How do you protect yourself from dispatchers

I've watched my dispatcher at work. He's a busy guy too say the least. With that in mind I go about my business and keep our communication brief and too the point. He likewise.

Some companies seem to be in the Micro-Managing business. I could never work like that.

All the chest pounding and I'll do this or that to you isn't ever going to get anywhere. They ( dispatchers) have heard it all. End of the day, they go home and you're stuck trying to do your job with a pissed off attitude.

If a driver is new and trying to get the time in to move on then the games is pretty much theirs. When I was new there was more of a get the load there now-now attitude.

 

Do as much correspondence as possible via e-mail. And make them aware that you keep every message you send and receive.

 

long long time ago in a land far away dispatchers used to be ex drivers
when i started at transam i had a veteran manager recently she laft to become a trip planner
trained a new girl who biggest ability was typing fast to tell all 70 of her drivers it wasn't her fault
our pay week ends on thurs she loves giving me loads on tues delivering on friday hence only 2000 miles for the week
next week she says see there is your 3000 miles yea but it took you 10 days to dispatch me 3000 miles
last week we were told not over 20% of the drivers could be home for the 4th I chose to stay out
and for my willingness received a 774 mile run for 4 days then another 2 day run of 746 then a 34 reset before
going 1200 to calf where we never get loads out right away being outside our normal freight lines
I suppose it would go on my DAC if I ran her over in my truck

 

The husband says he tries to smile at shipper, rcvr, and act pleasant, they remember you that way; but grrr... there are some in the past you wish you could strangle, they act like they owe you a living.

 

you can smile and act pleasant ALL you want. But it still does not remove that fact some of these people have got a negative attitude to drivers.

To them, I just turn in my papers and leave.

The one yesterday, I called my dispatcher and let her know in no uncertain terms I was less than satisfied. I also filed a complaint at the same time with the consignee manager AND the union rep at the very same time....

And when finally on my way home, called and had a message given to the owner. He returned my call and when he found out I was home without my trailer. You can say he was less happy than I was.


I had already given my notice I was leaving last Thursday. I felt no remorse cleaning my truck out completely yesterday. Not that I am walking out. Just had no remorse at all. I still plan to do the job he's asked of me and that's to go back in on Monday at 7 AM. Will see what they have at that time.

Besides. 4 1/2 months of dirt makes a rug nasty.

 

The DM I mentioned before wanted to meet all his drivers when he first started,so I told him I would be there in a couple days and would be happy too meet him.When we arrived at the terminal the wife and I meet our NEW 23 yo DM.My first question to him,"So what did you do before this?"His response,"I was a bartender."The wife and I looked at each other,laughed and said,"Good Luck".He lasted 2 weeks.

 

We met one of husbands DM's in OK City when he was driving for USX. She had been with them for a long time and was really good. About a week later she was layed off, this was when all the crunches were going on in 2008, but it really surprised us that they did this. They had a good maintenance shop there at that time too.

 

He was a nice guy,just no clue about anything.One time he called us and asked if he could change our delivery time for 10 hrs earlier,told him sure,it wasn't really a team load anyway so we could make up 10 hrs easy.So he sends an updated fuel route,1 problem,next fuel was in Twin Falls,we where in Wells,NV going to San Diego.He says QC shows us in Wendell,ID.

To make a long story short after 2 hrs of arguing with him I told him to check his e-mail where he found a nice photo of the wife "waving" at him in front of the Wells,NV sign.
New fuel route arrived 2 mins later,lol