Home daily-ish? I think I live at the shipper now…

Discussion in 'Questions From New Drivers' started by They Call Me Miss Frizzle, Jul 20, 2021.

  1. They Call Me Miss Frizzle

    They Call Me Miss Frizzle Light Load Member

    56
    52
    Jul 4, 2020
    0
    I have a question that I feel insane asking. I’m in a home daily route. My dispatcher is new to trucking and a bit…. He has publicly accused us of living on our trucks. Our dispatches never stay dispatched long enough for us to get home and sleep. We get them with no notice at random intervals after our ten based on…IDK. Like I had planned with him doing an evening run with no info other than that. I signed out my truck from the shop and went home to avoid starting my clock and sleep. He assigned a load 8 hours early. A lot of us have been exhausted because he texts constantly when we should be asleep and he delays loads for no under stable reason. I have shown up to work as asked and waited 3 days for a load regularly, just sitting on my truck close to home. Is this normal for trucking, to be on call and need to be within 20 feet of your truck 24/7 or often just not run? How do you actually go about doing home daily and getting enough rest?
     
  2. Truckers Report Jobs

    Trucking Jobs in 30 seconds

    Every month 400 people find a job with the help of TruckersReport.

  3. Kyle G.

    Kyle G. Road Train Member

    3,296
    16,740
    Jan 23, 2016
    Eastern Iowa
    0
    Sounds like your dispatcher is an idiot (there’s a shocker).

    Are you getting paid while you sit? If not hand in your keys and wave goodbye.
     
  4. skallagrime

    skallagrime Road Train Member

    3,553
    9,062
    Apr 10, 2012
    Indiana
    0
    Move on, if youre not salaried and basically running emergency stuff, no call for that crap
     
  5. Brettj3876

    Brettj3876 Road Train Member

    11,257
    54,038
    Nov 18, 2014
    Land of local
    0
    Dispatcher doesn't know his ### from a hole in the ground. Find a different local job. There's plenty out there to where you can have a daily set run...or semi regular
     
  6. Numb

    Numb Crusty Curmudgeon

    3,368
    6,527
    Jan 30, 2012
    Charlotte, N.Carolina
    0
    sounds illegal, too.

    no full 10 hr break?
     
  7. Judge

    Judge Road Train Member

    11,026
    70,596
    Mar 19, 2014
    Newport, Ar
    0
    click the quarter moon symbol to silence phone, go home, go to bed, return at normal hours, do your job, go home, I used to have a terminal manager/dispatcher (same guy) that it took 4.5 years, but he understands No, now.
     
    Bean Jr., '88K100 and austinmike Thank this.
  8. TravR1

    TravR1 Road Train Member

    3,691
    9,511
    Nov 9, 2017
    TX
    0
    I talked to one of the guys I trained in the past, he's working for a hazmat company in Fort Worth. He's home most days, but not all of the time. It's like 70+ hours a week. And so far he's averaging between 2-3k a week. The training period you don't make very much, but after that, it's sounding like the pay is excellent. It's not just hauling fuel, he hauls chemicals.
     
  9. Espressolane

    Espressolane Road Train Member

    14,763
    83,576
    Nov 21, 2009
    Just south of the north 40
    0
    You have some choices.

    A. Keep doing what your doing.

    B. Start looking for a better job.

    There are other things you could do.
    Get all the drivers that are being affected together and go to management with a complaint and a possible solution.

    Have all the drivers affected refuse any loads that dispatch person offered.

    Go into the work location at 6:00 AM ready to go.
    Ask for the days assignment. If nothing available, wait 2 hours, ask again. Still nothing, say OK, see you at 6:00 AM tomorrow. Go anywhere but do not answer calls or texts until 6:00 AM.

    Do a work stop. When that dispatch person is on shift, no one works.

    The bottom line is you have to decide what you want to do about it, and do that.

    Find a new place to work, that treats the employees with a bit of dignity.
     
  10. Six9GS

    Six9GS Road Train Member

    1,473
    3,692
    Dec 3, 2012
    Yuma, AZ
    0
    I've never had those kinds of problems. Regardless, out of principle I pretty much always turn my phone off during my 10 when I'm going to bed. To me, it is also a safety thing. If I don't get restful, uninterrupted sleep, I'm not going to be safe to drive. That said, I also have a tablet and my significant family folks know how to get ahold of me on that should a personal emergency occur. Having my phone off has never been a problem with my company. In general, they won't try to call or message you when you are on your 10. They'll wait till I've gone on duty for my pretrip and usually within half an hour I'll get a call or messages if they need anything or have anything for me.
     
  11. austinmike

    austinmike Road Train Member

    6,465
    43,786
    Jul 11, 2011
    Missouri
    0
    No way I’d tolerate those conditions. I rip my dispatcher a new one if he texts me too late in the day lol. And my fone goes on silent when I hit the sack -
    I’d kick that job to tge curb.
     
  • Truckers Report Jobs

    Trucking Jobs in 30 seconds

    Every month 400 people find a job with the help of TruckersReport.