DAT Power vs. ITS Pro?

@boredsocial Sometimes though a posted high rate means you don't have anyone on hold and hardly anyone is calling on that load. Knowing when you can or likely can't get more is important too. Agreed speed is everything, quick decision making is a must.

 

That's actually pretty good feedback. Thanks for that, @rollin coal - there are times why I wonder when I'm tossing up a rate that's well above average that people aren't calling.

 

True, landline is much faster. In the spring of 2016, when I was dispatching 5 trucks for two months, I did not have a landline, so I installed a Skype Click to Call extension to my browser. When a new load popped up on Dat, I would just click the phone number and Skype (with calling to phones subscription) connected me much faster, than my cellphone did. Back then the only way to get a decent load, was to be the first caller

 

Most good (read: actually worth their %) dispatchers make 200+ phone calls a day calling out to brokerages. The prices posted on the board are really good sometimes. They are the method of choice for a broker in a bad spot because of their ability to generate a truck QUICKLY. You should definitely be covering some of your loads off the load board at the posted rate. A good rate is a good rate is a good rate. How you get to good isn't really as important as getting there.

 

I booked one to FL yesterday at the posted rate. It was zero minutes old and just popped up. I played him for another $500 but he wouldn't have any of it. So I told him book it. Posted rates are imo a bad thing and a good thing. I said in another post they are an anchor. And that is true. But it doesn't mean a posted rate is always a crappy thing and I knew it would quickly cover someone else's truck if we got into any sort of impasse over money.

 

It's all a strategy. Just because I have a number posted, doesn't mean I won't be willing to dicker a little. I had a carrier earlier get a Canada load for about $300 more than what I had posted it for, based on an old rate on the same lane. Customer was happy, and I'm good with the final amount, either way.

That said, if I don't have anything else to give, or the customer's holding my nuts to the fire on the rate, I'll tell you exactly that. If we can't come to an agreement, that's how it goes.