Is every DM this big a jerk?

Allow Me. · Aug 24, 2017

So, they didn't mention this at orientation ? Shame shame. If you talk to any driver who's been out here for 10 years at least, they will have a similar story for you. A major screw-up from office personnel. And you the driver takes the brunt. A decent dispatcher will KNOW that stuff happens and will 'take care of you" in the future, because, believe it or not, it takes a driver and a truck working with dispatch/load planner to get the job done. Your dispatcher does not intentionally send you on wild goose chases ! ! Most of the time it's the shipper/consignee who screws up with multiple locations and idiot office people just there to collect their paycheck.

Good luck with ANY truck co you work for.

Dave_in_AZ · Aug 24, 2017

csmith1281 said: ↑

I definitely believe in having my sights set on something long-term, but I'm more of a one step at a time guy now. Life experience has taught me so much. But if I were in a business meeting asking to borrow money, I would say my plan in three years is to own my own truck, learn how to run the snot out of the thing profitably, then expand from there very slowly until I know I know how to do this thing right, then expand at a moderate pace making sure not to grow my fleet faster than my infrastructure and financial health will allow. That is one big reason I have stuck it out here. I know the value of starting from the bottom, and I know the value of knowing how I do NOT want to treat my future employees. I know things will get better in a year or two, and especially once I own my own truck. I run my truck like a hypothetical owner operator truck and I study the numbers every week. I'm not getting into any fleece purchase deal. I'm going to work and save until I have enough experience, education, and cash to get a good deal on a truck with low overhead. If getting #### on for a few months is what it takes to get a good start, then I'll consider it fertilizer for my growth. I just wanted to know if it's really going to be like this everywhere or if I have the grass is greener syndrome. How many of us would want to ride an airplane if we experienced heavy turbulence the whole time? Probably not a lot of us. I can put up with it for a while, but there's got to be some kind of norm that is livable, decent, and doesn't require me to make financial and health sacrifices to cover my employers mistakes.
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The grass is greener on the side of the truck stop where everyone takes a leak. Just like you said, it takes some fertilizer to make things grow.

I book my own freight / my own truck / and I'm very happy. Takes some doing to get here. Still get it shoved up my ### on occasion, it's just the way it goes.

If your want your own truck, and wanna do like a regional, just keep your records clean, save your pennies, and join Landstar.

Bottom line is no matter where you are in this business, there will be days when you talk to yourself & The Lord for awhile.

Last night the pitcher for the Dodgers through a perfect game for 9 innings, then gave up a homerun in the 10th and they lost. He'll be talking to himself & The Lord for a few months.

I've been out for 10 days, that's long for me, and have much to do at home. I'm back in town, but am I at home? No getting truck serviced down on the South side because the have an opening right now. See Lepton's avatar.

If you want your own truck in a year or two, figure out what that's going to take. Right it down, keep your eye on it, and don't let anything shake you, cause lots of forces in this world are going to try to.

Lepton1 · Aug 24, 2017

Lepton1 said: ↑

^^^ THIS ^^^

My way of saying it is "Have a Plan. Work the Plan".

OP I worked at Swift for two years, with a great DM. Now I work for an outstanding company as an owner operator and the dispatchers know me by name and they are great.

Here's the bottom line: #### HAPPENS.

It MIGHT be the fault of dispatch, or planners, or sales, or customer service in your company; but most often it seems to be wrong or incomplete information from your shipper or receiver. Stuff happens. At Swift it was often an act of God to be compensated for detention or added miles when trying to find the correct location. I "fondly" remember hunting half a day to find an empty trailer at Swift. I learned NEVER to move the truck without first getting Qualcomm directions to a location, otherwise you don't get paid for those miles.

There will ALWAYS be good days, great days, and horrible days. Roll with it. BUT always make sure to look at the bigger picture, be customer focused, and make an effort to learn as much as you can about your customers and how your office does things. Take time to ask your dispatch and planners how they function and what it takes to keep your wheels turning.

With my current gig I know that dispatch FREQUENTLY does not have complete information when I need to start rolling. "I need you to start driving to Horntown right away. I will send you details as soon as I get them". That's the nature of expedited service....

...and I just got a dispatch with words to that effect. Go figure. Gotta go to work.
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So I picked up the load that interrupted my post and boogied to the receiver, with plans to be available for another load with plenty of time for a local. That ain't going to happen. I arrived at the receiver and the first thing he said was, "I'm sorry, our forklift is down and it's going to be at least an hour until a replacement forklift is delivered."

"No problem, I'll catch up on some FaceCrack rumors."

He laughed hard at that one. Go with the flow with a sense of humor. It helps customer relationships and helps keep your attitude positive. Driving with a bad attitude is a hazard.

Mountainmanlikes beaches · Aug 24, 2017

Contact the safety dept. and bring the issues, up, get everything recorded and in writing to cover your rear, you may have to play the whistle blower card.

dca · Aug 24, 2017

Google and Yahoo search can be your friends in predicaments like this

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