Dispatch, the nerve center of Lynden's operations

Top left photo: LTI, Inc. Sunnyside Dispatchers Joel Torres Ceja, Miguel Gutierrez, and Victor Flores. Bottom left photo: LTI, Inc. Lynden Dispatchers, Nathan Nieshe, Tyler Linderman, Andy Brandt, Supervisor Brian Timmer, Tanner Jansen, and Sammantha Buckingham. Photo at right: LTI, Inc. Sunnyside Dispatchers Daniel Bustamante and Greg Masset.

Road closures, bridge heights and inclement weather are all on the mental radar screen for a Lynden dispatcher. From Alaska to Houston, these hardworking employees are the nerve center of Lynden's trucking operations and the first call when unforeseen obstacles get in the way of planned deliveries. Throughout the Lynden companies, 37 dispatchers are coordinating loads and drivers throughout Alaska and the Lower 48.

Dispatch is a 24-7 cycle of arranging customer pickups, setting up a safe and efficient plan, conveying that plan to the drivers, and entering all the moving parts into an online system. "All jobs at Lynden are important, but I've often said: 'If you really want to learn our business and make a difference, be a dispatcher,'" says Chairman Jim Jansen. "Nothing else puts you closer to our customers and our drivers. No other job impacts our customer service, our efficiency, our employee attitudes, and our safety more than being a dispatcher."

At LTI, Inc. in Lynden, WA, Central Dispatch Supervisor Brian Timmer oversees five dispatchers in addition to five dispatchers in Sunnyside. On a routine day, 161 drivers are in the dispatch system, with most drivers picking up and delivering five loads a day. Freight ranges from milk and cream picked up from local dairies to molten sulfur delivered to Anacortes. In Sunnyside, the loads might be milk, apple slurry, wine, or canola oil.

Brian says it's fast-paced, ever-changing work, but also rewarding. "I enjoy putting efficient and creative plans together. Central Dispatch oversees all the farms in Grant County and those in Pasco, Sunnyside, and Boardman, OR – more than 100 dairies total. We want to keep farmers happy, our other customers happy and ultimately, our drivers happy by keeping our expectations realistic to get product delivered." 

Sunnyside dispatchers cover Central and Eastern Washington dairy farms, wineries and other locations. In Seattle, LTI, Inc.'s dispatch team of nine primarily supports Alaska Marine Lines projects by arranging loads for more than 100 drivers a day.

Brian and Seattle Operations Manager Jerry Peterson remember when dispatch was handled with a phone call, a slip of paper, and routes written on a whiteboard in the office. Before dispatch routing software became available, drivers might take a call from an office manager or a customer directly, necessitating pulling the truck over, writing down the details, communicating with the rest of the team, and getting back on the road. "The ORTEC software we now use gives everyone the ability to see what is happening across the state. It helps us with optimal routing to reduce travel time, transportation costs, and even tracks where equipment is at any given time," Brian explains. Dispatchers also arrange for specific trailers or other equipment that might be needed for a job, or a transfer of equipment mid-shift to accommodate a change in loads and products.

Most dispatchers, like Andy Brandt, Miguel Gutierrez, Tyler Linderman, Tanner Jansen, Greg Masset, Nathan Nieshe, and Victor Flores, say it's the human element of the job that matters most. It's important to get to know the drivers you are dispatching each day. LTI, Inc. dispatch teams are making an effort to get out and meet more customers and drivers so they can put a face to a name or a voice.

"I was a driver once, and I know how tough it can be when you're on the road and a storm moves in, a road is closed, or you can't get home that night," Brian says. "We try to keep a level head and take care of our customers and our drivers when things take a turn, and they often do." Dispatchers are the ones making hotel reservations when a driver gets stranded by a pass closure or other emergency. "It's an extremely important support position, and we all take it seriously. We share the same work ethic with others throughout Lynden. The customer makes a request, we figure out how to make it happen, and then do our best to make it a positive interaction for everyone."