Your Dispatcher Is Your Meal Ticket, Not Your Enemy

IceCold wrote yesterday that he loves his Fleet Manager. And after I thought about all the whining, crying, and moaning about dispatch I see in the terminals and on YouTube, I thought I'd throw this post out there for new or about to be new drivers.

Your dispatcher is your friend, not your enemy. Although some companies pay them hourly, many get paid based on the truck productivity. This means the more miles you get, the less breakdowns you have, and the more fuel economically you drive, the more money he makes.

If you are the get'er done kind of driver who is always early, points out problems right away, drives safely, pays attention to fuel costs, and in general is someone the dispatcher doesnt have to "watch", then you will get plenty of special perks and have your requests met.

So often I see YouTubers with this "He threw me under the bus, dispatch sucks" attitude. Then I realize how he talks to dispatch, how often they are late, and how unreliable that person is....by his own admission! And somehow he thinks he is justified. If you are a dispatcher with a driver who no matter what you do, that driver will go to management to complain about you...are you going to give this driver great loads, extra hometime, or meet last minute requests? Heck No!

Example:

This driver complained to me another truck broke down so he had to swap the load with the driver and run it in. Along the way, he decided to stop to eat and shower. He knew the appointment time was already tight, but he did it anyway. Then he arrived an hour late for the appointment because he didnt calculate hills, curves, and traffic. The load was rejected and suddenly he furiously pounded his QC with nasty messages to dispatch for giving him such a tight load he couldn't make. "They dont know $@!& about planning, now i have to wait 24 hours for a new appointment. This guy sucks."

There was a sucky guy here alright, the driver. His lack of planning, work ethic, and urgency for the load is what had him sitting there. His lack of professionalism prevented a trusting relationship from forming with his dispatcher, therefore he never truly benefitted from great miles and perks. That is HIS fault. Not dispatch's and not the company's. His. I truly believe many of the company hopping newbies never figured this out and think things will be different at another company. As if somewhere out there a company will say "Sure, be late, yell and curse at your support team, and sit in truck stops not driving. We will still pay you great and wait for your message to say when you are ready." Idiots.

Be early. Communicate problems. Be respectful = Get great miles, special favors, and lots of $$$$$$

Merry Christmas everyone!!!

Well said and Merry Christmas

Completely agree with Rainy's post. To her point communication is a key success factor. The style of communication is equally important; be proactive, professional, and level headed.

The relationships with planners, dispatchers and driver leaders must be a positive one in order to enable success in this business.

Here is an article from the blog archives highlighting the point of Rainy's post: The Need for Communication

Hey, that was awesome Rainy.....right on! You don't have any articles yet in our blog. Do you mind if I post that as an article?

Hey, that was awesome Rainy.....right on! You don't have any articles yet in our blog. Do you mind if I post that as an article?

hahah!!! of course. i feel.special now ;)