Perhaps you’re a former truck driver, who wants to stay closer to home, or maybe you’re ready for a career change after many years doing dispatch, but you don’t want to switch out of the field or waste your training and experience. The right transport operations training can only build on what you’ve got already, launching a new career or helping you advance. Continuous skill updates are the reality in most industries and transportation, driving and freight are no different.
Drivers
Past truck drivers should consider a switch into a dispatch role. You heard their voice on the radio while you were on the road, and just as you learned to understand what they were saying, you already have most of the basics to get you off the ground. Add some formal dispatcher training, available in a variety of educational formats, and you’re well on your way to trading the driver’s seat for the comforts of a control centre chair, and hands on a steering wheel for a headset. Your industry experience will also be especially appealing to employers because you’ll know all the challenges that drivers face, and all the rules and regulations.
Dispatchers
If you have existing dispatcher training, that means that you’re already at least part way to being qualified radio operator, complete with formal certification. While the technology has been around for a great deal of time, its reliability keeps it relevant even in the face of advances in mass communication. In fact, with the use of satellites and the role of radio waves in cell phones you may already be on the cutting edge of technology. You could take this into a career in radio broadcast, including safety warnings or fire monitoring, or if you’re particularly gifted with technology, your knowledge of the switchboard could even translate into further electrical or automotive technician training.
Mechanics
People who have automotive technician training are also well on their way to more. This could mean going back to a mechanic school for more certification so you can command a higher salary by adding auto body repair or other specialties to your resume, or learning some business and sales training to start your own garage or dealership franchise, but also the possibility of owning a freight business. As you already understand the full workings of a car you’re ready to do your own maintenance and know it’s up to code. Alternatively if you are tired of the same views through your garage bay doors, you could retrain through transport operations training and become a driver. You could see the entirety of the country as you drive between cities or enjoy a bustling schedule making downtown deliveries. This is a good career for extra money in retirement, because it is not as physically demanding as your job as a mechanic, and if you’ve had a lifetime of servicing engines, you’re more than ready to tackle the road.
