Personal dispatch services

thank you great post

 

I tried several dispatching services. Most will tell you they have industry connections and promise great rates. So far none have delivered. One guy promised to charge me $200/week, but then tacked on phone long distance fees and other BS. I dispatch myself and I know exactly where I'm going. Yes, sometimes it takes a while, but nobody can do this better than you yourself. This part of the job is the most important one. More important than driving itself, so why would you trust it to anyone else? As far as printing out brokers' faxes and signing them, I use PDF professional on my laptop. You can sign documents right on the screen, so nothing ever needs to be printed out. An account with Efax (efax.com) allows you to send and receive faxes on your computer. I also have a printer/scanner in my truck, so I can scan BOLs and send them to the broker or the factoring company for fast payment.

 

Dispatching services are nothing more than a personal assistant looking at the load boards, securing a load, and doing the paperwork shuffle, on behalf of an Owner/Operator, or Carrier. The actual service is not Brokering, so it does not have to be licensed. I personally feel it is a valuable service, especially with the current HOS restricting time. Why spend time finding loads, when one can be driving. I'd have no issue paying a fee for service for someone to find me a load while I am finishing up my current one. The mega carriers do it; why cant the O/O? As far as guaranteeing rates, I find that to be odd; not unless the Dispatcher is only going to consider loads paying that amount. However, if you are in an area, such as the Northeast, finding $2/mile freight may be a challenge; taking $1.50/mile on a 600 mile run to Indiana or Tennessee may be worth it!

 

I am totally in agreement with you! I do not understand why you would ask for a guarantee of rate like that? Anyone that knows the industry, knows that no one can do that. I think that the dispatch service that you choose, should be one that you will be happy with. I mean these people provide a service to help us. I have never used one, I am thinking about it though. I have been researching it the last couple of weeks. HOS is really killing us and if there is a way to streamline the process, I am all for that. If you do not like your dispatch service, find a new one....or do it yourself. Unless you have a contract, you are looking at the load boards anyways. So why not have someone else do that for you? I am going to continue my search.... I will let you know how it goes!

 

I am looking for a Dispatcher with experience and contacts in Step Deck/ Flatbed work. I am based in North East, PA and generally run west to IA and into the SE. I have read this entire thread and I think an experienced dispatcher would be worth it. I am willing to try. Roadrunner can you please give me contact details of your dispatcher as I am in your area. Thank you

 

I don't think so cuz I wouldn't

 

Thanks for the post and the great info!

 

This thread was really interesting to me..... I am the owner of truck and also dispatching few O/O. Being a dispatcher is not as easy as you may think. Some O/Os are very picky. I can spend half day on looking for load , because one load - too much deadmiles, another- too heavy, third- too dirty, forth- too cheap... and so so so ..... As company owner, I understand O/Os , they don't want to haul for free ( deadmiles), they don't want to waste money on fuel ( heavy loads), they don't want to swipe trailers. Besides that, I am taking 5% from one load ( from $1000.00, $50.00). I am not trying to advertise myself, just want to say that 50 buks is not worth spending half day to find one load for one picky owner operator. And another thing, I don't think that any dispatcher can offer stable $2.00 per mile loads. Prices jumping up and down...Holidays, winter, summer, fall .... everything matters. You will never get paid more than two dollars per mile on 1,600 miles run,except you getting load from direct shipper( which is really hard to find).
Anyway , good luck to us , and Happy New 2014 Year.

 

And this is exactly why I don't use anyone to book my loads. You will never get $2/mile? I call BS. My average bookings, including all deadhead are over $2/mile. This is usually on 1300 mile runs. Not direct shippers either. You really have to do your homework and learn your lanes before becoming an O/O, but if you hire a person to do your bookings (presumably one who knows what he's doing) and he can't get you the rate, run away! I speak from experience because that's exactly the mistake I made early in my career. The guy was averaging $1.50 and charging me for it. This is the most important part of your business. Do it yourself or go work for a company.

 

And the ones who say "why waste your time watching for loads when you can be driving" because you need to be learning how to pick the cherries and you will never learn how to do that paying someone else who allegedly knows what they are doing. Every time you see someone say " it is impossible to get $x.cd per mile on 1,000 miles" that person has already self imposed rate limitations on themselves and they will never even try to. Laugh every time I read those and remember the times I got $3+ a mile on van loads going 800-1,000 miles from brokers, who of course everyone knows don't pay rates like that. If you think you can or you can't you have your answer - Henry Ford