Transportation dispatcher vs chief dispatcher

The differences between transportation dispatchers and chief 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 transportation dispatcher and a chief dispatcher. Additionally, a chief dispatcher has an average salary of $42,300, which is higher than the $36,218 average annual salary of a transportation dispatcher.

The top three skills for a transportation dispatcher include customer service, patients and data entry. The most important skills for a chief dispatcher are logistics, safety training, and FRA.

Transportation dispatcher vs chief dispatcher overview

	Transportation Dispatcher	Chief Dispatcher
Yearly salary	$36,218	$42,300
Hourly rate	$17.41	$20.34
Growth rate	-8%	-
Number of jobs	12,205	17,036
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 31%	Bachelor's Degree, 41%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	2	2

Transportation dispatcher vs chief dispatcher salary

Transportation dispatchers and chief dispatchers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Transportation Dispatcher	Chief Dispatcher
Average salary	$36,218	$42,300
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $46,000	Between $25,000 And $71,000
Highest paying City	Paramus, NJ	-
Highest paying state	Alaska	-
Best paying company	Northrop Grumman	-
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	-

Differences between transportation dispatcher and chief dispatcher education

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

	Transportation Dispatcher	Chief Dispatcher
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 31%	Bachelor's Degree, 41%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Transportation dispatcher vs chief dispatcher demographics

Here are the differences between transportation dispatchers' and chief dispatchers' demographics:

	Transportation Dispatcher	Chief Dispatcher
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 45.9% Female, 54.1%	Male, 75.0% Female, 25.0%
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 transportation dispatcher and chief dispatcher duties and responsibilities

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.

Chief dispatcher example responsibilities.

Manage and organize project teams internally during implementation of new CMTS system.
Dispatch drivers in delivering and picking up ltl freight to and from local customers.
Organize and maintain records pertinent to FCC and FRA regulations, crew attendance, job assignments and vacations.
Answer inbound shipper calls, assigning the LTL pickups and deliveries base on available man hours and freight volume.
Direct inbound and outbound logistics operations, such as transportation and warehouse activities, safety performance, and logistics quality management.
Coordinate guest limousine reservation requests with casino hosts and VIP personnel.

Transportation dispatcher vs chief dispatcher skills

Common transportation dispatcher skills

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

Common chief dispatcher skills

Logistics, 19%
Safety Training, 16%
FRA, 7%
Vehicle Operation, 6%
Hazardous Materials, 6%
Combat, 5%

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Transportation Dispatcher
Transportation Dispatcher vs Chief Dispatcher

Updated January 8, 2025

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