Material recording, scheduling, dispatching, and distributing occupationsWorkers in this group are responsible for a variety of communications, recordkeeping, and scheduling operations. Typically, they coordinate, expedite, and track orders for personnel, materials, and equipment. Cargo and freight agents route and track cargo and freight shipments, whether from airline, train, or truck terminals or from shipping docks. They keep records of any missing or damaged items and any excess supplies. The agents sort cargo according to its destination and separate items that cannot be packed together. They also coordinate payment schedules with customers and arrange for the pickup or delivery of freight. Couriers and messengers deliver letters, important business documents, or packages within a firm to other businesses or to customers. They usually keep records of deliveries and sometimes obtain the recipient�s signature. Couriers and messengers travel by car, van, or bicycle, or even by foot when making nearby deliveries. Dispatchers receive requests for service and initiate action to provide that service. Duties vary with the needs of the employer. Police, fire, and ambulance dispatchers, also called public safety dispatchers, handle calls from people reporting crimes, fires, and medical emergencies. Truck, bus, and train dispatchers schedule and coordinate the movement of these vehicles to ensure that they arrive at the appointed time. Taxicab dispatchers relay requests for cabs to individual drivers, tow-truck dispatchers take calls for emergency road service, and utility company dispatchers handle calls related to utility and telephone service. Courier and messenger service dispatchers route drivers, riders, and walkers around a (usually urban) designated area. They distribute work by radio, e-mail, or phone, making sure that service deadlines are met. Meter readers read meters and record the consumption of electricity, gas, water, or steam. They serve a variety of consumers and travel along designated routes to track consumption. Although numerous meters still are read at the house or building that receives the utility�s service, many newer meters can be read remotely from a central point. Meter readers also look for evidence of unauthorized utility usage. Production, planning, and expediting clerks coordinate and expedite the flow of information, work, and materials, usually according to a production or work schedule. They gather information for reports on the progress of work and on production problems. They also may schedule workers or shipments of parts, estimate costs, and keep inventories of materials. Shipping, receiving, and traffic clerks track all incoming and outgoing shipments of goods transferred among businesses, suppliers, and customers. These clerks may be required to lift cartons of various sizes. Shipping clerks assemble, address, stamp, and ship merchandise or materials. Receiving clerks unpack, verify, and record information on incoming merchandise. Traffic clerks record the destination, weight, and cost of all incoming and outgoing shipments. In a small company, one clerk may perform all of these tasks. (Postal Service workers sort and deliver mail for the United States Postal Service. While these workers are classified as material recording, scheduling, dispatching, and distributing workers and are included in the estimate of employment for this occupational group, they are discussed in detail elsewhere in the Handbook.) Stock clerks and order fillers receive, unpack, and store materials and equipment, and maintain and distribute inventories. In wholesale and retail establishments, inventories may include merchandise; in other kinds of organizations, inventory may include equipment, supplies, or materials. In small firms, stock clerks and order fillers may perform all of the preceding tasks, as well as those usually handled by shipping and receiving clerks. In large establishments, stock clerks and order fillers may be responsible for only one task. Weighers, measurers, checkers, and samplers check and record the weight and measurement of various materials and equipment. They use scales, measuring and counting devices, and calculators to compare weights, measurements, or other specifications against bills or invoices. They also prepare reports on inventory levels. (This introductory section is followed by sections that provide more detail on cargo and freight agents; couriers and messengers; dispatchers; utility meter readers; production, planning, and expediting clerks; shipping, receiving, and traffic clerks; stock clerks and order fillers; and weighers, measurers, checkers, and samplers.) Related news articles Ohio politics Q & A with Dispatch politics editors - 16 Oct 2006 Columbus Dispatch,Today's Ohio politics Q & A session with Dispatch editors Joe Hallett and Darrel Rowland is now over. Next week's online discussion ... Pacific Internet to Dispatch Proxy Statement - 16 Oct 2006 Earthtimes.orgSINGAPORE, Oct. 16 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- The Board of Directors ("Board") of Pacific Internet Limited ("PacNet") refers to the ... Special Dispatch Series - No. 1325 - 16 Oct 2006 Middle East Media Research Institute,French-Algerian Scholar and Author Dr. Malek Chebel: ‘Islam is the Only Monotheistic Religion That Advocates Free and Spontaneous Access to Sexuality’. ... Central Dispatch heading for new fire station - 16 Oct 2006 Muskegon Chronicle,Muskegon Central Dispatch will shift its headquarters to the city's new Central Fire Station next year under a lease agreement approved by the Muskegon City ... Fort Gratiot dispatch charge up for vote - 16 Oct 2006 Port Huron Times Herald,...a contract last year with the sheriff department for police protection through 2008, it was assumed the county's proposed Central Dispatch Authority would be ... THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH - 16 Oct 2006 Columbus Dispatch,Though a marathon is an event for individuals, the Columbus Marathon saw at least one team take part yesterday. The Team in Training ... THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH - 16 Oct 2006 Columbus Dispatch,Something was wrong. Nathan Katz sensed it when his young wife didn’t answer phone calls to their Northland apartment on Sept. 29, 1970. ... Leading Online Recruiter of Both Experienced and Inexperienced ... - 16 Oct 2006 PR Inside (Pressemitteilung),2006-10-16 23:20:47 - Truckers Dispatch, the leading online job source for truck drivers, today announced the addition of a new service that connects those ... 'Records pertaining to 1984 anti-Sikh riot were destroyed' - 16 Oct 2006 Zee News,Krishan Kumar, who in 1998 was the record keeper of the police station, informed Additional Sessions Judge Rajinder Kumar that the dispatch and complaint ... Indonesia troop deployment to Lebanon delayed again - 16 Oct 2006 Reuters India,JAKARTA (Reuters) - Dispatch of Indonesian troops to Lebanon to join a United Nations peacekeeping mission has been postponed again, the country's military ... Panel: Highpoint worth $10.5 million - 16 Oct 2006 York Dispatch,Pick up Tuesday's edition of The York Dispatch for more details on this story. Their ruling can be appealed by either side to a jury trial. ... Virginia Supreme Court launches State mental health law review - 16 Oct 2006 News-Medical.net,...in three decades" intended to produce an "omnibus mental health reform package" to present to the 2008 General Assembly, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reports. ... Missouri tobacco tax proposal to appear on November ballot - 16 Oct 2006 News-Medical.net,7 ballot, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. ... A smaller tobacco tax increase failed four years ago (Young, St. Louis Post Dispatch, 10/11). Richmond Times-Dispatch - Oct 14, 2006 Richmond Times Dispatch,MID-SEASON NOMINATION: UR linebacker Adam Goloboski can count on one vote for Atlantic 10 Conference defensive player of the year. ... More information on Material recording, scheduling, dispatching, and distributing occupations from The U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook Overview of Material recording, scheduling, dispatching, and distributing occupations occupation Number of Material recording, scheduling, dispatching, and distributing occupations in the U.S. Salary and earnings for Material recording, scheduling, dispatching, and distributing occupations Working conditions for Material recording, scheduling, dispatching, and distributing occupations Significant points for Material recording, scheduling, dispatching, and distributing occupations Training requirements for Material recording, scheduling, dispatching, and distributing occupations Labor Information Home | Occupational data by city | Search Rainforests | Madagascar | What's new |