Never driven management...

Im going with "counting bodies like sheep"...

 

Been on both sides of the desk. Time spent as a dispatcher made me a better, more profitable, and (slightly) easier to work with driver.

Would I dispatch again? Sure! Just can't afford the pay cut just yet. Dispatch has its own challenges and headaches, and I actually enjoyed it. Yeah, I'm either crazy or stupid!

 

Honestly I think the total Antithesis of a new driver is to have a fleet manager/dispatcher that used to be a driver. A lot can be said for been there did that. Same can be said for a safety person. I have seen safety people that used to be drivers crawl up into the backside of a driver so quick it even surprised me.

 

I'm very lucky that I work for a company that has had most of the office staff (that deal directly with drivers) at some point having driven a truck. My dispatcher has over 7 years behind the wheel.

 

I would. I was given the opportunity to be a trainer for a year, and it wasn't for me... but in 5-7 years time when the kids I want to have in the next couple years are getting to school age? It would definitely be on the table. That is assuming I don't get my red seal and become a diesel mechanic.

 

I would 100% be a dispatcher.

 

Short answer: no. Well I take that back... you can possibly get a job working in the office. But even then, at orientation you will throw tarps and chain tires. No matter what position you’re applying for. The way the policy was explained to me is that what they are really saying is that our company doesn’t shut down at the first sign of bad weather. We use common sense. Tall, light loads across Wyoming we obviously wait it out. We don’t reroute because we will hit snow and mountain driving. If you come to a place where chains are advised, you make a judgment call... if you come to a place where chains are required, the call has been made for you. Would you be safer parked on the shoulder while people who may not be chained up to blowing by, less than 100 feet from the bumper in front of them, or chained up and getting over that pass?

At the end of the day, it’s safer to just chain and go. But if you’re not willing to throw Iron, you won’t last long with us. We have heavy haul guys who run areas that require chaining all 8 tires on their trailer, and every drive tire and their steers. Just to drive. Normal day. And there are times where I throw a couple singles on my drives, lock my axles and hit the traction control and go. It’s a judgment call.

 

"If it's time to chain, it's time to park! It's not safe to go if you gotta chain!"

Translation: "I'm a lazy, whiny waste of protoplasm, and the last thing I want to do is get my fat arse out of the truck and get cold and dirty. Not to mention, I might break a nail handling those heavy chains. But I can scream SAFETY SAFETY SAFETY and people will think I'm an actual truck driver."

 

I never subscribed to that theory when an active driver and still don't today. In my career my chaining up depended on where I was and how much I needed to get my load in. Some drivers go an entire career with that opinion. It don't mean they are lazy or have to put up with this kind of abuse. If I owned a truck the main thing I want that driver to do is know their limits. People know what a personal limit is and to be honest it's not cool to make fun of someone that might not be as reckless as you.