Logistics · Consulting
Dispatch & Fleet Operations: Build a Board That Runs Without Chaos
Dispatch is a contact sport. I have run the board, not just audited it.
The problem
What this usually looks like
Every day is firefighting. Drivers call the owner directly, customers find out about delays after the fact, the dispatcher is irreplaceable and burning out, and one breakdown wrecks the whole schedule. There is no system. There is one person holding it together in their head.
How I approach it
I build the dispatch function as an actual department: documented run sheets, a defined escalation ladder, proactive customer communication and cross-trained coverage, so the operation survives a vacation, a resignation or a bad Monday.
Scope
What I actually do
Set up a dispatch department from scratch, or restructure one that grew organically.
Document run sheets, daily boards, driver assignment rules and shift handover procedures.
Build the exception escalation ladder so breakdowns and delays have a defined owner and response.
Install proactive ETA and delay communication so customers hear it from you first.
Train and mentor dispatchers, including hiring and cross-training a backup so the role is not a single point of failure.
Address driver retention: assignment fairness, communication standards, home time and scorecards.
Review hours-of-service and ELD compliance workflow.
Deliverables
What you get
- Dispatch SOP manual and daily run sheet templates
- Escalation ladder and communication standards
- Dispatcher training program and cross-training plan
- Driver scorecards and retention recommendations
- Shift coverage model including nights and weekends
Outcomes
What changes
- Fewer customer escalations
- The operation survives one person being away
- Lower driver turnover
- Owners stop taking dispatch calls at 6am
Engagement
How we work together
Dispatch department build-out
Dispatcher training and mentoring
Interim dispatch supervision
Questions
Straight answers
Can you build a dispatch department from nothing?
Yes. Many growing companies hit the point where the owner or a foreman is dispatching off a whiteboard and a phone. I build the structure, hire and train the dispatcher, and document the process.
Do you help with driver retention?
Yes, and most turnover is dispatch-driven, unfair assignment, poor communication and unpredictable home time. Fixing the board usually fixes a large share of the turnover.
Related
Services that usually go with this
Sales Training & Enablement
Delivered by someone who still sells, not a trainer who read about it.
Logistics & Supply Chain Consulting
Twenty years on the board, not twenty slides about best practice.
Custom Dispatch & Fleet Systems
Dispatch tooling designed from the dispatcher's seat, not from a requirements document written by someone who has never taken a 6am breakdown call.
Hiring instead of contracting? See the full-time roles, or the ATS-formatted resume.
Contact
Tell me what you are hiring for
- Call: +1 519 278 5085
- Email: tim@timarmstrong.ca
- Based: London & Southwestern Ontario, Ontario, America/Toronto (Eastern Time)
- Availability: Available nationally across Canada, on-site, hybrid or remote
- Serving: London · Stratford · Woodstock · Kitchener: Waterloo · Cambridge · Guelph · Brantford · Sarnia · Chatham-Kent · Windsor · Toronto · Mississauga and Canada-wide