Load Planners Vs DM

So for a while I thought it was just me, that I'm the new guy, but a lot of other drivers at our Denver terminal have been expressing frustration over it too.

Since November, we keep getting mostly offered loads North and West, usually WY, UT, MT, CA, OR, SD, even when we have home time scheduled in the south. It's very difficult to get out of Denver to the south or east. normally we have a ton of loads south and east.

My DM said he was having to battle with the load planners to get me routed south, it took a month to get me back to southern Arkansas. I put my home time in writing so that he has some back up to press the case.

I don't complain and take the loads which he appreciates. The load planners are not something we interface with. I'm assuming they have difficulty getting the routes covered so they just keep pushing them out.

Is this normal for the winter? And is that how loads are dispersed, from the load planners to the DM?

We're non forced dispatch, so we can turn them down. I usually don't, instead I just call my DM and ask if that will work with my home time.

Part of what's frustrating is that the loads they keep pushing will seriously reduce productivity and earnings because we'll like be shut down for weather and or have to go slow to the point of getting only a load or two in for the week instead of several. In addition it's been causing drivers to miss their scheduled home time.

Some companies, not all, work in regions. You might be assigned to one terminal but wind up In another terminals region. When that happens, you become an extra driver which helps pad that terminals numbers, so they’ll use that additional truck for as long as they can and keep their drivers on better mileage or better paying loads. It’s kinda crappy when it works out that way and the only real way to avoid it is to either not go into that region or have assurance that you’re already pre loaded out of there in advance.

Denver terminal is my home terminal. We have our choice of regions, I normally had been running south and Midwest. I have a residence in CO springs too. They're pushing the loads to most of the Denver drivers. Seems a recent phenomenon

It is hard to understand the paths of transportation industry. My company is very small, so I only interact with dispatch, this girl does everything including planning if any. She tells me that it is all driven by a moment. Today you can take a 1k mi load out of CA for up to $10k, but the same miles from ME can be 6 times cheaper. Probably your planner is simply trying to make more money.

It is hard to understand the paths of transportation industry. My company is very small, so I only interact with dispatch, this girl does everything including planning if any. She tells me that it is all driven by a moment. Today you can take a 1k mi load out of CA for up to $10k, but the same miles from ME can be 6 times cheaper. Probably your planner is simply trying to make more money.

Sales negotiates price with the shipper. The planner can only reduce the cost of moving the freight by recognizing best route, assigning it to a reliable driver and any recognizing penalties that are included in the contract.

Can a planner send a driver, who must be heading home, to a financially attractive destination, especially if pick up is very close?

Can a planner send a driver, who must be heading home, to a financially attractive destination, especially if pick up is very close?

Sure. The driver is an employee.

Your company sounds as it it is working for an outside broker, and/or using the spot market. Yes?

I am not sure, but I think so. My rate confirmations always come on some broker's letterhead.

I have a reputation for being safe, reliable and easy to work with. I get that there's a balance, I certainly haven't voiced anything about it to anyone in my chain, but it's there under the surface with us, our DM had expressed frustration with it too. He, if I'm correct in thinking, is the bridge between the driver and load planner.

Ill see how it goes with the next set of loads. If they send me further north or west, I'll politely ask for a more viable option as I have to be back down south in a couple days.

The difference is that down south I completed 8 loads last week for a total of 2900 miles. The week before that in Colorado WY and SD I completed 3 loads for a total of 1300 miles due to weather shutdown.

My experience with Prime is at the load planners get more conservative as they get closer to my home time. They generally plan more time into the load then I use. So I ended up getting home or to the Springfield terminal (I often use this for my home time location) a day or so early. Then my FM will ask me to run a short day load to get the extra miles or I may pick up a load and bring it to the terminal.

The only time I had a problem with my home time was when my son was on the truck. And I had to end up switching my home time location and switching my rental car to Grand Junction Colorado from Salt Lake City but it all worked out.