Am I out of line? I am annoyed!

I think the root of the problem is that the fleet managers have so many people to keep track of that you just become a number on the computer screen...the only reason they know you by name is because when you call your name pops up on the screen or something retarded like that...they like us are under a lot of pressure to perform and probably do not enjoy (or appreciate) their job cause they get #####ed at when we are late or our MPG sucks... my personal goal is to stay as unknown as possible and not create too many problems and solve as many myself wether they be mechanical or administrative.... hell I have already fixed a couple issues with the truck without the help of maintenece (rewired a pigtail, fixed a couple minor leaks...etc) it helps that I have worked on Army trucks so that keeps me out of the terminals for minor maintence issues..and on the road making me money...... yeah there are somethings we need to call FMs with...but I try to do it over qualcomm if possible (hometime needs etc).....

but what the hell do I know I am just a dumb truck driver

 

I really think it all comes down to your FM. Mine is awesome and I love talking to her. She always thanks me and just calls me out of the blue if she hasn't talked to me in a couple of days. I pretty much don't call her unless there is a serious issue which she told me is great because she has several drivers she has to babysit 24/7.

Actually called me the other day to let me know that she is going to have only National drivers from now on instead of having a little of every fleet. Was thanking me for changing to National so we could keep working together.

 

it's so much easier when you are managing a straight fleet and not trying to separate out your regionals from your nationals. Been there done that, it sucks. You want to talk about getting RDO's messed up. Or it could just be that I was kinda spacy.

 

I was on light duty at one of the companies I worked for so I got to watch the dispatcher. He handled about seventy drivers and had about ten on any given day he wanted to ring their ever lovin necks. I couldn't be a dispatcher because there are too many drivers that would cause me to lose it. Things like the driver who takes a twelve hour break and then can't make his delivery. Anyone ever hear of an invention called an alarm clock?

 

I had a guy that would take 12 hour breaks, I finally got him to stop only to find out he'd take a 10, drive 50 miles and shut down for 2 hours. I hated that guy.

 

I have for a long time said drivers and dispatchers need to trade jobs for a week. I think dispatchers know what the drivers put up with because drivers are constantly bit###g to their FM/DM at every chance ... drivers on the other hand, I don't think most have a clue how hard it is to make EVERYONE happy, each and every week, with minimal freight and options at their disposal. (The DM is not responsible for the lack of available freight or where the freight is or is going to) But I understand, often some decisions are made that seem to make no sense, and only serve te make a bad situation worse. There is no way to fix incompetence, I am afraid.

A driver has to deal with one "incompetent" DM, a DM has to deal with 15-20 "incompetent", undependable, "whinny" drivers, 10 hours a day. Notice I said 15-20. Not ALL drivers on his/her board are that way, but far too many are and if you sat in the DM's chair and talked on his/her phone for a day, you'd know that.

I would never wish that job on anyone and it's no wonder they can't keep good help. I guess it's a vicious circle. I can almost guarantee you that if the industry (all major carriers with more than 150 trucks) put a hiring freeze on all drivers for a year meaning there was no other carrier that would hire you and you had to stick it out or get another type of job, things would improve [for a while]. They could weed out the "difficult" drivers, not deal with the new-hires learning curve, everyone could get into a long-term rhythm, etc. Call me crazy.

 

you're crazy......but not wrong

 

well... all our FM's do go out with a trainer for a week... they do everything but drive...