A junk removal dispatcher sends each booked pickup to a truck crew, watches where the trucks are and keeps customers posted on when the crew will arrive. They update every job in the CRM as it moves from booked to loaded to closed, and rework the day when a cleanout runs long.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, waste collection companies · BLS, May 2025
Responsible for coordinating and dispatching junk removal crews to ensure effective and efficient service delivery. Plays a key role in managing truck locations, updating customer ETAs, and maintaining accurate job documentation within our CRM system. Serves as the vital link between our customers, field crews, and management to enhance overall operational efficiency.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Assign jobs to field crews based on service availability and proximity.
Monitor and track truck locations to optimize routing and dispatch efficiency.
Provide regular customer ETA updates and address inquiries as necessary.
Ensure accurate and timely documentation of job status in the CRM system.
Collaborate with team members and management to resolve operational challenges.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Review daily schedule and assign new jobs to crews accordingly.
Continuously monitor truck locations and update routes as needed.
Communicate with customers regarding upcoming service calls and provide accurate ETAs.
Update job progress and completion status in the CRM in real time.
Coordinate with crew members for efficient service delivery and issue resolution.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Average response time to dispatch calls: <10 minutes.
On-time truck arrival rate: >95%.
CRM documentation accuracy: >98%.
Customer Satisfaction Rating: >4.8 stars.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
High school diploma or equivalent; additional technical training is a plus.
Minimum 2 years of experience in dispatching or a similar role.
Proficiency with CRM systems and dispatch software.
Excellent communication, organizational, and multitasking skills.
Ability to work in a fast-paced and dynamic environment.
6. Preferred Experience
Experience in the junk removal, home services, or similar service industries.
Previous exposure to logistics or transportation management.
Hands-on experience with modern CRM applications or dispatch tools.
Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively in a team setting.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to remain seated for extended periods while working on a computer.
Occasional need to lift up to 20 lbs.
May require brief visits to operational sites to coordinate with crews.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Typical hours: Monday to Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM.
Occasional overtime required during peak service periods.
On-call responsibilities may be needed during emergencies or high demand.
Work is primarily office-based with some field visits as necessary.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Hourly rate ranging from $18 to $25 per hour, based on experience.
Performance-based bonus opportunities available.
Comprehensive benefits package including Health, Dental, and Vision insurance.
401(k) plan with company matching.
Additional fringe benefits may include paid time off and employee development programs.
10. Company Culture and Overview
Our company is dedicated to fostering an inclusive and supportive work environment, where innovation, teamwork, and continuous improvement are highly valued.
We encourage personal and professional growth and strive to empower our employees to achieve their fullest potential.
Join us and be part of a forward-thinking team that values customer satisfaction and operational excellence.
11. How to Apply
If you meet the above criteria and want to be part of a growth-oriented company focused on customer satisfaction, please send your resume to [INSERT EMAIL HERE] or apply online at [INSERT WEBSITE LINK HERE].
Need help filling this role? HireBus posts the ad, Iris interviews every applicant by phone before you do, and you decide who to hire. Start hiring now
A junk removal dispatcher isn't sending one tech to one repair. Each truck fills, empties and fills again through the day, and the crew has to match what's waiting at the house.
No leaning on a driver to break the rules
If your trucks are commercial motor vehicles under FMCSA's rules, a motor carrier and anyone acting for it may not coerce a driver into breaking the safety rules, and the driver can file a written complaint. So when a crew leader says the truck needs a repair or the day's hours are used up, the dispatcher moves the job to another crew or another day instead of pushing. Source: eCFR: Coercion prohibited (49 CFR 390.6).
Some town roads get posted
In Vermont, for example, a selectboard that restricts use of a town highway has to post the rules in at least two public places and put signs at each end of the restricted stretch. A driver who ignores them commits a traffic offense and is liable for the road damage. Keep each town's notices at the dispatch desk and route loaded trucks around posted roads. Source: Vermont Statutes, 19 V.S.A. § 1110: Posting of highways.
Crew size follows the heaviest piece
A piano, a cast iron tub or a hot tub on a back deck needs more hands and the right dolly, not just an open slot on the board. Read the booking notes for the heaviest item before you assign a crew. If the notes are vague, call the customer or send a third person rather than letting two people try.
Donation stops keep their own hours
A charity or resale partner may take drop-offs only during set receiving hours. Learn each partner's hours and what they turn down, and route the donation stop while the door is open. Miss it, and the sofa rides back to the yard to be handled twice.
How much junk removal dispatchers make
Dispatchers who work for waste collection companies earned a median of $27.29 an hour ($56,770 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s above the $50,340 median for dispatchers in all industries. About 2,710 of the 202,810 dispatchers in that survey work for waste collection companies.
Hourly, often with a bonus for on-time arrivals, and overtime when the board is packed. The template's range falls under the BLS middle wage for dispatchers at waste collection firms.
Waste collection companies
$56,770$56,770 median Middle half $47,420–$65,210 10th–90th $40,620–$88,480
All industries
$50,340$50,340 median Middle half $42,750–$62,450 10th–90th $36,030–$78,140
$30k$40k$50k$60k$70k$80k$90k$100k
10th–90th percentileMiddle halfMedianAnnual pay, May 2025. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Annual pay by percentile
Group
10th
25th
Median
75th
90th
Waste collection companies
$40,620
$47,420
$56,770
$65,210
$88,480
All industries
$36,030
$42,750
$50,340
$62,450
$78,140
BLS doesn’t publish pay for junk removal companies on their own. These figures cover waste collection, which include them. Post a real range for your market in the ad.
The pay line in the template above is an example from our Role Blueprint. Set yours from these figures and what local companies pay.
Skills to hire for, and what you can teach
Hire for these
Reads the map and the board together and spots the truck that can get there first
Keeps the CRM current while calls and texts keep coming
Tells customers about delays early and plainly
Stays calm on the phone when a cleanout runs hours over
Knows when to ask the supervisor instead of guessing
Teach these on the job
Your service area, transfer stations and donation partners
Your truck sizes and which items need extra hands
Your GPS tracking and dispatch software
Posted roads, low clearances and parking limits in your towns
Your rules for adding a same-day job
Dispatchers here watch the job board in your field software, the GPS map of the trucks, and a phone and text line to crews and customers. Name them in the posting, and say whether crews reach dispatch by phone, two-way radio or an app.
Junk removal dispatcher interview questions
Two of the 6 questions we'd ask, and what a strong answer sounds like. Ask every candidate the same questions, and rate each answer on your own before you compare notes.
Situational · Add-on items
A customer adds a hot tub and a piano to their job while the crew is driving there. What do you do?
A strong answer: Checks truck space and whether the crew has the people and equipment, confirms the hot tub is drained and its power disconnected by an electrician, calls the crew leader, gives a price range and new arrival time, and adjusts later jobs.
Behavioral · Prioritizing urgent requests
Tell me about a day when a same-day pickup, a crew running long and a full truck all needed you at once. What did you handle first?
A strong answer: Names how they ranked them (safety, promised windows, dump hours, truck space), what they told the customers who had to wait, and how the day ended.
The template's targets are placeholders until you've logged several weeks of real dispatch data. Revisit them when the busy months begin.
Average response time to dispatch calls
Time from a crew or customer call or message reaching dispatch to a decision or reply, taken from phone and CRM time stamps. Review the slowest calls each week.
On-time truck arrival rate
Share of jobs where the truck arrived inside the window given to the customer, using GPS arrival times rather than crew notes. Record the cause of each late arrival.
CRM documentation accuracy
Audit a sample of closed jobs each week. Status, load size, payment, disposal or donation stop and notes should match the crew's photos and tickets.
Customer Satisfaction Rating
Average rating on jobs this dispatcher ran, with a separate read of comments about timing, arrival updates and crew changes.
When would a junk removal dispatcher lift 20 pounds?
Now and then, and only for light jobs around the office and yard. Examples: carrying a box of gloves, tarps or straps out to a truck, bringing a case of water for the crews, or moving a charger kit for the tablets. Write those tasks into the ad so applicants know the desk job doesn't include loading trucks.
How much does a junk removal dispatcher make?
Dispatchers who work for waste collection companies earned a median of $27.29 an hour ($56,770 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $47,420 and $65,210 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and overtime.
Should a dispatcher ever visit a job?
Short, planned visits help. Seeing a narrow alley, a steep driveway or a fourth-floor walk-up makes the next booking note and route make sense. Keep visits brief and arrange cover, because the board can't sit empty for long. A day riding with a crew early on is time well spent.
What happens to the rest of the day when a cleanout runs long?
The dispatcher asks the crew leader for a real finish time, checks whether another truck can take the next stop, and calls the waiting customer with a new window before the old one passes. Log the cause in the CRM. Repeat overruns on one kind of job usually mean the time estimate for that job type needs fixing.
How do I test a dispatcher candidate?
Hand them a sample day: two trucks, six jobs, one piano, a donation stop that closes early and a crew running late. Give them a short time to build the plan. Then ask whose call comes first and why. Good candidates protect the promised windows and say early what can't be done.
