Waiting On An Express Code

I'm just curious to hear from people who work from different companies about this subject...

Its normal for me to have to wait 2 plus hours to get an express code when I'm at a shipper or receiver. Its frustrating for obvious reasons... My drive time is being wasted, my trailer was "released" 2 hours ago so my company certainly won't be paying me detention pay for my time they wasted, I won't get paid detention when I show up at my receiver late, etc.

I'm just curious if this is a normal experience at most companies?

I don't know what an express code is, but it sounds like they should call it something else.

OK, after googling it I guess it's for a comcheck? We use EFS, but I just have to make a call to get a code and it doesn't take more than a few minutes.

We use comchecks for lumpers but we don't use express codes. Instead, the customer calls and authorizes the check themselves.

I'm just curious if this is a normal experience at most companies?

On a holiday weekend I'd bet a million bucks it is. In fact, on most weekends I'd bet a million bucks. Weekends crews at large companies are notoriously understaffed and extremely slow. I never, ever used to let weekend dispatch handle anything if I could help it, and most people at any large carrier will tell you the same. I would have my regular dispatcher have me set up throughout the weekend if at all possible.

I understand you didn't have the option in this case, but having to wait on weekend dispatch, on a holiday weekend at that, is a bad position to be in I'm afraid.

Actually, I forgot to mention that on Fridays I send out an email to everyone wrapping up the highlights of the week here on the website, and I call it "Weekend Dispatch" as a little joke directed at that very problem. Like, it's Friday so here is your "Weekend Dispatch" while the main crew is still in.

If you are willing to pay it yourself, and your company is trustworthy for a reimbursement, you could eliminate that wasted time...

I'm just curious to hear from people who work from different companies about this subject...

Its normal for me to have to wait 2 plus hours to get an express code when I'm at a shipper or receiver. Its frustrating for obvious reasons... My drive time is being wasted, my trailer was "released" 2 hours ago so my company certainly won't be paying me detention pay for my time they wasted, I won't get paid detention when I show up at my receiver late, etc.

I'm just curious if this is a normal experience at most companies?

We just send a QC message, using a particular macro, and they reply with the express code. Takes a few minutes.

I am on the same page with OS. We send a macro in. Within 30 minutes tops we have our PO# and express code for Comchk Authorization. There are a handful of things our Dispatchers can authorize a comchk for directly. Lumpers is one of them.

I've never had to wait more than a few minutes for it. Even at a smaller company, I just call and they usually message it over the Qualcomm within 5 minutes.