A Limo Dispatcher's Daily Farm-Out Checklist
A practical daily checklist for limo dispatchers who farm out work: start of shift, posting, live trips, handover and close-out, so no farmed-out job slips.
Good dispatch isn't heroics. It's a routine that catches small problems before they become a stranded passenger. The dispatchers who sleep well, whether they work in-house at a limo company, run an independent dispatch service or cover the night shift, tend to work from a list.
Farming out adds its own items to that list. A farmed-out trip is still your client's trip, even when someone else is driving. This checklist breaks a dispatcher's day into five stages and shows what to check at each one when you use LimoFarmOut. Print it, pin it, or copy it into your shift notes.
1. Start of shift
Before the phones get busy, spend ten minutes on the day ahead.
- Open your posted jobs. Check which of today's and tomorrow's farmed-out trips have been accepted and which are still open.
- Look at unaccepted jobs first. A job with a pickup in the next few hours and no driver is your top priority. Consider raising the payout or switching to offers.
- Check tomorrow's early pickups. Anything before 7 am deserves a confirmation message in the trip chat this evening.
- Review flights. For airport jobs, check that the flight numbers are right and look for delays. Airports publish live arrivals, and public trackers like FlightAware help.
- Confirm your payment card works. Every job is paid by card when posted, so an expired card is a slow start.
2. Posting new farm-out work
When a trip comes in that you can't cover, a complete post fills faster than a vague one.
- Paste, then check. If the trip is already written in a message, use Paste from WhatsApp and review what it filled. See posting a job by pasting a WhatsApp message.
- Pickup time is local to the pickup city. Check the time zone on anything outside your city. See dispatching across time zones.
- Right vehicle type. Drivers only see jobs for the vehicle types they supply.
- Flight number and terminal on every airport job.
- Waiting terms set. Free waiting included and the extra-hour rate. For hourly work, remember the minimum booking: 3 hours in a sedan or SUV, 5 hours in any other vehicle.
- Requirements listed. Name sign, water, dress code: the driver confirms each one.
- Notes without names or numbers. Passenger details go in the passenger fields only.
- Price with a plan. Fixed if you know the rate, rising with a maximum if you don't, offers if you want to compare vehicles.
For short-notice work, remember that ASAP jobs and pickups within 2 hours go to every qualified driver at once. More in covering a last-minute trip in minutes.
3. During live trips
Once trips are running, the job page does most of the watching for you.
- Watch for En route. If a driver hasn't left close to pickup time, message them in the trip chat.
- Answer the client from the screen. Statuses and the live map answer "where's the car?" without a call. See tracking a farmed-out trip live.
- Use Change pickup time for time changes, not a chat message, so the driver's screen and the passenger's texts update together. If you're moving a job later, ask the driver first. See changing pickup time after posting.
- Keep coordination in the chat. Gate codes, extra stops and second passengers belong in the trip chat, where there's a record.
- If a driver gives a job back, it returns to the board automatically. Ask for a replacement from the job page and share it to your groups. See when a driver gives a job back.
4. Shift handover
The handover is where farmed-out trips most often fall through the cracks, especially between the evening and night shifts.
- List every open job with a pickup before the next handover, and whether it's been accepted.
- Flag anything moved. Note any pickup time you changed and whether the driver confirmed.
- Pass on promises. If you told a client "I'll text when the car is there", say so; better still, point them to the tracking link they already have.
- Note trips awaiting review. Completed trips you haven't confirmed yet, with anything that looked wrong.
Because everything lives on the job pages, the next dispatcher can see the same picture you see. The handover is a conversation about exceptions, not a recital of every trip.
5. Close-out and review
The end of a shift, or the start of the next morning, is for closing the loop.
- Confirm completed trips. Tap Trip done: release payment for trips that went well, rate the driver and tip if you like.
- Report problems within 24 hours. If something went wrong, report it inside the review window; the money stays held until our team reviews it. If you do nothing, the payout releases on its own.
- Approve extras. Waiting time, overtime, parking, tolls and extra stops come to you for approval before they're paid. Approving promptly keeps good drivers keen on your work.
- Note who did well. Ratings matter: good ratings help good drivers win more work, and they help you recognise who to trust with your next VIP.
Why a checklist beats memory
On a quiet Tuesday, you can run farm-out work from your head. On a Saturday with three weddings, two airport waves and a concert, you can't. A list turns the important checks into habits, and LimoFarmOut takes care of the parts that used to need chasing: payment is collected when you post, the driver is paid automatically, and the passenger is updated in your company's name.
For professional development, the National Limousine Association runs education and events for the industry, and the LimousineWorldwide.Directory lists operators worldwide if you're building your network. Payouts to drivers run through Stripe.
Planning a client's wider trip
When a client's itinerary includes flights or hotels, our travel partner BookingWorldwide.net can search them here.
A car for your own client
To book a chauffeur directly with a LimousineWorldwide.Directory member, with the price shown before you book, use the booker.
Chauffeur booker
Book a chauffeur in any city
Airport transfers, hourly cars and point-to-point trips with LimousineWorldwide.Directory member operators. Choose the vehicle, see the price and book in a few steps.
Frequently asked questions
What should a limo dispatcher check at the start of a shift?
Open your posted jobs, deal with any unaccepted trips first, confirm tomorrow's early pickups in the trip chat and check flight numbers for airport jobs.
How do I hand over farmed-out trips between shifts?
List open jobs and their status, flag any time changes and whether the driver confirmed, and note completed trips still waiting for review. The next dispatcher sees the same job pages.
How long do I have to report a problem with a farmed-out trip?
24 hours after the trip. The money stays held until our team reviews it. If nothing is reported, the payout releases automatically.
What's the minimum for hourly jobs?
Hourly jobs have a minimum of 3 hours for sedans and SUVs, and 5 hours for other vehicles.
Do I need to approve waiting time and tolls?
Yes. Drivers add waiting, overtime, parking, tolls and extra stops when they close the trip, and you approve them before they are paid.
Put the checklist to work: farm out your next job.
