How to deal with bad dispatch? My hellish experience vent.

This is a whole lot going on in a short amount of time. I have to reiterate that 1099 companies are designed for drivers who need to rehabilitate their careers while still being able to earn some money. Do you not have a clean record? I'm just confused as to why you think the 1099 route is the best way to make and save money. Those companies just pick loads, as opposed to planning them. If it has a nice price, they will book it and worry about whether a driver has hours later. Those types of owners operate with their own set of rules. Most of those 1099 companies will tell you no northeast, no NYC, but those are both lies. They are going to run you in and out of the northeast because seemingly, the get good rates there. On a side note, I'm not sure how much money they really get from those loads once you factor high fuel costs and tolls, not to mention bad weather in the winter months. Anyway, it's so many reputable companies that can provide you steady money. Since you started all over and re-obtained your CDL, you may have to be patient and pay your dues at a proven company so you can get some continuous experience. Then the rest of the industry will open up for you.

 

You’ve been recording the dispatcher threatening to fire you , right ?
Or saving the text messages or emails ?

Just tell them to call you when they get a load that’s not a dog turd and go home and start working hard to find another job

get all your endorsements , doubles triples hazmat and twic ,
And listen to chinatown , he’s the best at finding jobs for drivers .

go home , get on the computer and on the phone and find another job .

 

I take it this is a new/renewed CDL you have. If so, you may have to tolerate their BS for 6 - 12 months before safely moving to a better company (unless you're in the hole a lot or end up not being able to pay taxes next year). Get back to financial stability and have a good savings before moving on. Make that plan in case things do not improve.

 

If he does this, he can't tell ANYONE even remotely connected to this industry. Any driving for any job on the 34 can delay return to regular driving duties. I saw this happen to a driver at my last gig when she casually mentioned doing Uber and Lyft in her days off. Sadly, Safety heard this and kindly let her know what can happen if anybody turned that in. They didn't outright tell her to stop, but she did anyway.

If this is the choice, stay mum about it - even with anyone from a different company.

 

With being out for two years, you'll need at least 1 year solo to gain more quality choices. Anything less than that at this point is not going to be much better. It's mostly an insurance thing, especially for majors and megas (which self-insure up to a certain point). Keep looking, though. There are a lot of tiny quality firms who'll take that 6 months as if it's 2 years. The bigger quality companies, though, will want to team you for a month or two just to cover bases.

As those military folks say, "Embrace the suck" until you no longer have to.

 

How much experience did you say you had? If you had at least a year, you wouldn't have necessarily needed to team drive. I've seen guys be out of a truck for longer and ot have to team drive. I think it would've been worth it to go to a major company even if it meant team driving briefly. I'm not fond of team driving either but it beats the hell out these shady companies. The major companies do things right, whether folks want to admit or not.

 

You have to talk to drivers currently at any company before you decide to work at the company. Those drivers are experiencing what you need to know about. Does watching a TV commercial about a car tell you everything you need to know before you buy it, or just what the manufacturer wants you to know about it? People on this board can tell you what they know about a trucking company but what matters most is what is it like for current drivers at that company now? Current driver at the company know those conditions. Make the trucking company put you in contact with current drivers doing the job you want to do at that company. It's more work than reading the web page for a trucking company, but it's more accurate information. There are a thousand questions you need to ask, but some of them may include:
How many miles did you drive last week?
How often to you get home?
How much time to stay at home?
Where do you fuel?
Can you fuel where you choose or where the company tells you to fuel?
How much do you pay for benefits?
How often do you find something that needs a repair on the truck or trailer and how is the repair handled?
Can you give my email or phone number to another driver? I have some other questions

Questions not to ask:
Do you make good money?
Do you have a nice truck?
Is this a good place to work?

Questions like these are asking someone to give you a conclusion. They don't know what you want or which things will be best for you. You need to know what the driver makes and then decide if that money is good for you. It's obviously good for him, or he would leave. No company advertises they delay repairs and bully a driver to drive bad equipment, so asking if they do is like asking a prostitute if she believes in love at first sight. Don't lower your standards or you will constantly be in a no-win situation where the boss knows you are desperate, knows you have no choice but to take his BS.

 

Always put your phone into Do Not Disturb when you sleep. You can send a text before doing so saying "10 hour break, I'll be available at 0545, or 5:45am"

 

ANY WORK FOR COMPENSATION counts against the driver's 70 hour clock, even if there is no driving. ANY JOB.