Stop & Do the Math

Just some advice for newer drivers out there-

When dispatch calls you up and offers a load, better yet, sells you on a load. Pull over somewhere safe and do the math on a calculator if you must, but do the math on the driving time, hours left on your 70, and overall route to take.

Do not say "yes" to a load based on what your dispatcher says about the above things.

I can't say how many times I've had to correct their math and let them know I needed another day to do a load. Sometimes it was because they weren't calculating a needed reset or they like counting partial days of driving as full days, no matter when the load is picked up or when it must be delivered.

There are formulas out there for how to determine the driving time from point A to C. Don't forget to include your empty miles [point B] as well. The point is: figure out which formula works best for you.

Work out in the beginning of your relationship with your company just how many miles per week is your maximum. Be willing to go over that once in a while, but be firm in sticking to it once in a while as well. And make sure dispatch is aware of your understanding with ownership or recruiters.

These kinds of things will seldom make it into black & white on paper, however communication is key. When you go over your max on hours or miles, make sure to let dispatch know. And when they try to sell you on a load that is over your max, let them know you know before you take it or the reason for asking for an extra day.

I find the best thing to do is establish a maximum daily mileage. Like many paper-log drivers, I've done my share of 1,000 mile days. However, as I've grown in experience, I've also grown in caution and care for my CDL and safety. My maximum average is between 500-600 miles per day and I take 1 day off per week regardless of miles, based on hours worked [official or "unofficial"].

Which leads to my next point- don't let a dispatcher dictate time off based on paper-log hours. They know as well as anyone else that paper-logs are not accurate accounts of hours, only miles and days [more or less]. As for hours, then we all know that we work an average of 10-20 more hours per week depending on time spent at docks and in traffic.

Don't let a dispatcher try to tell you when to take your resets while using paper-log hour totals. If you need a day off/reset, take it.

If a dispatcher or O/O doesn't accept the above decisions on your part or is unwilling to stick to expectations and agreements about mileage and/or resets, which they will test you on now & again, then decide whether that job is working out for you. But do not let someone else bully you into driving more than you're comfortable and able to do and more than you've agreed to. Establish parameters and be flexible but keep the funk regulated and keep from burning out by sticking to those limits as well from time to time.

~Out

 

Unless the words "forced dispatch" appear somewhere in a contract a driver signed at the beginning of employment, then it cannot be considered a condition for employment.

Most drivers, like myself, are not litigious, however insubordination has specific legal ramifications and exceptions depending on which state a person is employed. If a driver has no specific legally defensible reason for refusing a load, then he should not. That is why I said a driver should establish expectations from the beginning. There is a clause in some state laws regarding "new and unreasonable burden" as well as "safety" concerns when it comes to refusing orders from an employer.

If a driver ha signed a statement agreeing to "forced dispatch" then they should still stop & do the math, if possible. If the load is beyond agreed upon expectations or the dispatcher's math is off to the point of making the load impossible or near impossible to complete in the time allotted, then it is up to the driver to decide whether that company is a good fit.

Legally speaking, drivers always have a choice on loads. There's no doubt that constantly refusing loads is not a good thing, however constantly accepting tight time frames for loads or impossible ones, is also not a good thing. The only way to tell the difference is to stop & do the math.

I'm not bad a math, so I can usually do the math in my head while driving. The dispatcher has to wait a few minutes while I work it out aloud, however that saves me hours or days of headache later in the load. And we all know that loads have windows worked into them, usually a day or two leeway.

 

I can't count how many times I was given incorrect math for a load and pressured to respond quickly. The point is that employers can be unscrupulous when it comes to wanting loads delivered ASAP to get drivers rolling again. It increases their profit margin and makes brokers happy. Heck, I'm pretty sure carriers get cherries on top of their contracts for making tight delivery times with drivers not seeing a penny of it.

Regardless, pay per mile and 70-hour rules with paper-logs makes for conflicts of interest. One would think that carriers are looking out for their drivers, but let's face it- brokers and carriers are like wolves in the hen house when it comes to pushing drivers who don't know any better.

I've had O/O's I drive for actually recount to me versions of their conversations with brokers in which I am depicted as a driver who "drives legal" as if it's a bad thing or an exception that must be made.

It's crazy out there and drivers have to look out for themselves and their CDLs at the end of the day.