Calling drivers

Ive found texting is becoming more popular in the industry. As long as its not being used while driving.

 

Company policy forbids releasing driver phone numbers to brokers. We're a pretty good sized outfit, and we monitor our fleet 24/7. Bug our dispatchers instead of our driver, please.

 

I want to go to my Google maps app, click share location and text or email it to you. Takes few seconds and you know exactly where I am at

 

I dispatch my runs and often drive as well. There is not much worse than the controlling/annoying customer who wants to speak to my driver for updates, and/or keeps calling me every five minutes for an update. I even have some customers call me for an update, and someone else call me for an update two or three minutes later...as if they cannot simply have one person there handle it.

For me, the solution is extremely simple. I hope some of the drivers here can understand what I'm about to say, and see things from all angles, as well as any Forwarders, etc. The ONLY person who should be called for an update is the dispatcher. Let the dispatcher do his/her job and stay on top of their deliveries. Also, as a driver, yes, the driver should notify the dispatcher when he/she is leaving, has arrived, amount of time it's taking, if there is anything that may cause a delay/if there is a delay, and when he/she is leaving...status updates are very important to provide. The dispatcher has lots of work to get done, has to properly arrange/rearrange that work, as well as answer to the customers. Now, for me, I assure customers I will have their work done on time, or give a time-frame. If anything is running late, I immediately alert the customer. If I tell them what time something will arrive and I do not call stating there is a problem, that customer absolutely should not be nagging me about another status. Drivers have to handle paperwork, focus on the road, etc., and the last thing I want to do is keep calling my driver every five seconds, potentially causing an accident, just to say to someone what I just told them a few minutes ago.

I will say, my customers rain praise on me for the way I handle my operations and communicate, often only want to use my services, and I do not receive any complaints. At the end of the day, every single person in each part of the process needs to have respect for everyone else and understand they all have to focus on their jobs more than overdoing the chatter...especially when we are talking about driving and using telephones.

 

Yes, text is the way to go. I turned off the text sound anyway so when I wake up or can safely check then I will.

 

I send updates with pics and ETA's, loaded calls, empty calls, morning updates. phone calls if I am dealing with more of a phone person.

Anyone I am hauling a load for can feel free to call, text, or email me 24/7. I am driving and have a headset, you are paying me. How can that be a bother ? I'm sorry, but if I pay someone for a service and they tell me it's too much bother to answer my phone calls, I would never work with them again.

 

just dont be the broker who calls all day long or who doesnt think before he calls. some guys out there will call my boss...then call me....as if he didnt just call me and say that you want an eta. he gets my location every evening. And PLEASE BE AWARE OF TIME ZONE DIFFERENCES AND BE FAMILIAR WITH HOW LONG IT SHOULD TAKE TO TRAVEL TO DESTINATION. it sucks to get a 3 or 4 am phone call asking if you will be on the east coast tommorrow when you just left the west coast the day before

 

Don't remember the name of the App, but there is one out there that you can require drivers who do not have satellite tracking capability to install on their phone then just like QualCom, PeopleNet etc. it can be used for load tracking, updates etc. Once they have unloaded they can shut the App off till next time it's needed. I know of a few brokers using this because of the nature of the freight requires 24/7 monitoring by the customers.

 

I think is called Macro Point

http://www.macropoint.com/