Should I Fire My Dispatcher?

I've only ever had one really good dispatcher, and it was at JBHunt, a woman. I had the oldest century in the fleet, and it never stopped, always was around 3K a week, and I was running a western states regional. One day I get a message to phone in corporate. They tell me i'm doing a wonderful job, and when I get back to the Phoenix to pick up a brand new tractor. I get my new tractor, century, air release 5th wheel, factory monster inverter, fridge, and then I sit in it for 3 days, cause I get a new dispatcher. One load, sit for another two days. I tell them give me back old tractor, and old dispatcher, they say this is not possible, I quit after the next load that brought me to Phoenix.

None of the rest have been to good. It seems like 90% are insolent punks. There is a reason they sit in secure buildings where you have to pass through metal detectors, and armed security to access them. I have come to realize that the planners actually make the world go round. I'm certain there needs to be communication between the dispatcher and the planner, but the planners make the wheels turn.

All companies say " we care." Well have you ever been at their main terminal at 5 o'clock in the afternoon? They run out of the building like its on fire. Not a sole left at 5:01. But for us to sleep in the bushes or at some rat hole t/s for 2 or 3 days is inconsequential. Now these have all been large companies or mega carriers. One company, I left Phoenix, drove to Otay Mesa, that's like 1 mile from the Mexican border near SD, dropped the load, then sat at the Pilot down there for 4 days. That was a mega carrier carrying about me. 345 paid miles in 5 days.

Where I am now there about 70 trucks on the west side, I drive a mixer, and we have 3 dispatchers. Two of them wouldn't care if I died in a fire, but there is one that's just awesome, and of course I don't get to deal with him that much.

The company I'm looking at going to work for has 50 trucks, and Ive spoken to them 3 times, all 3 times got right to the owner, the man, that makes me think it will go right, he doesn't seem like he's into blowing sunshine up my stack. This one I'm going out as an O/O. I think all you can do is put in your time, until you can get to a company that does actually take an interest in you.

 

This is my two cents.
If your dispatcher has never been in a truck before and drove it,
And never worked on the road before.
They bloody well can not dispatch it.

Same goes with any dispatching job.

 

I had 1 years ago when I was a company driver that was in his early 20's and totally useless I asked him if he ever drove a truck he said NO but my dad and 4 uncles have , I said maybe 1 of those 5 should be the dispatcher, owner who was overfriendly with the kids mother did not think I was being funny.

 

I think most are new generation computer punks. Smart phone warriors. When someone is in a truck 2000 miles away he's a POS. When he hits the terminal he's a pos. When he's standing eyeball to eyeball with some manboy he's actually not such a bad guy.
They are computer nerds & college punks that ALL believe they will run and own that mega carrier they work for some day. There is the way things oughtta be, and the way things are. These kids never leave the house, they have no real world experiences, other than spring break, so all they know is they way things oughtta be

The company I'm looking at, the owner was a trucker. I mean Chester England of CREngland was a trucker back in the day, but now he's elderly man, that lets his children and their children rule the empire. Those companies with 20 or 30 dispatchers and the same for amount of planners, how many out of all those give a hoot about people that are driver numbers, and blips on a screen? 2 or 3? That's 10%.

Kids now a days don't want to roll up their sleeves and do anything. You see it all the time, they can't walk down the street or through the store without fooling with their phone. All we are, are blips and numbers, until one of us walks in and asks, " HAVE YOU LOST YOUR FREAKIN MIND? " Then it occurs to them that those blips and numbers are men, some quite large, and angry.

I mean what exceptional skill set is needed to be a dispatcher? We have a load available in Houston, we have a truck that just m/t'd in Houston. Lets see..........
Hmmmm we have a truck available in Houston, which I saw him near the receiver, and saw he would probably make it 36 hours ago, but spaced off telling the planner cause I can't bear not to be texting my gf while im at work, but he's there now, so hey planner....................
And see they aren't going to just go to a load board like an O/O can, cause they have to siphon of the lion share of the load for the company, as where you can go, yea sign me up for that, not the ultimate, but I'll make maybe a grand rather than sit here, especially if its somewhere that you don't like, if its somewhere you like or you need some rest, then you can keep an eye open and snatch the premium load perhaps.

What percent of dispatchers do you think could actually bump a dock, get out of the yard or shipper, get on an interstate highway, travel to the next off ramp, and get off without wrecking the truck??? Here Mr. Dispatcher, this H.E.Butt, don't look at the other 300 rigs that came in with you, or the 200 your holding up, or the $180K tractors on either side of your door, park that dude NOW. Can you imagine one delivering a minute maid load to coca cola in L.A.?????? Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!

See drivers could easily be dispatchers, but we don't want to sit inside, some will when we can't drive any longer, but the new age computer punks would kill their own mothers to save their own butts or avoid having to get off their butts and actually do something.

I told the one at work he needed to get his perception correct. He only exists so that I can deliver product. Get your logo, your PC, your office to deliver product. What? Oh that's right freight. Need a truck for that. I can get a bond, and book a 100 loads, oh crap, that's right I need trucks, with drivers, that don't crash into things or flake off.

I want to run under my own authority at some point. Im certain you build a track record, some broker is gonna take care of you, and you can pick what you want. But I still don't know enough to do that.
The guy I'm looking at, told me no one has moved on yet since going to work for him as an O/O. He's given me some good numbers. My biggest concern is that it's a regional, and i'll get bored.

 

Oh I can hurt you good

 

I've had a few good dispatchers in my days. The one I have right now just let's me do my job and doesn't give me any grief. We seem to work well together and I communicate if there are any issues that she needs to know about.

Her sidekick was moved to another aspect of operations but I was NEVER made aware of it. He has NO college whatsoever, no personality and drivers just cannot stand him. Needless to say, we don't talk anymore as he's a total waste of time!

But if i ever had a dispatcher who was rude or insolent to me, we'd have more than just a word of prayer together! I have fired a few driver managers and with no regrets either.

Heck, I've gotten up in the face of a few people in operations and told them exactly what I was thinking! I've pretty much gotten to the position where I don't really care what they think, what their background is and where they're coming from. I'm the one who's behind the steering wheel and responsible for getting freight down the road. if they don't like it, go somewhere else. Better yet, come ride with me! I'll talk and you'll listen. You won't get a word in edgewise either.

There's just no place or reason for a driver manager to get up in the face of any driver who is doing his job well. And if that manager needs to get fired by the driver, so be it. And if the company won't listen, time to FIRE THEM TOO!

I'm just sayin'...