Dispatcher tries to force driver to drive tired. *MUST SEE*

There should search for the root cause. I say they share responsibility and should both take a hit (not financially) but a service failure. The driver should have done his communication with day time ops and not dumped his problems on nights. IF he did then the daytime guy should take the hit because the driver said he couldn't do it. There should be plenty of communication from the driver to state his case, starting with a non-commit. Then there should be a series of messages back and forth stating why he can't do it, and the DM(FM/dispatcher). If that wasn't done, then it's on the driver.

So I can see this going either way, but if there is a breakdown in communication it goes on both of them.

It's very hard to say because we have no information stating what happened earlier in the day. We don't know delivery appointments, or windows.

 

We all know that the term service failure is only aimed at the driver. I have yet to ever hear a dispatcher claim, the boss just nailed me with a service failure and if get another in 90 days, I am terminated.

 

That's how it was when I started in transportation, if we failed and it was my fault (poor communication, unrealistic expectations, setting and incorrect ETA, not doing AM and PM checks) I'd get reprimanded. If you were accountable for too many service failures you'd lose your job. There were steps in the process for dispatchers just like drivers, verbal warning, written warning, final warning, determination period. Each step you had to complete a PIP (performance improvement plan) where you'd list your problems, lay out a plan to improve, ask for help, and your manager would sign off on it. Made anyone that wanted to keep working there stay on top of things.

 

I had a driver that called in saying he was sick and wasn't sure he could make the consignee. So I told him, don't worry about it, just do the best you can.

I got reprimanded for saying "do the best you can" because that implied I wanted him to deliver. They played back the call and I told them you can take one line out of a conversation and change the implication of it, but it didn't matter. Verbal warning for pushing a driver.

 

In a FORCED DISPATCH company, there is no such thing as a "non-commit"!

 

i dispatched for a loooong time and could never imagine threatening a driver like that, but I always tried to plan ahead , with a little foresight, a lot of headaches can be avoided

 

So then you state you can't do the load before hand. You're not a slave or a robot. Figure your stuff out before nights come in, if they tell you they don't care that you can't do it safely then take your service failure and look for a new job.

 

Most people who end up working for these bottom feeder companies don't have the luxury of picking and choosing who they work for. That is how the bottom feeders get away with there shady practices!

 

That is indeed the case. Thats is how many of the bottom feeders have become training companies; if you cannot pay good help, train them of your wicked ways and charge them for the privilege.

 

Absolutely!