Transportation dispatcher vs freight dispatcher

The differences between transportation dispatchers and freight 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 freight dispatcher. Additionally, a freight dispatcher has an average salary of $42,749, 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 freight dispatcher are DOT, shippers, and OTR.

Transportation dispatcher vs freight dispatcher overview

	Transportation Dispatcher	Freight Dispatcher
Yearly salary	$36,218	$42,749
Hourly rate	$17.41	$20.55
Growth rate	-8%	-
Number of jobs	12,205	10,441
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 31%	Bachelor's Degree, 38%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	2	2

Transportation dispatcher vs freight dispatcher salary

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

	Transportation Dispatcher	Freight Dispatcher
Average salary	$36,218	$42,749
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $46,000	Between $24,000 And $73,000
Highest paying City	Paramus, NJ	-
Highest paying state	Alaska	-
Best paying company	Northrop Grumman	-
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	-

Differences between transportation dispatcher and freight dispatcher education

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

	Transportation Dispatcher	Freight Dispatcher
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 31%	Bachelor's Degree, 38%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Transportation dispatcher vs freight dispatcher demographics

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

	Transportation Dispatcher	Freight Dispatcher
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 45.9% Female, 54.1%	Male, 64.9% Female, 35.1%
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 transportation dispatcher and freight 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.

Freight dispatcher example responsibilities.

Manage customer service satisfaction by providing update eta and location of drivers.
Dispatch drivers from the CSX to other locations within Tennessee.
Call carriers on a daily basis to update moves in Pegasus.
Perform daily dispatching import and export container trucks, customer service, data input accuracy and maintain office operation.
Ensure proper documentation and quality containers utilize for export container drays.
Discuss cable television equipment operation with customers over telephone to explain equipment usage and to troubleshoot equipment problems.

Transportation dispatcher vs freight dispatcher skills

Common transportation dispatcher skills

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

Common freight dispatcher skills

DOT, 35%
Shippers, 22%
OTR, 13%
Load Boards, 10%
Owner Operators, 10%
LTL, 9%

Transportation Dispatcher vs. similar jobs

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Transportation Dispatcher
Transportation Dispatcher vs Freight Dispatcher

Updated January 8, 2025

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