Slow Dispatch

Hey guys everything has been going great but this week haa been terrrible. Seems like my dispatch is playing games and for no reason. I get my loads early and delivered on time. But still this week i getting slow to no responses. My supposed to be fm is not with the company no more and its just been ridiculous. They put me on loads only to pull them away after ive started my clock and then have me sitting waisting time. I want to give them at least 6 months to a year but with the way things are going its got me wanting to find a new job. Any suggestions?

Dang Chris, one week of hard times and you're ready to quit? You said yourself that things had been going great, so why the sudden turn around at the first bump in the road?

So your FM isn't with the company anymore. Maybe the company is scrambling, trying to fill a void. Maybe another FM is covering two boards as a result. Maybe somebody else is having a bad week. Maybe there are other factors at play that have absolutely nothing to do with you.

It won't always be puppies and rainbows. You gotta roll with some of the punches.

Your right. Its been frustrating since mid last week. I guess im not looking at the big picture. Come to think of it they did just do me a favor and get me home on short notice and even offer me a couple extra days home. We can be so quick to forget. Thanks turtle.

First, glad to hear from you. Also, glad you took what Turtle said to heart. Like he said there are so many things that can put a fly in the ointment. We use PeopleNet at many times it goes slow. When that happens, dispatch doesn't get our messages and we don't get their's. I know if I don't have a load or pre plan for a Monday morning, it will be between 10:00 and 12:00 central time before I will get one. Give them a chance to sort things out.

Yeah Chris, one of the most important aspects of this job is going with the flow. Otherwise you'll drive yourself insane. There is no perfect anything in trucking. The top tier drivers at the best companies in the nation have slow weeks or may fall through the cracks at times. It's never going to be smooth sailing all the time.

Trucking companies are in a continuous state of flux. They have personnel turnover, changes in hardware and software infrastructure, customer and broker turnover, swings in the economy, changes to the laws, etc. It's a bumpy road at times for everyone. Keeping yourself focused on the long term and putting in a lot of time at one company pays off big in the long run. Not only will you enjoy yourself a lot more but you'll get the perks of being a veteran driver with a great record at your company.

If it's any consolation Chris, the last week for me was an absolute nightmare. I had sometime coming up this last Thursday and almost missed the first day of an event on Friday because I had nearly 36 hours of detention across the three loads that set me up to go home. But if you're patient and respectful, it /will/ get noticed, even if people don't necessarily tell you.

Thanks brett thanks keith. Definently consoling. They did offer me a chance to sit at home for a few days but i didnt want that. Oh well i guess its just like the highway, the pavement isn't always smooth.

My week was a nightmare also. My dispatcher was on vacation and they put me on this terrible dispatchers board.. trust me, I've had him before and he hasn't improved in the least. I also was supposed to be home Wednesday night to take my daughter to an appointment early Thursday morning and was running out of available hours. He was trying to dispatch me on a load to a customer in Atlanta to deliver late Tuesday night, where I know I would get delayed and would have been stuck and not made it home in time with not enough hours. My other half had a nightmare of a week due to the same dispatcher.

I'd already put in for 1 day of vacation, so I opted to go home a day early (Tuesday) and just stay home until my dispatcher returns tomorrow (Monday). Trust me it was a much better option even though my next check will be horrendous.

At least my 5 days at home was productive. I bought some land in middle Tennessee and went down, found the survey stakes, marked off where my driveway needs to go so TDOT can approve the location and issue my driveway permit. Also met with a builder regarding construction of my retirement home. Found a natural spring on the property too so that was a plus.

Now I'm finally home again in Kentucky and time for some zzzs so I can leave out super early in the morning. The coming week will be awesome and I'm ready for it.

At least my 5 days at home was productive. I bought some land in middle Tennessee and went down, found the survey stakes, marked off where my driveway needs to go so TDOT can approve the location and issue my driveway permit. Also met with a builder regarding construction of my retirement home. Found a natural spring on the property too so that was a plus.

Hey that's amazing! Congrats to you on that. It'll be a long but hopefully a fun process of getting that home built.

Wow talk about productive!