How much do you pay for your dispatching services???

Discussion in 'Freight Broker Forum' started by syva, Nov 23, 2012.

  1. trees

    trees Road Train Member

    1,060
    833
    Jun 29, 2010
    0
    And Alf told me all I needed to hear with the "emergency" $1.25 rate.....

    I'm sure they consider $1.90 to be stellar over there.

    Hard to blame them, when the trucking owner op/lease purchase mags make a $1.50 look like the industry norm.

    I've been around the block in this business, I'm familiar with the "players"

    If someone want's to employ a "professional" dispatcher that's their business decision, and they're free to make it.

    Me?

    I'll pass, thank you.
     
  2. Truckers Report Jobs

    Trucking Jobs in 30 seconds

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

  3. RedForeman

    RedForeman Momentum Conservationist

    4,867
    22,115
    Jan 30, 2011
    0
    Probably not. We're still talking about fee collection no matter how the load goes, along with being an extra step away from my customer. No risk on their part == greater risk on me.

    I entered this business with zero experience in the trucking industry a little over two years ago. Although, I am not naïve to business and negotiation. In hindsight, I have done better by finding my own loads and learning the lanes than I could have done with a dispatch service, and developed a small core of customers that can more than run me endlessly without hitting the load boards much.

    That said, I have done what you mention in your last post when getting my son to find/book his own loads. We had a couple of hours of coaching and going over the past years business to give him insight on why I made certain load choices and decisions. Then I had him shadow a few broker calls on speakerphone so he could hear how I ran the calls. The first two weeks he was on his own, I got a few calls for help that were easy to coach through. He has made a few minor mistakes here and there, and learned from them. Now he's more productive that ever, having the ability to schedule his truck without someone else (me) trying to guess what he wants or figure out what he's up to doing.

    He'd never be that far along with me continuing to do this for him, or any third party collecting a fee.
     
    MagnumaMoose, truckon and trees Thank this.
  4. trees

    trees Road Train Member

    1,060
    833
    Jun 29, 2010
    0
    And I absolutely agree with you on this.
     
  5. trees

    trees Road Train Member

    1,060
    833
    Jun 29, 2010
    0
    This is spot on, a great contribution. The broker boards are the shark tank, you must be equipped to go shark fishing, if you want to be successful....
     
  6. trees

    trees Road Train Member

    1,060
    833
    Jun 29, 2010
    0
    And Red Foreman makes a great point about invoicing.....

    Another of the benefits I enjoy being leased on to another carrier authority, and something I almost completely forget about, as I get my money every week....
     
  7. coastie

    coastie Road Train Member

    Only way that would work is work with the O/O to find the rates they want not what u can get for them. It could be helpful but it has to be team work.
     
  8. trees

    trees Road Train Member

    1,060
    833
    Jun 29, 2010
    0
    They, ("professional dispatchers"), are trying to sell sand in the desert...... Maybe once upon a time, a time before cell phones, email, and the internet they provided a valuable service.....

    But that was quite some time ago.

    Now, these days the angle is, "that a driver spends too much time driving to have any time for locating freight"

    Yeah, if you're working on razor thin margins this is true. (and you will be working on really thin margins allowing a "dispatcher" to run your truck....)

    And Red Foreman makes the greater point, they'll book anything as they have nothing to lose.... they have no skin in the game, their goal is to keep you moving, and they will try and sell you on this idea that they are "professionals" who garner the greatest of rates....

    The fact is, no one works harder at getting rates, providing service, and finding loads like the guy who has everything to lose....

    And anyone who is experienced at this will tell you, "I don't leave the crucial decisions to anybody else, it's my baby and I'll pour my entire life into making it successful".

    Dispatching services are people without trucks who are trying to find a way to make money with people who already have trucks....

    Now, maybe, maybe, there's an old savvy owner operator who knows the business and for health reasons can no longer drive.....

    That person could provide a great service, but I believe they would be the exception and not the rule... those types usually end up employed by trucking companies, because they are good at what they do, and someone who owns a trucking company grabs them up because of this....

    But hey, what do I know??

    Experience is the best teacher.

    Think a "professional dispatcher" is going to have you rolling in the dough??

    There's one way to find out.
     
  9. trees

    trees Road Train Member

    1,060
    833
    Jun 29, 2010
    0
    In case anyone's wondering.... yes, I had a really bad experience with a pack of liars when I bought my first truck.... I was brand new, under the assumption that the single biggest factor to my success was my ability to drive and keep the truck moving.....

    I learned the hard way that in the business world people will smile at you while outright lying their ##### off.....

    When I called them on their lack of ability in doing as they swore they could, I was told, "you're one of our top trucks, you're doing great, we had to make sure you were capable of providing the superior service our better customers demand, stick with us we'll make you money".

    It was all lies.

    If I had been under-financed I would have failed.

    I don't wish failure on anyone.

    And the true spirit of the American trucker is to help others.....

    If you're someone who is considering hiring a dispatch service make sure that you keep them on a really short leash and that you have your bs meter on at all times.

    Just my two cents.
     
    W900AOwner Thanks this.
  10. RedForeman

    RedForeman Momentum Conservationist

    4,867
    22,115
    Jan 30, 2011
    0
    This one is actually ironic. It took me a really long time to realize that sitting a while does not merit the stress level it once caused me. Lately, even when facing a cash flow crunch, I'm over it. I don't panic when I'm driving all day or night. Half the time a good load offer will come via a phone call without even trying hard. If not, I have learned the value of a good night's sleep anyway before casting my line with a truck post and working the load boards a little.

    Part of it is from now having an established good reputation and developing good broker contacts. The rest is learning not to shop loads like you're playing next month's rent money at a blackjack table.
     
  11. G/MAN

    G/MAN Road Train Member

    7,031
    8,621
    Sep 3, 2010
    0
    I think that there is a need for a good dispatch service. Not everyone is a good negotiator. Not everyone wants to take the time to look for decent paying loads and do all the paperwork. Having had a dispatch service in addition to running my own trucks, I can tell you that it takes a lot of time to find the better paying loads. Not everyone wants to do that part of the business. If a dispatch service is only sitting on their hands waiting for the phone to ring and taking the first load that comes along, then they are not doing their job and doing a disservice to the owner operator. Some people are just not very good at multi tasking. On the other hand, if someone is a good manager and understands how to negotiate, then they may do as well or better on their own. It is common for those running their own authority to be on the phone making calls while driving down the highway. Like any business, there is a learning curve. This business is no different.
     
  • Truckers Report Jobs

    Trucking Jobs in 30 seconds

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