How aggressive should I be with dispatch?

ouch, I hear someone yelling uncle out in the distance. lol

 

All you need to say is I don't believe it's safe for me to do something. Safety is something they cannot ignore.

 

OK, thanks for clearing that up. As I said, give yourself some time to get used to what is happening. If dispatch is playing games with your trainer, just sit back and learn from it. What I said to you, applies to him just as well. It is TRUCKING. Crap happens. Loads have to be dealt with. If he keeps getting bad loads over and over again, he either has pissed someone off that he shouldn't have, or he is so undependable they won't give him the good loads. Again, sit back, keep your mouth shut and learn from it.

But for GOD SAKE'S DON'T complain because you are being sent into "bad weather!" Your dispatcher can't help what the weather is doing, neither can your load planner. We all have to deal with bad weather. If it is so bad that it is truly unsafe you may have to shut down for a while.

But for the most part, you just deal with it. You slow down. You chain up if you have to. But your job is to get the freight through. Not at the expense of your life, of course. But if truckers only ran in good weather, a good part of this country would starve in the winter time.

When you deal with your dispatcher, or any other supervisor for that matter, treat them the way you want them to treat you. If you get mad and start screaming, cussing or telling them off in other ways, all you are going to do is cause yourself a lot of heartburn. Remember, they have a job to do, just like you do. And just like you, they have good days and bad days. They have days when they are working, when they probably should be home in bed, because they are so darn sick.

And then you have the folks who are learning their dispatch job, just like you are learning your driving job. Just like all other relationships, your relationship with your dispatcher has to be one of give and take.

I'm not saying you have to kiss their arse, that will gain you no respect at all. Just treat them as the fellow human beings they are.

 

There is a line between door mat and assertive and you're right to wonder about where to draw the line. Like Big Don says, in the first instance you just have to suck it up. It doesn't pay, though, to be too quiet. If you don't speak up, they figure drop the bad news off at your door step 'cause you won't complain. Let dispatch know--preferably after the fact--that the last load was a stinker--assertive, not aggressive.

A certain amount of bad news comes with being new; it's called paying your dues, of course. Some companies follow up a stinker with a sweetener, or follow a sweet load with a stinker as balancers.

Just remember, "Hey, I know I'm the new kid, but kindly don't forget that I'm still out here to make a living and feed my family. Other folks are counting on me--and YOU, and USA Truck..."

I'd like to say things get better when you have enough time in to move on. Well, in time, you will get enough time in to move on. That's about it.

 

First rule is to always be a professional in how you communicate. It may feel good to tell someone off, but really... how far does that get you in the long run?

Second rule (that many truckers break) is to UNDERSTAND how the system works with YOUR company. With my company the "dispatcher" doesn't control what load you are assigned. The Load Planners do that. The dispatcher only manages the load once you are on it. The dispatcher can communicate with the planners regarding what you want, but they can't control what you get.

Third rule is to understand that dispatchers or load planners can't pull freight out of their ###. If customers in your area don't have customers that need freight, then there isn't going to be any loads to pull. They don't control that.

Fourth rule is to learn how to deal with bad weather and less than perfect equipment. Learn how to replace glad hand gaskets or slide tandems on baulky trailers. Have an air hose and fill low tires by yourself instead of waiting for on road service. Being self sufficient and capable of running in bad weather is part of the deal.

 

Thing is, ya work for a mega carrier, might have to lower those expectations for now, sir.
Find the line between standing ya ground and earning ya keep.

 

Lepton1 pretty much gave it.

I'd add a flashlight??.... Get a pair of big vice grips for stubborn trailer tandem release arms.

 

My strategy was this, and it worked for my situation and my company, not saying it will for you. I dont break any rules that is just how i operate, and on occasion dispatch would insinuate i break some rules. My dispatcher is smart he wont outright tell me to break laws. So i just kind of told him what i will and wont do based on DOT regulations and played stupid pretending i had no clue what he was getting at. He always gave up and let me do what i do.

 

[QUOTE="semi" retired;4356609]Hi solar, welcome to the wonderful world of trucking. I wouldn't get too upset with dispatch, remember, it's their game. They aren't your friends, and arguing with them only get's you deeper in the hole. You've heard the saying, you get more fly's with honey, then vinegar. I used to take my dispatcher out to lunch, or some flowers (if a woman), and it made all the difference in the world. Oh, unless you go on with a company with new equipment, problems with trucks and trailers is a nation wide deal.[/QUOTE]

I work in a small company of 6 trucks. My dispatch is the owners wife. I will try to take her out for lunch and get her some flowers. Hopefully your advise will work and I will get better loads!

 

You need to get a camera and become a youtube trucker. They would never treat allie knight like that. Seriously though I don't think being aggressive is going to help at all. You do have to drive in weather sometimes. If they are wanting you to break the law keep the communication on the qualcomm, not the phone. If it happened on the phone it didn't happen at all.