Drivers that fear dispatch?

I see what you did there, Mr. Twain!

 

I try to maintain a cordial working relationship with my dispatcher, he’s not my boss, he’s my coworker, but there’s no denying that he has the ability to seriously mess with my miles and my money if our relationship goes sour.

I’ve had dispatchers that sucked, and all you can do when that happens is to document everything and after you’ve collected sufficient proof that you’re getting mistreated (a substitute word for one that gets censored), you take that to the GM or terminal manager or whoever is above the dispatcher. I’ve been lucky, in 20 years of professional driving, I haven’t had to quit a job because of a dispatch issue yet.

 

I don't give the dispatcher any grief. They can make your life difficult.

I get my assignment from the travel agent, and say "Okay, got it."
Same tone, each and every time. That way, dispatch doesn't know my preferences. Knowledge that can be used to reward, can also be used to punish.

Sometimes they ask, "Do you think you can make that?" I just say, "Well, I'll get started on that, and if I get in a bind I'll give you a call. Okay?" "Sounds good. Just keep us in the loop."

I work for a medium-sized, but still family-owned company. I don't have some of the problems with dispatch that a driver at a mega might have.

Boils down to "Protect your license. Don't stand for any coersion. Otherwise, shut your yap and do your job. Be a professional."

 

What’s everyone is describing sounds like a semi successful marriage... If you have the abilities to keep the ol lady happy then dispatch is a no brainer

 

Co worker nothing more nothing less. We have the same goal. They play games than i play games. Call me off duty i call u off duty. Ignore me off duty i ignore you off duty. 2 way street.

 

Communication is everything with dispatch. The right one can move mountains. It has to be a team effort. I never turn down a load. Dispatchers deal with a lot of grief more than people know. I dont restrict them in terms of running lanes. The drivers that are most picky about running lanes are a logistics nightmare

 

I have limited experience with a traditional dispatcher. The little time I drove a company truck, we got along great, I can't imagine intentionally giving her grief and expecting to make a decent living.

I also caught on pretty quick that getting along with the mechanic or shop foreman was mucho benefitial. I watched drivers on a daily basis come in whining about the most trivial things, it was crazy. Their repairs not only took the back burner, but was done in a relaxed time mode. On the rare occasion that I needed something, I would jst mention, no hurry, but one of these days when you have the time, and 9 times out of 10, it would be done when I had the truck regularly serviced.

I was pulling pt freight for one of our major carriers, and even though I was not in a company truck or leased to them, still got my loads from their dispatchers, like everyone else. They had 3 dispatchers, but was short one, and were great, when I came in they would give me my next dispatch, I could leave then or in the next couple of days. I generally always left at 3 the next morning and delivered 12 or 13 hours later. They knew this and was the reason I didn't have to come back or wait to get a dispatch.
The terminal manager had to dispatch for a couple of months, while they were short handed, and ask me once if I knew where he could get a GOOD dispatcher, I told him I didn't know there was such a thing as a GOOD dispatcher. lol

 

Most of the time when I was otr, I just do the assignment. Complete one, wait 5 minutes and get a new assignment. Rinse and repeat. Sometimes they call and ask which one I want.

Now I'm local and now I understand about dispatcher problems

 

Dont u just love when u just barely fell asleep after a long day only to be awoken to "ring ring ring ring!!!"....and its never anything important,then when u need them asap they are never around to answer the dang phone