Help, with dispatching.

Hello I am a 20 year old male , my dad has been a truck driver for about 15 years and he wants to get his own truck. The problem comes up with loads, he has someone in mind who he talked to that will dispatch for him but they will of course take a cut from every load. My question is how can I take part in this? What is the process of dispatching , I would like to get started in it since the topic interests me. My apologies if this is the wrong section I am new here.

 

Dad opens his authority, you call on loads. Simple as that

 

by opens his authority you mean as in company name, MC number, USDOT and such correct? Also I am not sure how true this is but I heard you can't just start looking for loads your self , its good to start working for someone and put your company name to gain credit for the company name. I just need some guidance on how it works, he is working on setting up all the documents for the company currently but I want to get a heads start on how to do this correctly.

 

Ok, so the basics.
Know what you need to make to run! Then everything else from there is much easier.
Once you have active authority, get on ITS. Figure out how to filter for the loads you are ,looking for.
When calling brokers for a rate;
1) You are king of the world! Thats always your mindset.
2) Tell them plainly what you need to book this load for. Nicely, courteously.
3) Hold on to your plan, dont fold under pressure.
4) You are the dispatcher for this trucking company, thats it, not "my dad" drives the truck. Professionalism!
5) "Oh, your a new authority", yes but we are offering excellent service for you and your shipper. Small company that will keep in constant contact with you when we are under your load. Most drivers dont communicate with the broker/ shipper enough. It is a HUGE leg up when the broker can tell there customer exactly whats going on with there shipment.
Now the biggest problem I see is the lack of negotiating and running your own business for many years. The Battle is won or lost in the first few words/ early on in the conversation. Good luck!

 

I have to say that I think it is commendable for you to want to do this for your dad,,,,bravo to you for giving a rats butt about your dad making money, and in the long term, you making money as well, if you can master the art of negotiation. I wish my wife would have half the interest that you have so, I hope your dad appreciates your interest. It is #### hard to just get loads off the load board and,,,drive the truck too. If I had someone I could trust, and I could afford them, to do my dispatching,,,,I feel I would be more efficient and further ahead in my business. I wish you the best and keep asking questions and reading TTR..

 

Thank you ! the topic interests me very much but I need a helping hand to get ms started since I have no clue where to look for loads , what kind of questions to ask when you contact the broker , there's so many questions unanswered , but every now and then I get an answer to one question online, matter of time learning.

 

rowing the same boat up the river, with one paddle. Same observation.

Good luck to the OP. On the website. Internet truckstop. I think they recently changed to Truckstop.com
https://truckstop.com/
this is the website I get most of my loads from. I do have several customers that call direct, took a few years to get that to happen.
Go to the Federal DOT website and it will have all the information needed. Also your state DOT website and don't be to shy to call.. for information. Phones do still work with voice over communication.
OOIDA is another good resource. Owner Operator Independent Drivers Association.
Good luck to you and your dad.

 

Go ahead and be his 'Home Terminal Assistant"
You duties will include finding loads,, doing the broker contracts, receiving the proof of delivery documants and submitting the billing to the brokers and shippers as well as checking weather reports and relaying information to your "driver"
The best way to find the loads and learn about the rates is to study load boards, Internet Truck Stop. Also look at websites for brokers and carriers,,many list their available loads,
When you are looking for a load keep a note book and list the name of the broker, information on the load and the rate,
Go down the list of loads you are interested and call each one to get details about the load and the rate,,Study the load info,,only way you will learn,,If you are offered a load or quoted a rate if the rate is lower than what you want "DO MAKE A COUNTER OFFER FOR MORE MONEY"
it is done all the time,,I have found that in most cases it is very easy to get the broker to go up on the price if you try 10% 0r more is very common,,You do not have to accept the first offer ,,it is much like dealer with a car salesman when you buy a car, NEGOCIATE!
Also gather email address of broker you deal with that pay decent rates,,Send email notications to them telling them when and where your truck will be empty looking for a load,it works brokers will call you and emails are FREE!

 

Thank you so much !! That helps a lot , I will try to get on truckstop and register and see how far I can go with it thank you again!

 

There are a lot of free load boards, including the companies that have their own. Landstar, Mercer, ATS, Tennesee many others. Just do a search and you will have more than a days worth of reading. SOme of the larger carriers/brokers pay quicker than others.