Dispatchers

Dispatchers want a machine. They dont want a human being with needs and wants.

 

I can't say this enough. Develop a relationship with your FM/DM. Do your best to become somebody they can depend on. Unless you have sit in that chair you have no idea what the politics are on that operations room floor. If said fleet manager asks you for a favor do it if you can. Many times I have dropped a load in a drop yard or other secure place and took empty trailers to another place to be loaded then taking loads back in same drop yard and repeating this over several hours. This helped my fleet manager with the load planner in that area, who then found some money for me. I once made over $150 just for a couple of hours work. Then the next time freight is slow in that area and I just empty released guess what? Yep my FM will let that load planner know hey that driver is at so and so. I'm loaded out and gone while the other drivers that wont get their hands dirty can sit at a truck stop bemoaning being laid over. Now this don't mean you are said FMs (insert word for female dog here) either. It means you respect each other and work together.

 

Can’t says I blame them. You know whose fault that is? The machines!

Ever met a driver that is immune to all diseases, extremely high tolerance to cold and heat and pain...never shows signs of fatigue? It’s a freakin machine. Runs consistent miles every singly day, regardless of area, shipper or receiver. Nice guys, but they’re machines. Like the Terminator with a CDL and a flannel shirt.

Dispatchers LOOOOOOOOOVVVEE the machines.

 

I think your experience is the most insightful in this thread!

I see that you're new here too sorta (only 300 posts). So i'm wondering if you could update us a month later or two months later, and tell us if the others were right -- that you were working too hard and you got burned out?

I'm not saying being lazy is good. I'm just saying, sometimes you don't realize that you're working too hard.

Kinda like gym class -- we were doing a 3 mile run or some #### like that, and i started out running my hardest while everyone else was jogging. The gym teacher yelled that I'm going too fast and that I'm never going to keep this up and I'll tire out... I thought it was nonsense. Then it happened

 

I totally agree. Another place to hear company put downs is at terminals when drivers are having trucks worked on. Nothing good at all about the company. I remember once when several drivers were sitting around doing this where drivers in orientation were listening to it. I was sitting close by when the head man over operations came out and ran all of the drivers off. Told them to leave the area. Either go to a hotel or back to the lounge. I was doing paperwork and not part of it and I got ran off too. In my case I gave up for the day and got a hotel authorization. Had a steak for dinner with a couple of beers and went to bed.

 

Your days should be planned ahead, where your bunking down time. If you do not preplan you have no idea where you should be and when. Sleeping in and always running late because of poor planning is a pain in the. Some want to run, some want to talk.

 

This is 1 reason the most important aspect of picking a company is talking to drivers that work there now. All the internet ads & rumors are useless. Every company claims 2500 miles per week and their drivers AVERAGE great paychecks. Talk to current drivers before you take a job. Recruiters are not drivers & their words are not meant to be taken seriously. "Before I joined the Army I was told I could have Tuesdays off and wear tennis shoes."

 

I've been doing this about 3-4 years and learned this much for sure. If you let a dispatcher push you around, they will. What you allow is what will continue, so establish boundaries that you will not cross. In time, most of them will know what they can, and cannot expect you to do.

 

This is also a great way to find yourself out of a job. It is perfectly OK to set boundaries but you had better pick these battles wisely. Yes refuse to operate in an illegal way. Refuse to cross over a dangerous place because of weather. However refuse to go into Long island NY after clearly getting such a load in a situation where other drivers make said trips and maintaining this practice is going to start getting load planners pissed off at you. Then you might find yourself sitting while other drivers are running. I am the first to say stick up for yourself, develop a pair of gonads. However just because you don't like something does not across the board give you the right to dictate to a fleet manager/load planner what you will do or not do.