Forced dispatch questions

I didn't see a question mark in the whole thread.
I also saw nothing related to forced dispatch.

What I did see was a lot going on that should have shut you down, if you were doing your job correctly.
Since you are responsible for everything on that truck/trailer while you are driving them, it is YOU that has the final say - not anyone else - as to when and how you will move or not.

No one can force you to do anything, and that is a fact of life.

 

So what is the question?

 

Well if u were to get pulled into scale and inspected with 2 leaking air bags . That goes on your record. It aint worth it at end of the day. Tell them u aint moving until it gets fixed or u find another trailer. If i learned anything about being a company driver is sometimes u have to push back at dispatch or they will push u into the ground and u become the mule of the company. Doing all the #### that nobody else wants to do. It gets old after while. Dont be afraid to say no. That really is the most important word in this industry i have learned. It does take guts to say it but as long as u have a legitimate reason for saying it then ur company should understand . If worse comes to worse there is plenty a good flatbed outfits and we can point u in the right direction

 

D. Tibbitt is right on.

Learn what mechanical defects will get you shutdown until repairs are made or be put out of service altogether. Don't be afraid to draw a line.

Companies are required to maintain their equipment and they know it, even though they pretend there is never a problem that can't be put off until later.

Sounds your company's dispatch is run by Kim Jong-un's lieutenants who could not care less about where you are or whether you are being paid.

I would seek greener grass elsewhere.

 

Just out of curiosity, are you with a Canadian domiciled carrier that runs to the US or an American carrier that runs to Canada?

 

I don't take *&^% to be honest.

Once I had picked up a ATS trailer in Chicago Land and discovered the entire airride was kaput on it. Called that one in, did not move a inch no matter how hot the load is.

ATS was in the process of loading a complete set of airride for that trailer to aircargo into KORD (Chicago Airport) in a few hours while dispatch spun circles like overexcited house dogs making noise.

In the end they told me to leave that POS trailer right there and bobtail to get another down the road somewhere else and forget the whole thing. That was easy enough. But it stuck in my memory due to the mountains of BS that I had to overcome with a staff and operations that did not believe me. What part of agent of the company do they not understand? I decided then and there that I would fly home that evening on my own cash and quit if things did not go well that day. So they did what they did and it worked out.

Drivers are hard to find they say. Easy to lose when they fumble them. The main thing is damaged trailers do not go a inch. If they really demanded it I would simply document everything and names, then tell them you want that trailer moved? You call a tow truck, captian hook will be happy to move it, pay him. Fire me or put me on something else. Failures of equipment is not my emergency for a simple dispatch problem.

Typical company 100 dispatchers and bosses could not humpty dumpty fix. And people wonder why I have been through so many bad companies to find a good one.

 

First of all and last of all... I'm not hooking up to a trailer that won't pass inspection, or looks like it's about to fall apart. I would find another carrier.