Let's talk fleet managers

Yeppers. When I was company I always got with my FM at his desk and picked out a load when I trying to escape SpriMo.

 

I've stood at my FM's desk many of times looking at loads trying to go someplace. There are a couple times where he had to message the planner to see if he could put it on me first because something was missing from the load details, but beyond that my fm picked the available load. Even when I was at SpriMo this weekend, my broker in the logistics side pulled up a list of all loads to see if there was anything that looked interesting to me.

Before the new building, you would routinely hear the fm's calling across the bullpen asking if anyone had a truck that could cover a load.

You have to remember, Prime's fm's on the lease side are paid off the revenue there board does and the company fm's are paid off of the miles there board does. It's in there best interest to keep there boards running otherwise all they make for the week is the base salary of $400-500. If I recall correctly the average dispatcher at prime makes $45,000 and the high-end around $70,000. Just think, if all they made each week was the garuantee they would only make $26,000 a year.

 

I've seen what's available at times, when I've had occasion to be in dispatch. Have also seen what's available when needing to find something to route me to/through a particular place.

Keep in mind, fleet managers are exactly that.......managers. They know their fleets capabilities, personalities & preferences.

No way on this planet is Lowe going to waste his money creating all those FM positions, just to be redundant "messengers" for sales. All the loads, of course, begin with sales. They get those loads contracted & then make them available. Both groups have to work together.

As far as dispatchers, they are like any other working group. Some are always better at what they do than others, for a myriad of reasons. Most of the time, there is also the proving/testing you out phase in the beginning. Take it easy on you at first, then gradually up the ante & challenge over time to see what you can handle. It all comes in time.

Remember that this is a relationship that has to be developed. The most important relationship you will have here, among many. So, use of interpersonal skills will be a necessity. You will find that just about #### near everything in any business is going to revolve around all the relationships you develop around you, even more so in this business. How you go about it will make a big difference on how things go.

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LOL, I was going to reply basically the same thing, Sales send the loads to the FM and he picks through them and decides what he wants. Least ways that was the way it worked with my FM. He would reject low paying loads or short run loads. I would sit and chat with him about it while he was doing it whenever I was in the terminal. I very seldom had a preplan, but always had a load within an hour of being unloaded, unless I did not have the hours. Even then I would have a load for the next drive period. I asked about this policy he had one time and he told me he had been burned more than once by drivers having to wait in the door while the Lumpers took their blasted time.Now if it was a drop and hook, then I normally had a preplan the day of the drop.

 

Sales may send a variety of loads to the FM but it is always loads based on the driver(s) in question location, HOS, eta to 90/MT, reputation as well as the priority of the load & the seniority/capability of the FM

Yes I still work for Prime as a company driver & still have the same FM I had from the start.
My FM is definitely not of the 'average' variety & does not make BS excuses.

Our FM can pull strings like a puppet master to get whatever needs to be done, done but generally lets sales assign our loads unless it seems like they are sending us to a crap location or waiting too long.

We have gotten loads already assigned to us then FM says we can do something with more miles if we want & makes it happen.

This info does not only come from him, but also from a driver buddy temping in Springfield offices for the time being.

If Lease is different I would not know, but take my explination for whatever words on the screen are worth.

 

My FM from when I was on the company side did the same thing I take Hometime in southwest Missouri Because that's where I'm from. good luck on the board and even sometimes good luck on the board and even sometimes choices of where I want to go.

 

No sales are your brokers. DM decides which load goes to what truck

 

Yes lease is different

 

No better way to put it , you are exactly right Sales at prime is noth I ng more than a broker

 

You can blame alot on sales , such as crappy rates bad pickup #s , wrong appt times , but not load planning or dispatching those are on your fleet managers company or lease