patients, 17%
Data Entry, 9%
Patient Care, 6%
Patient Transport, 5%
CPR, 4%

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Dispatch Coordinator
Dispatch Coordinator vs Transportation Dispatcher

Updated January 8, 2025

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