Transport and logistics
Transport dispatcher CV: example and template
This example is for transport dispatchers and fleet planners at haulage, logistics, distribution and manufacturing companies with their own fleet, and for drivers and freight forwarders who want to move into an office role.
The employer wants to know which fleet you manage, how you plan routes and drivers' work, how you react to problems on the road and which systems you use. We show you how to describe this on your CV.
How to write a transport dispatcher CV
Professional summary
Write which fleet you manage, on which routes and what your main tasks are: planning, drivers' working time, loads, responding to problems. Add systems and one result, for example fewer empty runs. If you used to drive, mention it, because a dispatcher who knows life on the road plans better.
C+E truck driver with 6 years of experience in international transport who knows working time rules and transport documents. I speak German and know routes in Western Europe well. I am looking for work as a transport dispatcher.
Experience: duties and achievements
Describe the number of vehicles, routes, types of loads, systems and results. Show how you respond to breakdowns and delays. Add drivers' working time, because the company pays heavy fines for breaches.
Weaker: Planning routes.
Better: Planning routes and loads for 40 trucks in Poland and the EU.
Weaker: Working time.
Better: Monitoring drivers' working time and tachograph downloads.
Weaker: Loads.
Better: Finding return loads on freight exchanges, about 15% fewer empty runs.
Skills worth listing
List planning, drivers' working time, systems, freight exchanges, documents and languages. In your soft skills show calm under pressure, quick decisions and good communication with drivers.
Professional skills
- Route planning
- Drivers' working time
- Freight exchanges
- TMS and GPS
- Transport documents
- Foreign languages
Personal skills
- Calm under pressure
- Quick decisions
- Communication with drivers
- Organisation
- Responsibility
Licences and training
List the certificate of professional competence in road haulage, working time training and your driving licence if you hold truck categories. The certificate of competence is needed by the person managing transport in a company.
Transport dispatcher CV with no experience
Describe work as a driver, warehouse worker or freight forwarder, a logistics school and knowledge of maps and routes. Add languages.
Start as an assistant dispatcher or junior planner. Employers are glad to hire former drivers who know the realities of the road.
Tailoring your CV to the job offer
A haulage company looks for fleet planning and return loads, a distribution company for multi-drop routes, and a manufacturer with its own fleet for work with the warehouse and production. Move to the top what the job ad is about.
Questions and answers
What should a transport dispatcher put on a CV?
Fleet size, routes, loads, drivers' working time, systems, freight exchanges, documents, results, languages and licences.
How does a dispatcher differ from a freight forwarder?
A dispatcher manages the company's own fleet and drivers, while a freight forwarder organises transport with external carriers.
Can a former driver become a dispatcher?
Yes, it is a common route. Knowing life on the road helps a lot in planning.
Is the certificate of professional competence needed?
Not always for a dispatcher, but it helps and is required from the person managing transport in a company.