A professional who plans transmission schedules and operating procedures to direct movement of crude oil, petroleum products, natural gas, or coal slurry through pipelines from transmission terminal to distribution points or destinations. Responsibilities include:

• Contacts customers or shippers to ascertain volume or quantities of products to be transported, reviews consumption records and forecasts on consumer demands, and estimates peak delivery periods in order to plan and determine quantities, pressures, or volume of products required in transmission lines.
• Schedules movement of petroleum products to minimize contamination of various grades or types of products.
• Prepares operating schedules for compressor or pump stations, tank farms and refineries, as to type and quantities of product movement, time of movement, pressures or volumes specified in pipeline, and destination for specified products.
• Issues instructions relative to gauging, switching, sampling, and testing of products.
• Reviews operating reports on receipts, movements, withdrawals, deliveries, and on-hand storage stocks to ensure safe and efficient operation of pipelines.
• Prepares emergency operating procedures to meet schedules, provide for specified volumes and pressures in pipeline, and recover losses resulting from breakdown of equipment.
• May communicate with field personnel, using teletype or telephone.
• May be designated according to type of product scheduled as Dispatcher, Chief, Coal Slurry; Dispatcher, Chief, Natural Gas; Dispatcher, Chief, Oil; Dispatcher, Chief, Petroleum Products.