Dispatcher - Carrier Specialist

Job Details: Job Location: 00005 Plymouth Corporate - Plymouth, MI, Salary Range: Undisclosed, Dispatcher - Carrier Specialist

About United Road

United Road is the largest finished vehicle logistics company in North America. We move new and used vehicles for OEMs, dealerships, auctions, and fleet operators across the continent. We do it through company drivers, owner-operators, and thousands of third-party carriers in our Haully network.

Our pillars are simple: Expertise, Partnership, and being Ever-Present for our customers and carriers. This role lives the Partnership pillar every day.

The role

The Dispatcher plans, assigns, and manages loads from tender to delivery. This seat buys third-party capacity within the rate corridor, keeps carriers loyal to the network, and owns the status truth on every active order on its board.

It is also a service seat. When a vehicle is running behind, sitting too long, or off plan, the Dispatcher knows it first, fixes what can be fixed, and tells the right people before they have to ask. The role calls for someone who thinks quickly, exercises independent judgment, and works with professional car haulers, account managers, and internal stakeholders in a courteous and professional manner every day.

The best people in this seat balance a car hauler's revenue needs against service requirements and company profitability, on every load, without losing their tone or their temper.

Responsibilities

Operations

Plan, coordinate, and manage loads efficiently and cost-effectively from load assignment through delivery
Work the load board to zero unassigned orders past threshold, every shift
Buy capacity within the rate corridor; take exceptions to the Site Manager with a reason, before the fact and not after
Keep every active order's status current in the TMS before end of shift — the system is the truth other people act on
Monitor all current orders to confirm accurate pick-up and delivery against customer performance standards
Flag at-risk deliveries the moment they are known, never after the miss
Resolve exceptions on your own orders the same shift, or escalate with what you have already tried
Other duties as assigned by the department manager or senior management

Carrier Relationships & Service

Serve as the first point of contact for professional car haulers and carriers on assigned orders: fast, straight, and professional
Build real relationships with your carriers — they should take your call first because you have been fair and honest with them
Own proactive status communication: push updates, ETAs, and exceptions to account managers and site teams before they have to ask
Work side by side with the account managers on your accounts — share the operational picture daily, align on priorities, and give them what they need for the conversations they own
Troubleshoot and resolve service issues effectively and professionally; pull in whoever is needed to close them out
Balance the car hauler's revenue needs with service requirements and the company's margin, on every load
Set the tone on every interaction: courtesy under pressure is a job requirement, not a personality trait

People

Support new team members informally; the team's standard is everyone's job
Cover teammates' boards during rotations and absences without dropping status quality

Financial

Know the margin on every load dispatched
Log every carrier decline with a reason — this feeds the analytics rate desk and the carrier network team's capacity planning
Protect revenue by keeping units moving: dwell is money sitting still

Schedule & Coverage

Vehicles move around the clock, so our dispatch desk covers more than a nine-to-five. Here is exactly what that looks like, so there are no surprises:

Standard shift: Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
Rotating later shift: 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM. This rotates through the whole team on a published cycle, so nobody carries the evenings alone.
Weekends: one weekend per month as part of the same rotation.
Rosters are published two weeks ahead so you can plan your life around them.
Scheduled coverage shifts are paid at a premium, and coverage reliability is one of the things we consider when a promotion comes up.

We build the schedule together and we share it evenly. Show up for the rotation and the rotation shows up for you — coverage work gets recognized every week, and it counts for you when opportunities open up.

Performance & Development

Come to your weekly one-on-one with the Site Manager prepared: know your board, your numbers, and your risks before you sit down
Treat it as a working session, not a status report — bring the blockers you need cleared and the decisions you need made
Own your scorecard. It is reviewed with you, never done to you, and you should never be surprised by what is on it
Carry one development goal at a time and work it with your Site Manager until it is closed
Give and take feedback in the moment; the standard is set every shift, not once a quarter

Key Performance Indicators

Targets are set against a 30-day baseline and reviewed quarterly.

On-time pickup and delivery %
Status timeliness and status accuracy
Proactive notification rate — exceptions communicated before anyone has to ask
Carrier and internal stakeholder response time
Loads dispatched per day
Carrier acceptance rate on first offer
Exception resolution time
Margin per load dispatched
Coverage reliability — rotation shifts worked as scheduled

Career Path

From this seat: Site Manager, then Ops Manager. The evidence we look for is coverage reliability, peer leadership, and board quality.

What We Are Looking For

A competitor. You like to win — the load covered, the exception closed, the update sent before anyone chased you for it.
A closer, not a hand-off artist. You chase problems until they are resolved rather than passing them along.
A relationship builder with carriers. Car haulers take your calls first because you have been straight with them.
A relationship builder inside the building. Account managers, site teams, and the carrier network team trust what you tell them.
Someone who wants to grow with us. This seat is the entry point to Site Manager and Ops Manager, and we promote from it.
Calm under pressure, courteous under pressure, and honest when the news is bad.

Skills Required

Effective listening and strong written and verbal communication skills
Excellent service orientation and resolution skills
Relationship-building skills with carriers and internal stakeholders alike
Highly organized and detail oriented
Fast, calm decision-making under pressure; able to multi-task and prioritize in a fast-paced environment
Solid Excel skills — comfortable working in spreadsheets daily: sorting and filtering large order lists, building and reading reports, and using basic formulas and pivot tables to track board performance
Intermediate proficiency in Microsoft Word and Outlook
Ability to learn our TMS and internal systems quickly

Qualifications

College degree, or one year of logistics or dispatch experience, preferably in a trucking environment
Strong oral, written, and electronic communication skills
FMCSA and DOT awareness
Elog experience is a plus
Demonstrated interest in growing into a Site Manager or Ops Manager seat over time
Availability to work the published rotation, including the 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM shift and one weekend per month

Benefits Summary

United Road is proud to offer our full-time employees best-in-class benefits designed to support your health, well-being, and financial security. From comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage to generous retirement savings options and paid time off, we provide a benefits package that goes beyond the basics. We also offer unique perks like a zero-dollar-out-of-paycheck medical plan, telehealth, wellness discounts, and employee assistance resources, ensuring that our team is fully supported both at work and in life. These benefits reflect our commitment to attracting and retaining top talent while helping employees thrive every day.

Health & Wellness

BCBS PPO Medical with Telehealth
Delta Dental
NVA Vision
Company Paid Life and AD&D
Supplemental Life
Dependent Life
Short-Term Disability
Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
New Vehicle Supplier Discounts

Financial Benefits

401(k) with Company Match

Work-Life Balance

PTO Program (Vacation, Sick, Personal, Jury, Bereavement)
6 Paid Holidays

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