What would you do?

Discussion in 'Experienced Truckers' Advice' started by D.Tibbitt, Jul 11, 2019.

  1. D.Tibbitt

    D.Tibbitt Road Train Member

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    I get unloaded up here in new haven,ct . dispatch sends me a load of lumber to pickup in massachustas. 89 miles away. Full 8ft drop tarps.They close in 2.5 hours at 5pm. I call my dispatcher and told him i cant make it in time . ive averaged 35 mph all day . im not willing to take the risk and show up there and them be closed and i have nowhere to park. "What do u mean u cant make it there?" . its 89 miles and ive averaged 35mph all day , do the math. But even then, ok lets say i do make it there, its gonna take another 2 hrs to tarp that load and its gonna be 7-8pm and i got 3 hrs left on my clock and u want me to find parking in the northeast after 8pm? Not happeneing. "Just try ur best." he said.

    . long story short they said it cant be rescheduled. I ask why not ? Its 700 miles over the weekend. No answer.

    I said reschedule it or take it off of me and give me something else...

    I dont understand why i always have to go round n round with dispatchers. I wish they would just do their frickin job and when i say im not doing something that means im not doing it. I never been late for a pickup or delivery, i do my job and dont complain to them about #### but i will never let a dispatcher tell me to do #### and put me in a bad spot when they will stroll out of the office at 4pm while im stuck finding parking in newyork after 8pm. Not happening. They threaten me with a service failure, i asked what that means , they say it means u failed to perform ur job and pickup on time.

    Ok mr dispatcher i dont do my job , But let me remind u about how it took u a whole week to fix my last dispatch after u lied and said it was fixed . after i ask 4 different times and it never got done until i had already made my delivery. And im the one that doesnt do my job . hahhaha i think its time to find a new company ,what do yall think?
     
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  3. Fairweather

    Fairweather Light Load Member

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    Ahh yes, the days of the dreaded dispatcher.

    I think you did it just right by refusing the load. Only better option, if you have a forced dispatch carrier, is to tell them how fatigued you just got after dealing with their b.s. and how it would be unsafe for you to attempt the pick up. Works every time.

    Bottom line is that they need you more than you need them; you call the shots.

    If, aside from a goofy dispatcher, you like the carrier you're with then I wouldn't bother switching carriers. They will almost certainly have the same goofy college kids working at the next place.

    Just tell them how it's going to be. If you're making them money, they will can the dispatcher before they can you. Truckers are harder to find.
     
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  4. TripleSix

    TripleSix God of Roads

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    Stopped reading at “lumber.”

    Your dispatcher is lying to you. Lumber is FCFS. He’s reading from the company “Dispatching for Dummies” playbook, published by JJ Keller.

    “Oh driver, this is critical! If we don’t get that load of lumber, the world as we know it will come to an end.”

    Best way to play the ‘critical load without critical money’ game is DONT PLAY.

    “But Six, he’s warning me that fire shall come out of heaven and consume many...and great signs and portents will be seen.”

    Tell him, “I’m done for today...find something that loads tomorrow.” And stick to your guns.
     
  5. D.Tibbitt

    D.Tibbitt Road Train Member

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    Thank you boss . i figured they were lying , in the pickup notes it says FCFS, just like u said . and magically i just get a call back and they are trying to "reschedule". I mean 700 mile run over the weekend , i have a hard time believing its that difficult to get it rescheduled for tmrw . i think they just like to #### with me sometimes. I think one of these days they will get a real piece of my mind. Its just sickening dispatchers treat driver like the way they do. After all we do for them and the company
     
  6. x1Heavy

    x1Heavy Road Train Member

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    White County, Arkansas
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    Your dispatcher is working too hard and too stubborn like Jack Mule trying to eat dry grass.

    Ive had back and forth on the 76 phone with dispatchers in the NE too many times your plot story is a song of "My people" related to trucking.

    Ultimately I say what part of getting there late don't you understand?

    Silence in heaven 30 minutes on hold with muzak. *Click Manager Suitfill here what is the problem drivah?"

    Truck here truck will be there this time, it's not going to be on time. Your dispatcher probably has never driven out here.

    THAT dig usually breaks some rocks loose in Management. Make sure you loosen the right rock.

    And no I cannot be a dispatcher, Especially when I scared a entire office herd of late 20 something drones with my... plain speaking.
     
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  7. TripleSix

    TripleSix God of Roads

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    Don’t be mad at your travel agent. He’s doing his job. The stupid playbook is part of his job. He has to lie and goad you.

    You’re not being unreasonable. You’re doing your job. You should have enough time to get loaded tomorrow, get to your receiver Saturday before noon, and have a fresh 70 when you deliver.

    Find you a spot with good food and reward yourself Saturday evening.
     
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  8. Ruthless

    Ruthless Road Train Member

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    be there in the am to load. Load it. Tarp it. Get rolling. You ain’t missing nothing.
     
  9. skellr

    skellr Road Train Member

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    .
    That pickup place in MA? did it sound like a place for lumber or a place for metal? If it's the metal place then they have unofficial ON parking, well, they say they don't ,but the blue collars will help you out. :D

    No, never understood the "run around like a chicken" mentality. Sure, you can make money on "JIT". But to plan that way all the time is just asking for more work. Why run 5 trucks like that when you can run 10-15 with wider windows for less work, or however many there is, it will scale. How much time does it take to work out one issue like that V.S what else they could be doing with that time.
     
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  10. buzzarddriver

    buzzarddriver Road Train Member

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    Dallas, TX
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    Could have been a JIT load of scrap paper.
     
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  11. FlaSwampRat

    FlaSwampRat Road Train Member

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    Valrico FL
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    Shut it down driver. It's ####ing lumber...not the end of the world like previously stated. Sounds like you are having quite the week with those fools. About the only thing they haven't hit you with yet is "it's only two inches away on the map". I had a dispatcher for a few years that was a retired driver in my area so he knew EVERYTHING, easiest years of my career. He could jam you up with work and the #### would just fall off the truck because the route was set up so we'll. They should make all dispatchers go out on the road for a period of time or pay enough so some drivers would take the jobs. On a side note, I brought another jar of dispatchers brains.
     

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