Big G Express Shelbyville, Tn So far........

Odd... I rarely have this happen

 

The one bright spot is Groveport is a drop, and it isn't far from Zanesville so I may be able to get this in, drop, head to Z'vlle and pick up a load to drop at Deason by the end of the day tomorrow.

 

Plenty of freight in Zanesville

 

I wouldn't say all dispatchers are like that but yes probably most of them are but I've had my share of dispatchers that were off the chart excellent and I've had my share of off-the-chart horrible...

 

Not even saying they do things maliciously, but they are the liaison between the driver and the load planners. Good example, if they book you on a load with say 100 mi deadhead because it is the best fit, but two hours later more loads come in where they can send another driver only 20 miles away and send you to crappy load because it's only 12 miles from you, they don't always have a choice but to screw you and do what's best for the company and/or what planners tell them to do. It's just part of the industry that I hated, which is why I went OO and book my own loads. Sometimes I miss not having some of the other extra stress/BS that comes with running my own game, but after going from company to owner op, I don't know if I could go back to company driving...unless one of those 6 figure gigs like Walmart fell into my lap lol

 

I've been an owner operator before, with expediting in a straight truck. I also had my own authority. And when I wasn't, I was still an IC. So when my wife convinced me to give semi another shot, I was sceptical about being a company driver again. With the right company, I love it! Let me do my job, deal with my idiosyncrasies, and I will deal with the company's.

Turns out that Webber had no problem with mine, and theirs were so minor to me, we were a great fit. So that experience really kicked my idea of being a slave to the man right in the ###. There can be a happy medium. There can be a good relationship. In fact, I have no idea why I'm looking at other companies. LOL

 

Everybody has some kind of horror story whether company driver or O/O...

How many horror stories do driver managers and load planners have....
More than we do I can assure you of that.

I know if I were one most drivers would not like me.
The way I see it, you have a job to do.. take the freight I assign to you where I tell you to when I tell you to. Simple.. and if I need to change that then it is part of your job.

I used to manage a factory in my hometown. I got tired of everyone refusing to do work because it wasn't there job title.
I had a company meeting and advised everyone that their job titles had been changed to "whatever in the hell I tell you to do"
Problem solved.
I approach trucking the same way.

 

Perhaps...
While I was at Gordon there was a load planner who was accused of having favorites. I happened to have been one of the 5 who were called his favorites. Oddly we were always in the top 5 for production but as he put it; "Whenever we were in the area where a load was available,we were always his first choice because he knew we would always get the job done with no problems."
He had no problem adding anyone else to that list as long as they performed.
All too often out here many drivers talk like super truckers but when the rubber meets the road you can't get them out of the truck stop.

 

When I dispatched I had my favorites. They bailed me out at times covering for other not so favorite drivers. I could depend on them to actually show up and deliver on time at the right place. Favorite drivers title is earned