Planners

Look at you guys talking up how easy dispatching is. LOL!!!

I have three positions that needed to be filled two weeks ago for a run that starts Monday. I have a driver who broke his leg at home this week and is out for a couple months. I had another driver yesterday pass out at a restaurant and we needed to recover his load. I have Christmas season coming up in less than a month and we need to find 25 drivers to cover seasonal runs. I have brokers blowing up my phone for load updates all day. I have drivers whining about too many extra hours now who will whine they're not getting enough when it's slow this winter. And on and on and on.

Man you have it tough being captain of a one man crew in your truck. Hell, I drive on weekends just to get away from it all, trucking is my recovery time.

 

Do it for 2 years 300 days a year and then we will talk about recovery time.
Don't get me wrong I am not saying that occasional driving can't be relaxing and fun.All I am saying is that to me the risk and responsibility involved in driving is not compensated enough.
It's not a pissing contest what's easier.
What I know for sure is that in the office chances of me having to pay big ticket,going to jail,being sued for person injury or dying in a crash will drop dramatically.

 

I was in dispatch for 8 years before becoming a driver. I made as little as 32k and up to 42k when I quit. It doesn't pay as good as you think it does. It isn't as easy as some may think either. I had 45-50 drivers on my "board" and only about 10 or so were 100% at their job. The majority of the time I felt like I was supervising a bunch of man-childs. Even if I was getting them the miles and getting them home you still couldn't make them happy. It's a thankless job just like being a driver but driving is much better for me. I've lost 20lbs and my blood pressure is down since getting on the road.

 

I find it interesting you mention the holidays generating a crying need for trucks. I call ######## with the following two thoughts.

We run reefer team for food (FFE) of all kinds. You think the Holidays would cause the USA to scarf turkeys, beef etc by the ton in the NE with everyone purchasing hams etc hand over fist. Forget it. We end up sitting. If we were not sitting, we were running rescue missions to catch loads going bad due to drivers passing out, sick, lazy, late, arguing with dispatch etc etc etc. That was a revelation.

Otherwise we stay home during the Holidays, Aint no #### freight worth a #### from say 15th Oct all the way to at least Jan 8.

The only freight that we have seen that was immune to holiday was literally narcotics to the hospital. The more the ER fills up with puking overfed people, the more they cry for Memphis to load and stage trailers with medicine for them.

Maybe I just answered my own question. No wonder people fill the ER sick on summer turkey purchased at sale pricing and stored ...

 

I work in USPS routes. Yeah, HUGE increase in volume from Turkey Day to Presents Day.

 

USPS eh? Ship a turkey cross country for 20 bucks priority. (Eh, bear with me.. Ive had a habit of oversimplifcation or gross exaggeration)

I wonder if that is why mighty FFE cannot ship the one turkey in that 53 foot reefer 2000 miles for less than 20 dollars. It's what? 1.90-2.40 a mile east? divided by however many are in that trailer. I should come up with the answer possibly.

Ive been barking up the wrong tree all my life. Everyone told me go join the PO. Nu uh.. not me. Im too wild.

 

I was looking over history of express, and Railroads in the 40's was a common carrier able and required to accept parcel freight in the baggage express cars at any town teamster pad, depot or place it's a stop for mail. One lady used to bake a turkey and ship it about 45 miles to Harrisburg for 1.40 in 1940's money I guess it's pretty close to our 20 dollar parcel. But I would wonder.

 

What restaurant might that have been? If he knocked-over from bliss and elation, I'm thinking I need to pay it a visit.... If he had a coronary: Nevermind.

 

Or a Food Allergy. Maybe Johnnys Near Allentown?

 

So? What did you do after lunch?