What to do when a dispatcher tries to force a load on you?

The Swift system dispatches on a 50 mph average ... the system will not even allow a dispatch if you don't have the hours to do it.

The planner was not trying to "force" you to do the load. They were trying to inform you, that you have hours. If you can figure out how to do it.

You couldn't. You chose to take a 34 instead . So today you sit, instead of making an income.

 

Generally speaking if you have hours you are subject to having a load dropped on you. There is no FMCSA rule that mandates a carrier give you time to do a 34. However it is a sad fact that most carrier's operations dept don't give a hoot about the HOS or the fines involved. This is what I always tried to do in these circumstances. I did a quick and dirty estimation of the time I had left in regard to the load. If I had time I would accept the load. If not I tried to show this to my FM. I always tried to keep a good relationship with them. However their higher up's can put intense pressure on them. If all else failed I called safety. 99% of the time once safety was called the situation got fixed. It it hard to do this on nights and weekends. In these situations I simply refused to pick up the load and informed the person in operations I intend to call safety my next chance. Remember to NEVER have these conversations over the phone. ALWAYS force the person to use the Qualcomm.

Edited to add this:
Another thing operations has a tendency to do is to try to force you to put a trailer on the road with a missing or expired registration or permit. This happened to me many years ago with a beer load. I was delivering to Baltimore and Maryland law required at the time a small card like permit to haul, pickup or deliver alcohol. They want you to go ahead and pickup the load and solve the issue en route. Works great for things like a beer load going to Maryland if say your in New Mexico, not so good if your in Va and the load is due the next day.

 

Maryland absolutely is a small card permit alcohol state. If you aint got it... you have potentially lost very much.

 

I don't work for swift so this is only a guess.What may happen is they're going to do the math and according to them you had the legal hours to do the load.So be prepared to give them some quick answers why you couldn't do the load if you get called in when you get back at the terminal.Does swift swap loads if a driver doesn t have the hours to deliver it?

 

Some guys would kill to be able to run recap hours and make money rather than sit for 34 hours in a pee lot spending money. Even if you couldn't legally make the drop appointment, it would be the offices' problem to deal with later and eat the service failure or repower the load.

That said, we've all been in situations where a dispatch seemed like bad news and doomed, both during and after.

 

All I am saying is as a new driver not to even mention the company It is not in your best interest to refuse a load. I would've just accepted and got as far as I could then let them know as I drove that it will need a repower. You are hurting your own pockets refusing the load and they probably note it in the system for future loads.

This is the same company that would't fix your apu etc.

 

What I would have done is see how many hrs I gain at midnight how many miles I can do plus the on duty hours and how many I gain the next day go over the hours with dispatch and if need be he can find a swap.

 

Drivers now complain for lack of miles pay etc. and this is one reason why!

 

I know it.I've been in situations like the op has many times.Companies are in bisness to make money and legally with companies like swift.They do not wanna cancell any accounts unless they absolutely have to.I don't see where this driver couldn't have picked up load and drove 3 or 400 miles that's including fuel and the half hr brake ,keep in constant communication with his dispatcher and if need be dispatch could have found another driver to take the load.Dispatch wasn't trying to force him to run illegally.