Getting home, dispatcher responsibility to accomodate off time?

And never forget...

The planners do not create the loads.
They plan the available loads with the available drivers while being constrained by both the drivers schedules and the customers requirements.
It is probably the most difficult job in trucking.

 

"An organized dispatcher will have a big flat desk calendar that they can write on and make notes on each day about who needs to be home and when.
A map of the US on the wall, dotted with color coded pins.
A chalk board to make notes on, a truckers atlas and a truck stop guide.
Notepads, 8 x 11 plus ones that fit in the pocket which is to be carried with him/her at all times to jot pertinent notes on including on the nightstand when sleeping.
And a good dispatcher always carries a pen.
He should be stern and business like yet magnanimous and able to take a joke."

 

So what's the problem?

Here is the thing: your company and your paycheck depend on customers.

You and others don't have a clue what it takes to make sure those customers are pleased with the services the company provides.

You and others look at things from the view of the seat, when you should ask your company a chance to sit with some, like dispatch or load planning to see what they actually do.

When you drivers don't see the other side, it really is a bad thing. Here, we work 24/7, if there is an issue or if there is a need to move something that the customer needs moved, I or someone here taps a driver, and it can be short notice. This happened last night with a distressed load; we don't play games in trying to make sure the driver feels good about their jobs, we work to make money because that's what we commit to do

 

Well, (oh here it comes) you know, the guys I trucked with, if someone had to be somewhere, we would gladly swap wagons, the dispatch didn't care who delivered it. We had a more personal relationship and helped each other. Dispatch too. I joke about the donuts, but there was merit to that. Lunch too, that $5 bucks( at the time) went a long ways. I'd do favors for dispatch, and worked in my favor down the line. Not sure we have that today.

 

I drop n Hook at yards fairly regular, sometimes its to my advantage, sometimes its to get a Tucson (or where ever) home. Have no problem with. I just swapped out a load from Shasta/Tucson in Fontana are for a Salt Lake Costco to get a Tucson driver home. No big deal. Stuff happens all the time you have to stay loose and just handle it. That's Truckin, Always has been as will be. I have been driving longer than most of todays driver have been alive. And it wasn't all people claim it was, people forget about the bad, and remember what they choose, if it even happened to them at all.

 

I’ve worked for a company that would do that once in a while. Usually it would happen when another driver needed to go home, or go back to a terminal to get truck repaired. I’d swap trailers and loads with him, exchange phone numbers, and few weeks later meet the driver to get my trailer back, every driver had his own trailer and truck, usually they would throw in 100-200$ for the inconvenience. I didn’t mind it, since usually it would be a nice long haul from Chicago to Cali or Washington.

 

The dead head from Miami instead of Houston it’s about 150 more miles. Most freight going to Miami is going to pay a lot more than going to Houston. “Generally,” it would make very lousy sense to send the driver to Houston versus Miami. This is considering paying the driver for the extra 150 miles, the wear and tear, and the fuel.