You and your DSR and what do they do

Having all the cookies is not always a bad thing.


The 2 great DSRs we had...we didn't go willingly off either of their boards. The first one took a different position, and that led us to the worst one ever....requested a new one and we got the best one ever (for us). Long story short, we took a better paycheck (on dedicated) over staying on his board and that has turned out to be the biggest mistake we ever did with this job. A year later, and we are back to evaluating our options as to what to do now.

 

We could ditch the dispatchers(Sorry I still call them that) and go with the planners...but I imagine they would create load ASSIGNERS to do the old work of planners who are now doing the dispatcher work. Planners have always been separated from the drivers in an attempt to have some parity for the drivers. As bad as it can get with a dispatcher playing favorites imagine how bad it could been if a planner hated ya.

 

What's the pay like for dedicated runs?

 

Okie-Dokie..

I don't think I've seen any I/C comments in here yet so here goes....

DSR's- In my opinion, my DSR works with me to move freight. We've been a team, literally, since my day one as an I/C. Is it always great? LOL!! No!!! But he does cover my tail when I'm overloaded and have to take a load back, he does change the loaded miles to get me into scales to ensure the load is legal and keeps the "nit-pickers' off my back so I can concentrate on getting the load where it needs to go. I set my own delivery appointments and am normally early for final delivery on a multi-stop load. This causes him to have to scramble a little but not too often. Normally he has the next dispatch waiting for me when I get empty. Sometimes he'll send out the preplan, but more often, he'll hold it until I call him after being empty. We work well this way because then we can talk it over and both get in tune with the game plan for delivery.

It took a while for him to get used to my habit of calling in at least once a day, but now he's used to it. I don't have to call hiim only when there is a problem, I also call him to let him know what is going on with the load. As I said we are a team and work hard as a team.

As an I/C, I don't have to follow Roehl's Opti recommendations, but as long as the negotiated fuel price is less than what I could find anywhere else, I'll use it. I can say though, that the response time of that program makes it worse than worthless. When I send in a request for routing and fuel, it should pop off within five minutes. I am tired of having to call and find out why the stupid thing hasn't given me a reply after waiting for thirty minutes or more. Many times, by the time I get a response, I'm already well past the recommended stop and heading on down the road..

Even as a company driver, I didn't "play the game" of letting the DSR's try to tell me how to drive my truck. I had a couple pointed discussions with a couple when they wondered why I had shut down early with hours still available to drive that day... They lost. No one, repeat no one drives that truck but me. Also, I didn't ever ask permission to do anything as far as operating the truck legally and safely. Those decisions are, have been, and will continue to be mine exclusively.

Trip planning. The first time a DSR told me that I wasn't planning the trip properly was the last time that particular DSR had anything to do with me in any way. I won't mention the name but it doesn't matter. They aren't with the company anymore..

In the end, if you and your DSR start off with the "team" idea and build it that way, it can work well. On the other hand, if you, the driver, ever allow your DSR to dictate to you what to do and how you should drive and plan, then you and your DSR need to sit down and you need to remind him that you, not he/she is in charge of that truck on the road and if you aren't going to be supported then you need another DSR. Period.

 

WOW! You mean to that you have to scale a load after you get loaded, the scale is fifteen miles out of route in the wrong direction (thirty miles total to get you back on track) and your DSR is stupid enough to tell you "It is just part of trucking."

Fact - It's not part of trucking... What is part of trucking is that if you are nailed for being over-weight, ROEHL will crucify you because you didn't scale the load after you picked it up.

If I pick up a load and I don't trust the weight the shipper puts on the paperwork or the truck handles strangely for the stated weight, I call up ROEHL and give them a choice, either the scale is included in the routing or they can send me a qual-com stating that they are responsible for the over-weight ticket and charges. Given that choice, 100% of the time, the scale is included in the paid route.

I can't believe the number of posts I see here that accept the status-quo according to "them."

As for your DSR not wanting you to call them, what part about they work for you don't they understand???

I would dearly love to see what would happen if all the drivers quit answering their phones and didn't respond to the Qual-Comm until after the driver had pulled into a rest area instead of pulling off on the shoulder.

Numerous times, I have delivered to places that have no place to pull out of the way to wait for my next dispatch so yes, I can feel your pain. However, what I did as a company driver and continue to do as an I/C is call up my DSR and tell them I am going to a safe haven after empty and that safe haven is located at ******. If my DSR were stupid enough to write me up for that, I wouldn't hesitate on jacking it up the chain until it landed on upper managements desk. In fact, I have a reputation for speaking my mind regardless of where I am and I make no distinction who I'm talking to.

According to your other posts, you've been around a while and had experience with other companies. I would be surprised if you didn't have a wealth of experience that could be drawn on to help in changing what punches your buttons. Start using that experience to help change the system and let people outside the DSR loop know that you have some ideas.

I haven't run into too many people in upper level management that don't realize that without drivers, they wouldn't have a paycheck. The problem comes from the DSR's and DSR Stupidvisors that are trying to ensure that everything runs so smoothly (according to them) that upper level management is lulled into the feeling that everything is going well. In other words, if we can keep the dumb, whinny, do-nothing drivers from rocking the boat, we'll look good and nobody will even know there is nothing wrong until after we're gone......

I always figured to the best way to change the path of a rolling boulder is to run alongside and slap it every now and then instead of trying to stand in front of it and let it run you into the ground...


As for your DSR that doesn't want you to call and talk to them, fire that sucker....... That slime isn't doing you any favors.......

 

So if you are having problems with your DSR can you ask for a new one or is it a little more complicated than that.

 

I would like to know the answer to this question as well...

I also have been doing alot of reasearch of the posts and of the company websites. Roehl seems to be the TOTAL lesser of all evils out there. I do understand EVERY SINGLE ONE of these companys have some faults. It just seems to me that after comparing all available info to me, I want to drive and learn at Roehl.