Ideal dispatching

A lot has changed since then. Primarily E-Logs. Ideal in today's trucking world for me would be let me max my log, reset and do it again. I don't mind driving night shift, but once on it; keep me on it till I holler switch back. I do prefer days, though. Say; "Hi, how's it going? Need anything? - Bob (sign the message so I know who's messaging me)" every morning so I know you're all still awake and OTJ back in the office, but don't bug me after that and don't bug me about piddly stuff at all. If you get a complaint about a late: fine - ask me. If not - don't micro manage me. I got this. If I need help (or a repower or apt push), I'll contact you. Other than that; give me my good runs and leave me alone. I'll get them done. Don't message me to call you. If you want to have a phone conversation then you call me. Do not under any circumstances text me. I hate texting and I will ignore it. I take care of 99% of the problems I encounter in this business myself so if I do have one and call you about it - please treat it as urgent. Trust me, I've already tried everything Ic an and I'm up against the wall. I keep anything I can do myself off your plate so when I do ask for help take me seriously and please jump on it like I jump right on everything you ask me to. It's a mutual respect between two professionals that know their jobs thing. Treat it as such. I'm always calm, cool, polite, respectful of your time and other duties (like babysitting people that DO need babysitting - unfortunately) and friendly. Please be the same way to me. When I make a mistake and screw up I admit it and don't make excuses and I take my medicine like a man so don't disrespect the man and scold me like a child. I know you have a job to do so say your peace like you have to, I'll say "yes sir or yes ma'am. I won't let it happen again", and let it be done and over there. I stay out for for about three months at a time and 95% of the time my get home date is flexible but if I tell you it's important; do whatever you have to do to get me home on time just like I do what I have to do to get the loads done on time. On Time Delivery (OTD) is a two way street. I respect your side, please respect mine.


That's a laundry list, LOL, but that sums up my ideal dispatch for the way I run.

 

Aminal really nail it. I would add if you got a driver you wanna keep, keep him happy, and that is clean pay stubs, with he/she is suppose to get, AND get the driver home On Time, I deliver all my loads on time so you should get me home on time too. I quit a company just cause they never could get me home on time, and I do all the miles I can legally do on any given day. Clean pay stubs, if I got a detention put in there, playing the game I forgot doesn't go nowhere, you are just making me lose my time yours and my trust, same with empty miles I have seen my paycheck cut on empty miles I drove them and you make me do it so why screw the driver? If I give a home day time, and I do it at least 30 days in advance, deadhead me if necessary, I was on the road for at least 30 days, and it was your time, when my times come I need to be home, period.

 

"Hi, I'm you new dispatcher. My name is ______. I've been dispatching ___ yrs. I understand you've been driving ____ yrs. You can call me 24-7-365. How do you like to run?"

 

The company I'm leased on to now kinda did that. They had me fill out a form which amounted to a "personality questionnaire" on myself and the kind of dispatcher I did best with in the past, so they could best pair me. I took it as kinda a "yeah. sure - but Ok. I'll play along." I gotta admit; once I got off their new guy board and got my regular DM; it was a real good match. She moved into planning and we were all on a temporary "cover" board for a while but talking to the other guys on her board; we are all real happy with who we got. I like the fact she's in planning now too, instead of elsewhere. She was an excellent DM and good DM's tend to be better planners because they have more realistic understandings of how long things take in reality.

 

Beep..Load assignment.
Beep.. delivery apt

Beep..
Let us know when loaded/rolling and if there is anything we can do for you here at operations dept to help you.
Have a safe trip
Thx Dispatch.
.
.
.
Then,Leave me alone to do my job.



I have to say at my current company this is the way we are dispatched.

 

My ideal dispatcher does not exist. Quite literally I prefer to talk to the man in charge than a powerless middleman who only exists to BS me and waste my time. If i have an issue with payroll I'll call payroll. If i need a load going somewhere at a certain time I call a load planner. If I need to adjust a load/unload appointment I'll call the customer and let em know what's going on. If I have an issue with the way things are going I'll call the bosses desk line or his bosses desk line if need be.

I have no reason to waste time with a dispatcher.

 

So true, but more often than not you can get pass the dispatch. You can call the customer and many times they will help you.

 

The answer to the question will depend on the carrier and what makes up the bulk of their freight base. If they don't have my type of freight (length of hauls), the best dispatcher in the world isn't going to make my life there happy. Point is, if you have mostly regional freight to dispatch and you have a bunch of drivers who like to run coast to coast and the like, you'll never be able to make them happy. Were these drivers told the could run 1500+ mile fright primarily when the were hired? Did the freight base/model change over the last 18 months? I don't know but that's what dispatchers have to learn to deal with is the wide disparity between driver types and freight types. And too often there are no "easy solutions" and somebody ends up leaving and we know who that will be.

Some guys want long hauls, some want short hauls, some want to be home most weekends, some want to run nights, some want to run days, some can't handle difficult appointment times, some thrive on them. Secondary point is, you will not find any one predominant "desired feature", promise.

 

Tex, I couldn't agree more with 95% of what I've seen from ya but it's Halloween and I have a load of punkins running from PA to CA I'm pickin' up tomorrow. So, coast to coast fright is totally out there . . . seasonally speaking.

Boo!

Just funnin' with ya Tex. Good post and you keep 'em straight out there.