Does Your Company Get You Home In Time?
Topic 1793 | Page 4
Fatsquatch, I was feeling your pain and laughing at the same time as I read this post. Weekend dispatch can be very frustrating. Usually my DM will have me loaded up with all I can do before he leaves Friday. Sometimes he will even send me a message saying that someone might contact you this weekend wanting you to "babysit" a load for them, you just tell them you can't do it.
Dm:
Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager
The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.
HOMETIME!?! Rumor has it my face is on the side of a milk carton. The truth of the matter is you do have to talk to your driver manager.
Dave
Driver Manager:
Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager
The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.
I am so glad my DM is a work a holic and works weekends too:)
Dm:
Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager
The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.
Weekend dispatch actually tried to get me to do some babysitting for them in the middle of the night while I was at my 99. I had already been preset with a pickup that morning. To not make my life more difficult and to not complicate everything. I ignored the message and pretended I was sleeping.
If its not my dispatcher - then I don't care.
Dispatcher:
Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager
The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.
OK here's ANOTHER conversation to start lol. For Schneider the drivers don't actually talk to the dispatchers, we have "driver business leaders" and "driver services representatives." I talk to my DSR about stuff, she is in New Jersey at my home terminal. My DBL is her boss who I go to with "more important stuff" like money issues, important hometime, etc. The dispatchers are in Green Bay (corporate headquarters). As I understand the system, dispatch gives me loads but my DBL and DSR can influence which loads I get, to some extent, but dispatch actually plans the loads.
Moral of the story is... just try to get along with everyone. It's hard and like Old School said, you need tough skin for this job!
Terminal:
A facility where trucking companies operate out of, or their "home base" if you will. A lot of major companies have multiple terminals around the country which usually consist of the main office building, a drop lot for trailers, and sometimes a repair shop and wash facilities.
Dispatcher:
Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager
The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.
When I first read the title of the post, I assumed it was like a little late getting home, not three days! I'm new to trucking, but that just doesn't sound cool at all. Why would there be such a delay? Is it a logistics issue or is it just waiting on the load to be ready?
How does swift stand on home time
Being late could be from alot of different factors...here's a few: Your dispatch didn't plan you close to home Your last load was unloaded late, making you late for the load that would get you home You were not going to make picking up the load that would get you home,so it was given to someone else
I won't say it could be logistics, unless you live in an out of the way place, such as Florida...or your company rarely runs the west coast (where you live) Usually, there is freight everywhere...its just the dispatcher's job to work you to it, to load it and get it unloaded in time for your home time.
Dispatcher:
Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager
The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.New Reply:
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Choosing A Trucking Company Home Time Life On The Road
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I haven't had any major issues with my regular DM , just the occasional minor miscommunication that was easily ironed out.
The nitwits who fill in on the weekends, though...
So about a year ago I was delivering a load in Minneapolis, and they send me a load picking up in Plover, WI, about 200 miles away. 2 hours after my delivery appointment. So I sent a message on the Qualcomm saying there was no way I could make the pickup appointment, and the braniac on the other end sends me back a message saying "why not?" So I replied that it was 2 hours after my delivery and 200 miles away. Their next response? "So what's the problem?"
At that point I called in, got the MENSA candidate on the line, and straight up said to her "how fast do you think this truck goes?" Apparently math wasn't her best subject, because she still didn't get it until I explained my truck is governed at 62, not 100. *sigh* At that point she was all "well just do the best you can." And when I ended up running late to the delivery because of it, I made good and sure my regular DM knew exactly what had happened and who was responsible.
Qualcomm:
Omnitracs (a.k.a. Qualcomm) is a satellite-based messaging system with built-in GPS capabilities built by Qualcomm. It has a small computer screen and keyboard and is tied into the truck’s computer. It allows trucking companies to track where the driver is at, monitor the truck, and send and receive messages with the driver – similar to email.Dm:
Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager
The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.