How often do you actually talk to your dispatcher ?

I have been driving a year. I have never spoken to Dispatch on the phone. I have only communicated on the qualcomm. Every thing is documented and strictly business. I like it this way, I never get bothered or asked favors or have drama.

 

As little as possible...dispatchers are bad listeners...which is understandable.

 

I'm at a smaller private fleet and even though we use peoplenet we call in at every departure and arrival. Even though I have an 'assigned' dispatcher I rarely ever talk to her. The system is set up that whoever the next available person to take the call is, that's who you talk to.

At the previous bigger carrier I only spoke to him directly if the need demanded a conversation and immediate answer. Maybe 4-5 times a month. Everything else was done via QC. I didn't bother him. He didn't bother me.

That got me respect and in some ways some preference because as he said to me once 'I waste half my day listening to whiners who can't make a decision or use common sense. I'm glad you can think for yourself and don't bug the #### out of me over nothing'

 

I speak with my dispatch almost daily. Dedicated accounts I run have a narrow delivery window, so she calls all the drivers on the account to let them know what we are running the next day.

I hardly mind it. Gives me a chance to heckle them!

 

Talk to mine almost daily. Just today I had to explain how and why I don't need a restart every week. Sigh. I think all dispatchers should have to ride in a truck for a week.

 

It doesn't help. Both companies I've been with have a program in place where they have to go out with a driver for a week. They marvel at the bs we have to put up with while on the truck but once they've been back in the cube farm a week afterward it's like they've never seen a truck in their life again.

 

A man can dream, until someone comes along and destroys it.

 

Well I do what I can to keep it real lol

 

Pick up on time
Deliver on time
Drive all your available hours.
No safety or company violations
He would only seek phone contact for a special favor or an atta boy ! We got along great with only Qual Comm messages.

 

8 months ago it became mandatory for all independents to give 3 updates daily on the load progress, which really was the partner company calling us asking if we did such an such a stop yet. The first day this was mandatory I merely answered the first call (8 AM and the stores we were delivering to at the time we 10-6) and told them what I thought of everything. Calls continued for a week straight and I finally picked up the phone again after a week and let them know what I thought. Every other independent complains about how Oscar (the dispatcher) still doesn't understand that the stores are only open 10-6. If I have to call the dispatcher, we have bigger problems to start focusing on!