Who uses a 3rd party dispatcher

My suggestion would be to make some sacrifices and put in 110% effort at dispatching yourself. You're not going to figure it out overnight. It's the most important skill in your toolbox (so to speak). While there are people out that who would probably do a good job finding them is going to be a needle in the haystack proposition.


And no-one will ever look out for #1 as well as #1 will guaranteed. It's one of the most rewarding aspects of ownership and I don't get it why anyone would farm out something so important. I hear excuses like "well I need to be rolling" or "I need to be sleeping when I'm not rolling" my answer to that is I book loads when i'm rolling and many times looking at ways to find a good load on my time for sleep. You need to be working on getting the best rate. How are you gonna know if it's the best when someone else is doing it? Answer - you never will.


The scraps of paper I generate in a week's time looking at scenarios and scribbling math the madness and general malaise of self dispatchary are enough to write a small book lol. If I want more sleep I book loads that allow it or really in.my case since I never really sleep all that well in the truck anyways book stuff that routes me thru the house as often as possible. And do it on good rates. There are times when it gets tiresome.


I put a LOT of effort to dispatching and take a lot of satisfaction in the job I do for myself. Go back and read thru my 1,000's of posts and try to find a single one where I ever complained about rates. I'll save you the trouble it's not there you will never find one. Even when they are lousy and freight is down I'm putting 110% into it and finding a way. That's what any serious o/o should do. Or do you just want to.play at being o/o? Read this forum and learn how to improve on your game. These would be my suggestions.

 

Yeah.... It definately is not something you learn overnite.... I survived off a hotshot load board for 5 years. 4 more then what "they" said I could. I learned routes, where the $ is, where the traffic is, the cash loads, the get home crap, the fuel prices, where to be empty, where to stay full, what time of week to be most active, the times certain customers were antsy, and the biggest one... how long to wait. It really should be a degree for this. I dispatched a guy and made sure my pocket was lined *FIRST#. Unless its over your head, do it yourself. To easy to get screwed if you dont.

 

I agree with everything rollin coal just said. It's one of the rewarding things of becoming an owner operator.

 

Stop and do the math on dispatch services. And think about how in order to do it right they can't handle more than 4-5 trucks. Now think about how someone can make a living while dealing with all the headaches of what they have to do.

Or, they have to handle 10+ trucks and just keep chruning through drivers until they have 10 that are brain dead and don't realize they aren't getting a good deal.

If you need help then work with companies like Command and Coyote. They both will work hard and know if they don't keep you running they will lose you to someone else.

And while they are helping you, start learning the markets.

 

might as well lease on to a good co. agree w above statements. Takes a little more work but you will have no one to blame or complement with the end result but yourself.

 

Just a suggestion. You can lease on with Landstar Ranger if you qualify., You will be your own dispatcher. You will get 70% of gross, all of the FSC and many other fees. They have a load board you can see . You put in the parameters you need. weight. pre load, from where you are and the radius in miles you are willing to go for a load. 100 M 200 ad infinity. load dates. Like a load going to BFE? Check the freight at BFE, see what the rates are and the weights and destinations. Not good? Don't take the load to BFE just because it pays decent as it won't be if you have excess dead head or haul out of BFE too cheap to avoid running empty..
Not everyone is suited for LS but LS does have many tools you can use to help you become successful.

 

I dont know about all that but thanks for the websites so I can see about contracting on with them I have not made a dime since I have been doing this so called independent dispatching crap for Owner Ops.and small trucking fleets so maybe I need to just go on my own totally and charge $100 bucks a a month because it really is easy to find loads and crappy rates everywhere.

 

Sorry, what? Trying to make sense of what you wrote there...

 

Meaning if you do not want to find half way decent loads and rates go right ahead and try it.I am trying to do this on my own with being contracted to a bigger company but it is still my money that goes on top notch load boards that are 40.00 and up for the better ones a month and me not making a dime leaves it to the free load boards that have crappy loads and rates but actually without a little luck and the imaginary high paying shipper they all are crappy at paying high rates.So I guess i need to go down on my charges on my own because right now it is at 350.00 a month.Oh and sense and 1.35 cents a mile I lost that years ago and still trying to be in the trucking industry at all really makes know sense what an idiot I could just here my dad what in the hell is wrong with you boy.