Forced Dispatch

Yes, Central is forced dispatch on all loads. Most companies are. We ran for JCT which is supposedly all owner operator and they were forced dispatch! Yes, you can shut down for bad weather, but it better be bad! Central had a movie screen the size of a drive-in theatre that is just a weather map. The one next to it is the exact location of all of their trucks. Also if you are sick, depending on who your dispatcher is they will usually want a doctor's note.

Lady K, this is going to be one of your only downfalls as a husband/wife team. You are the last resort responsible ones. You will get the hot loads that are late that a solo couldn't deliver on time. You will get the hot team loads that have ten extra minutes on them from coast to coast. Then you will get the loads that there is "no way" you will make! You find a way to do it though. That's part of being a husband/wife team. Another mention, when you get the crappy loads (which you will from time to time) never, ever complain about it. It sounds easy now but trust me both of you will be steaming over that qualcomm fighting over which one of you gets to yell back at your DM! Bite your tongue! THat is the worst thing you can do for your career! Plus you will find yourselves getting more crappy loads if you do complain. You have all heard of the drivers not getting any miles? Those are the ones and that is the reason. Dispatchers have too many drivers to choose from to give the good loads to. The ones they never hear from that don't give them problems and always accept the load no matter what with a "yes maam/sir" are the ones who keep rolling. The drivers that constantly complain, are always out of hours and bit** no matter what load they get, guess what they are going to sit, or get the bad loads. The dispatchers will usually do this until they quit. All the drivers the dispatcher have is their team. They get graded as to how well their team performs. If you have a bunch of D rated drivers wouldn't you want to get rid of them for an opportunity to pick up some better ones? Well that's what they do. Anyway sorry everybody for going of on a tangent.

 

Another little thought of item is that when you arenice and polite all the time you start scaring dispatch. They are used to driver blowups and expect em. Sooo, when you're nice and calm they're like the natives living on the side of a volcano; listening for a rumble and not getting one but knowing someday......

 

It's a matter, too, of dealing with whiny drivers who may not want to go to a particluar area - if everyone gets to pick and choose, then it's likely that no one would want to go to the Northeast, for example.

I have a bud (who I no longer keep in touch with) who ALWAYS found something wrong with every load assigned to him. He was never happy. Forced dispatch is that scenario that keeps a moron like that manageable.

 

Kittyfoot - I have a saying that's much older than I am. I told my DM that I'd never yell or curse, but he should never mistake my kindness for weakness.

 

As an owner/operator with a union carrier, I was forced on a load one Friday afternoon. It was July 1, and I was at home grilling steaks on the deck, anticipating the holiday weekend. I was third on the board and thought I was safe when the phone rang. I turned down the load from Michigan City, IN to Fenton, MO that had to run.

An hour later, the phone rang again. I was now first on the board because all drivers had refused the load and the first two drivers quit. The company assured me the load had to run. So, I delivered the load of plastic gas tanks to Chrysler Fenton on Saturday morning. The plant was closed. I snaked my way through the employee parking lots to the bull pen because the other gates were locked. I used my flashlight to find the box on the dock for bills of lading. Then, I bobtailed to our terminal in Granite City and went to the sprint car races. I laid there until Wednesday, July 6.

One of the drivers who quit got his job back within two weeks because he was a fleet driver for a fleet owned by a vice president of the company. The other driver was off for two months.

 

I'm excited for you guys. Brings back some really good memories. I wish I were in your shoes! You guys are going to have so much fun. Yes you will make really good money, but the memories you make while doing it will be priceless. Make sure to get as much on video as possible. That was my only regret. Take as many photos as you can too. Something else that's fun to do is to start a collection of something. You know how some people collect all the state magnets? I used to collect rocks from all the different states and towns. Some were boulders some pebbles. My brother built a large waterfall and Koi fish pond in his yard and we used all the rocks I collected to build it. It's funny but I can actually point out just about each and every rock and remember where it's from! Yeah I know, probably sounds corny. Just remember if you are going to collect rocks you need to do it little by little, you don't want to be overweight because you got too many rocks!