Am I out of line? I am annoyed!

Discussion in 'Roehl' started by Mattkujata, Oct 2, 2011.

  1. Mattkujata

    Mattkujata Medium Load Member

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    Oct 25, 2010
    Ohio
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    I just parked for the night. 50 minutes left on my drive line. Covered 600 miles today in a 63mph truck. Tomorrow morning at 7:00am I'll be empty, 200 miles from where my car is. Tomorrow is my 36th day out.

    So I get a preplan a few hours ago that delivers tomorrow morning at 10:00am, in Canada, 350 miles from where I'll be in the morning. Ok it's weekend, I think, they must not know. Here's the exchange:

    Me -- "I've got a preplan on my for Canada. I'm due home tomorrow, plus I can't make the appointment time."

    Them -- "Working on it now, thanks."

    Them -- "They want you to do this preplan, shows you are not supposed to be home until tomorrow"

    Ok time out. These messages are copied as they appear on the satellite link. I'm assuming they can tell that not only am I not empty yet, but I'm still 130 miles from my current destination. At this point it's right around 14:30, by the way.

    Me -- "There is no way I can deliver this on time. Even if I could, there's no way I will get home tomorrow if I do."

    I'm now shut down about 50 miles out, to arrive and drop tomorrow morning, as my message yesterday when I picked up said I would. Forgetting for a moment that I have 50 miles to go in the morning, that's 330 miles up, and 320 back, crossing the border twice, through 2 large cities, on a Monday morning. That's 650 *practical*, not actual miles planned for one day. Possible? Yes, at 63mph, no slowdowns. Likely? Not a shred of hope. I'm also excluding the fact that once I'm empty up in Canada, I get to wait around for another preplan picking up... who knows where. Let's also plan this using the "formula". Total miles * 50 mph = not happening!

    Them -- "Preplan canceled"

    Them -- "We took the plan off you but we're not sending you home empty."

    Me -- "Of course, I didn't expect you to, but there is no way I would have gotten home on time, and I need to be, with that plan."

    So what gives? Do the planners see that I'm due home? Can they tell where I currently am? Are they in fact planning, or am I just being arbitrarily thrown a load because I'm in the neighborhood? I just spent 36 days on the road. I have delivered ~20 loads, on time, without fail. I understand the situation doesn't always allow for the ideal, but I've been routed intentionally to a location close to home. Why would I be sent a plan deliberately keeping me out past my *thirty six* days?

    Maybe I'm overreacting, and I know this is a part of trucking. Hell, if I would have gotten a phone call saying "Hey, we know you're due home, but we need a hand getting this one done, can you help us out?" then maybe, just maybe I'd understand. But no, just sent a plan, business as usual. I can't help but think that the hope was I'd just accept it and go on my merry way. Maybe after 11 days, or 18. I've been out for 36, and I've got plans.

    Again, I understand that uncertainty, long hours, and general discomfort are all a part of this business. I'm cool with that. But #### there are people on both ends of the qualcomm. I try to acknowledge that in every interaction. I can't help but feel that I was being bullied into this load.

    Rant over. I feel better. Don't get me wrong, I like Roehl, I'm happy here and don't plan on leaving any time soon. My experience so far has been good, and for the most part, every person I've met and dealt with both within and associated with the company have been cool in my book. But man does it burn my ### when empathy and compassion get thrown out the door to cold efficiency.
     
    Lonesome, mtnMoma, Meltom and 3 others Thank this.
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  3. paoldschool

    paoldschool Heavy Load Member

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    Aug 8, 2010
    Mount Jewett, PA
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    Matt, take a deep breath... Ok now for weekend dispatch, sometimes it is a nightmare, and sometimes is works. The planner that preplaned you might not have even looked at your hometime request. That happens. Your best plan of attack is to take up all this with your FM in the morning. They will be able to fix it, no one there on the weekend will fix it.
     
  4. Preacher Man

    Preacher Man Road Train Member

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    Mason City, IL
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    I don't know where you are so I have no idea how freight is in the area where you are and I have no idea where you need to get to. I do know a couple of things, night and weekend dispatch is a real crap-shoot. Sometimes you get a good one, but most of the time they are clueless. The other thing is that they dispatch based on closest truck available. I had a similar problem, but fortunately it was during the week and my regular dispatcher was handling things. I live a hundred and fifty miles north of St. Louis and they gave me a load delivering Monday morning in Kansas City. The planner wanted to know if I would take the load through the house. Keep in mind I have a schedule set up that calls for leaving on Tuesday or Wednesday not Sunday. My dispatcher knew my likely reaction so he told me let him work on it. I told him we could relay to East St. Louis, deliver Friday afternoon and then get me home a day late, or schedule for a Tuesday afternoon delivery. They chose to relay through Gateway.

    The problem is that the planners are just interested in getting loads delivered and the relief dispatchers just want to get the board covered.
     
    bonbonsron and Everett Thank this.
  5. Mattkujata

    Mattkujata Medium Load Member

    309
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    Oct 25, 2010
    Ohio
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    Haha, thanks Paoldschool. I'm calm, I was just venting, and wanting to get someone else's take on it. They did take it off me. But not without me feeling like I've done this horrible thing of just wanting to go home when I'm supposed to.

    I'm out of the Akron (mogadore), OH yard. Again, it's taken off me, I was just venting. It just seemed audacious.

    The load I have out of Gateway now. Dropping it in Dayton in the morning and then we'll see what happens. I know there is stuff around there. Last time they had me sit for like 7 hours then said "Ok deadhead." when my 14 was about shot. That was on a Sunday afternoon though. So hopefully it'll work out tomorrow.

    As for planners, I know they have their priorities, as do the fm's. It would be nice though, if people could spend more time thinking about... other people.
     
  6. captw900

    captw900 Light Load Member

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    Aug 22, 2011
    buffalo,Ny
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    Definitely a weekend crew thing to do 1984 don't think or make a decision mean while you miss your kids graduation or miss the closing on a new home deal so you don't get a tax break for last year. That's part of the reason I make payments and pay for my own fuel. I pulled an mt trailer from Elpaso to Buffalo in 06 to get home to sign on a snowmobile trailer that we pulled to the UP in Michigan for x mass vacation 1500 miles in a company ride I would not have made the vacation and 4 people would've been very sad
     
  7. Mattkujata

    Mattkujata Medium Load Member

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    Oct 25, 2010
    Ohio
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    One of the reasons I'm looking forward to getting into the lease. I don't mind spending lots of time running whatever they want me to. But when the time comes to go home, I wanna go home. Of course I'd like to be able to do it under a load, but let me decide if the cost is worth it.
     
  8. otherhalftw

    otherhalftw R.I.P.

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    Nov 18, 2008
    CA...gold discovery foothills
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    Now there you go.....you guys are asking for the impossible!

    Common sense does not exist in this industry.....it's like a 4 letter word!:biggrin_2559:
     
  9. Mattkujata

    Mattkujata Medium Load Member

    309
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    Oct 25, 2010
    Ohio
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    Yeah, really. It seems like it's all about that bottom line, and that's unfortunate.

    There's more to that thought, but I'm sure it's nothing ya'll haven't heard a thousand times, and I'm getting really sleepy.

    Thanks for the responses everyone.
     
  10. paoldschool

    paoldschool Heavy Load Member

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    Aug 8, 2010
    Mount Jewett, PA
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    Matt how do things look today???
     
  11. Preacher Man

    Preacher Man Road Train Member

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    May 31, 2008
    Mason City, IL
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    Trucking companies could do a lot to reduce the anger of drivers if they would just realize how their actions cause the anger. One of the main reasons for anger is frustration. Frustration comes from a sense of helplessness and ignorance. If companies would teach dispatchers to work with drivers and keep them in the loop of information and decision making it would reduce the kind of frustration we see in this thread. This is only a small sample of what happens in this industry. Matt you are right that going o/o will reduce the frustration level. If you don't get home ontime you will know it's your fault. If it's your fault then you can fix the problem, you no longer have to beg someone who has their own priorities.

    I had planned to leave tomorrow, I could use the money. So why am I leaving Wednesday? Because all weekend my daughter has been hanging on me like she'll never see me again. I'm leaving Wednesday because even though my wife has today off, she's trying to get off early tomorrow so we can have more time together. Bottom line, sometimes there are things in life more important than the dollar.
     
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