The Dispatch Game

There aren’t many places to turn if you need to train or touch up the skills of a dispatcher, or evaluate whether someone has the instincts to be a good one.

Kim Richardson Transportation Specialists, a Caledonia, Ont.-based training company, hopes to curb this problem with the Daily Dispatch Program, an interactive CD-ROM-based training program designed by the Truckload Academy. On your screen are things you’d expect to find on a dispatcher’s desk: a computer and phone messaging system, a calendar, driver and customer files, a map, a load sheet, and a clock.

The program is an eight-hour, day-in-the-life simulation of a dispatcher’s job. It plays out like a game: problems pop up literally every few seconds, ranging from an irate customer to a driver involved in an accident. It tests your skills in conflict resolution, negotiation, managing emergencies, regulations, and figuring arrival times. A virtual guide named Will Travel will talk you through obstacles and correct you when you answers are wrong. When the game ends, a printout gives you a score and highlights of your strengths and weaknesses. It’s a great way to pre-screen prospective dispatchers.

The program can be purchased direct from KRTS (1-800/771-8171) for $2520, or can be taken as a four-hour training course at KRTS for $195.