Drivers-Dispatcher relationship

I have only worked for one big company. It was Landstar.

The others were less than 100 trucks and the biggest was 350 trucks.

The 350 trucks is one where they kept the doors locked to keep the drivers out of the dispatch area. Drivers were never allowed to cross the doorway. Dispatchers came out to the hallway.

 

Wow never done that either. Every company I have ever worked for you could walk right in to the owners office and have a chat if you wanted. Full access to dispatch or anyone else as well.

 

Shocked me as well. I have always had an open relationship. Even at Landstar, I would go back and see my BCO when I was at Rockford.

This wierd place had showers and restrooms and a night guard. You would think it would be a good place to spend the night. I got there shortly before 6 and took a shower. While all soaped up, the guard demanded I leave immediately. He had to lock up.

Drivers were not trusted or allowed in the building unsupervised.

 

This is all pretty simple. From the day you hire in make it clear what YOUR home times rules are, and make doubly sure they match the companies home time rules. If they don't, either resolve yourself to doing it their way, or find another company. The good news, a driver with at least 1 year of experience can ALWAYS find a new company to go with.

Otherwise you can try it this way if your dispatcher doesn't respect your home time needs.

Step 1: Obtain dispatchers cell phone and home phone numbers.
Step 1a: If dispatcher wont give you those numbers. Ask around the terminal. Somebody there does NOT like them, and will gladly help your cause.
Step 2b: When calling their home be extra courteous to the spouse. Actually, that's totally optional, but I have found it can help sometimes.

2. The day you asked to be home call dispatcher at 530 pm. Ask them how their drive home is going.

3. Call them at 8pm to inquire as to how dinner was. Let them know you're on time for your midnight delivery.

4. Send them a text photo at 10pm of your daughters eighth bday party, then call them to see if they got it at 10:30

5. Call the home phone at midnight to let them know youre there

6. Call at 2am just to say hi, you're bored and miss home

7. Call at 3am to let them know your unloaded, and headed for your next pickup.

8. Call at 3:30 am just to make sure your phone still works, and so does theirs. Gotta keep the lines of communication open ya know

9. Call to let them know at 5am you made it.

10. Call at 6am to make sure their alarm clock went off, and theyre going to be on time for work. Better yet, call at 5:30 they may need that extra half hour head start as traffic "might" be extra bad.

Of course you're going to get fired about the 2nd time you do any of this. So maybe its better to quit and go find a company that respects you, and does not treat you like a sack of crap.

 

That made me laugh!

 

I use any form of communication possible, and when they ask me why do i tell everyone and thier brother I want the time off at home?. I just say I was just covering my rear and didnt want them to think I abandoned the truck or fell off the planet somewhere.


So maybe every other time i ask for time off I send emails to safety, dispatch and anyone I can find an email address for, or fax or voicemail, or all of them.

Why? generally people will forward on,relay messages or hand over a fax to the person who really needs to know I want time off at home. So my dispatcher gets told not only by me but by everyone including the janitor that {DRIVER} wants to be off at home. Sure he gets irked...but like an earlier person said....sometimes they dont remember our names from one day to the next. In a week he forgets I pulled that stunt and then I dont do the {let everyone know} say for 6 weeks, hit em again and he just does his little {dont tell everyone} routine schpeel.

Does this work? I think so...As I recall Ive always been home within hours of my asking for. Minus weather events

 

Follow this advice and you surely will be sitting at a truck stop for the remainder of your employment at that particular company.

 

Then I would suggest finding a new company. I do not argue, beg, whine......


This is a business relationship that is at will. If they wish to keep me as an employee they will honor my wishes within reason. I will honor theirs as far as the law will allow.

 

I guess I was pampered. The BEST dispatcher I know of is Teresa T here in Springfield, MO.! This is the kind of dispatcher others can only wish they were! She can run a fleet of 60 mtrucks AND help other disppatchers when they need it!
She takes care of her drivers. That simple. Even before our company wrote a dispatch program that put "driver notes" to that driver and his truck there was never a problem getting home on home time or a doctors appointment or an emerency!

With this company the DRIVER was the most important person in the chain. It's just sad they went to a full LP plan.

Most aren't paid a percentage but a salary or hourly. Some actually take care of their drivers because they will need that "favor" and Teresa asked for a "favor" you really got yours back from her!

A dispatcher is only as good as their fleet! A driver lives by their dispatcher. Friction between the two will hurt the driver!

Me before I hired on with them I would tell the hiring and firing guy that if I put in for home time and they did the deal of no freight or send me in the wrong direction I pull out my credit card and tell them that if I need to be somewhere at a certain time I WILL be there! I had 1 company not believe me! Dispatch went ape crazy wanting to know why my truck was not with me! My reply was that it would not fit in the over head luggage bins! I was put on hold and then the company owner was put on and he was a little upset until I told him that I HAD to be home and that dispatch KNEW 3 weeks before and for the last 2 weeks I kept reminding him everyday. I was put back on hold and about a minute later the owner picked up the phone and asked me where the truck was, I told him and that it was a paid secure lot but when he told me to put the parking receipt and the plane tivket in my trip pak envelope and he would deduct it from the dispatchers pay after he fired his butt!
BUT if BFI can't or won't get you home when you need to then park the truck and fly home! SCREW THEM!
I work for them but they work for me and I really never ask for much except forall of those NYC loads!

 

Me too. And at the end of my illustrious trucking career, it will be Depends!