How aggressive should I be with dispatch?

hope her husband doesnt think youre coming on to her,lol

 

I was as aggressive as one can get with dispatch and it doesn't really get you anywhere. I went through 4 dispatchers in a year and a half quickly throwing one away as they did not meet my performance expectations which i laid out with a bullet point presentation at the start of working with each dispatcher. One of my dispatchers asked me to request to leave her fleet as she couldn't get rid of me i guess and then the following Monday she was trying to act like my BFF. I issued a quarterly report when my weekly avg gross income did not meet predetermined outlined goals.

All it got me is with one of the most senior dispatchers in the company which was nice because normally only highly experienced vets get to work with him, but he tried to play his well developed mind games on me and i wouldn't tango so he tried to screw me over when he could. I watched my #'s like a hawk so he never really could get away with "forgetting" to send pay for work completed, but he tried many times. It got old real quick.

The stuff i pulled probably would have gotten you fired at most companies and it's just not worth it. Companies and people for the most part never change. If you don't like them as they are then go work for someone/somewhere you do like. I tried most everything a truck driver can think of and more and it's all more trouble than it's worth when it's all said and done.

If you have to play that aggressive with a company then it's time to leave the company IMO. I'm not going to fight for my hometime or pay. I expect them to give me what they told me they would give me when i agreed to the job unless we make other agreements down the line. If they can't/won't I just move on. I don't worry about getting anything in writing because if they lie to me I'll walk out the door just as fast as i walked in with no hesitation.

 

ramblingman, I haven't followed closely your situation, but if I recall correctly you ended up severing your employment with the one company you were driving for, is that correct? I'm wondering whether in your opinion when you take another driving job whether you will consider changing how you deal with your dispatcher?

I read an article last year that noted the top reason why drivers leave a company, and the number one reason was a bad relationship with their dispatcher. Seems to me that in your case you had a series of unsatisfactory relationships, and it may well be that your approach to it may have contributed to them going sour.

One thing that I see that is a theme for many drivers is that they internalize issues that may have nothing to do with them. For example, you might be needing a load in an area that YOUR company doesn't have strong customer relationships. There aren't many options and a few other drivers from your company in the area also needing loads. The one juicy load you would like is needed to get another driver home on time (unbeknownst to you) and other than that there are only a couple of short hauls, but one of those short hauls gets you in position for a long haul. You get a load offer for a 250 mile live load and live unload and you turn it down because it's crap, takes a whole day, and "they have it in for you". What you DIDN'T see is that they are trying their best to put you in position to run some miles on the next load that the sales department is nailing down.

Let's face it, no company wants to run their driver and equipment the fewest possible miles. That doesn't maximize the company profit. From the dispatcher's and planner's point of view a driver that continuously turns down loads that help get them into position for high revenue long hauls must be frustrating.

Add to that the idea that the company may have a sensitive customer that they want to know will be treated professionally by their drivers. Suppose you've earned a reputation within the company as being a driver that's ready get antagonistic when asked to do something. If YOU were the company owner or salesperson would you want YOU to be serving that customer? I remember one young man at a customer in Oakland that only had street parking available until your dock became available. He parked so close to the entrance other drivers couldn't get into the gate. They asked him to move out of that spot and go down the street. He refused and simply backed up a few feet because, as he told me, "I'm not going to lose this spot!" Again they came out and asked him to move. He refused. Next thing I know he's at my window proudly proclaiming how he "showed them" and "they weren't going to push him around"... and they "just asked him to leave the premises" and he "wouldn't have to come back to this ######## anymore"....

... not exactly a winning strategy.

I've found it best to work WITH people than against them.

 

I was born and raised in the SF bay area and i would never drive a truck into Oakland if i had a say in it. I'd knock the warehouse manager out to ensure i never had to again. I can't say i disagree with him on that one lol.

I did make one exception though and it was OD unfortunately. I wanted to get home to the SF bay area very badly for a family party. I was up in WA and conveniently all they had was an 11'6" wide load going to San Leandro. I had to run that thing down 880 through Berkley and Oakland to get to the storage facility. My next company won't run any East or west coast either.

Enough of my rambling though. I completely agree with the idea your putting out even. Well said.

 

Well said, ramblingman, and good point regarding short hauls often having higher revenue for the company.

I do think you are right regarding dispatcher bonuses being a driving force in the relationship. It depends on what parameters they have for getting their bonus whether it will have a positive impact on YOUR paycheck. Something like total fleet miles or something directly tied to driver compensation would go a long way to helping make a win-win relationship.

 

Ok so my question is how far is to far? I've told dispatch I'm gonna take my 34 hour reset, they said ok, then sent me on a preplan. I told them that I would like to take my 34 after this last load. Didnt hear back and they sent two other preplans. So I called them up, and they told me I won't be able to get my 34 in until this weekend. Well I'm sitting on a load and has to be delivered Friday, so they dispatched me another load that goes to billings and has to be there on the 22nd wich is a.monday. i messaged them over 4 hours ago and tried calling and no answer. Honestly I don't care if some drivers like recaps or not. I do not like recaps. How can I tell them or what should I say so they take me seriously about taking my 34 hour reset.

 

how far can dispatch push until it goes to far? I'm loosing my patience with them. Couple weeks ago I was about to take my 34 hour reset, I let dispatch know I was almost out of time so I could take my reset. They said ok and sent me another preplan. I told them after that load I would like to take my reset. Nothing was said so they sent 2 more preplans. I called them up and they said I had to wait til the weekend, I was pretty f@#$ing annoyed by then. So I took the load i thought was gonna be my last, and they sent another preplan. I'm a nice person but I feel like their trying to see how far they can push me. But idk I told them today I'm taking my 34 after this last load. My question is can I deny a load they sent over the qualcomm? I'm tired as hell. I've been running on recaps. Just because some people like recaps does not mean I have to. I enjoy a day off.

 

Max out your ON DUTY hours and certify them.

 

I don't think a driver should be aggressive toward their carrier at all. I think this is looking at it a bit backward. As a driver, YOU are the capt of that truck. You should be working as a team with operations to get the job done. This does not mean you roll over and play dead when your safety or the safety of that truck is in question. As a driver when I made a safety call ---

---this was me!

More than once I made it clear I was ready to park the truck and clean it out. I ALWAYS had enough cash to rent a car and go home.

Don't be a jerk. Call safety if operations are giving you static about operating when you feel you should not be. NEVER operate when tired, the weather is bad and your rig is not fully legal.

 

Everything falls on you. You are the Captain of the ship. Dispatch will take no responsibility.