A Question

So I know its probably more based on company, but say there is a convention in Seattle. And I've been with the company (actually driving, and done with the training) for a year or so. Would it be likely (assuming the company goes to to Seattle) that I'd be able to request or how ever the process is, that I get a load going out to WA state, or is it more of a "Maybe you'll get it maybe you wont" type of situation?

This doesn't depend that much on the company. This depends on your relationship with your DM. Me and my DM are best of buds, if I want a load anywhere he will hook me up. In fact, he purposely gets me a load through the house so I can stop by and see my family because he knows hometime is extremely important for me.

The best thing you can do is just ask him. If he likes you enough he will make it happen. Your relationship with your DM is always a tradeoff. Sometimes he has you doing favors for him, sometimes he does favors for you. Its a give-and-take relationship. That's why you should never complain as a driver and do what you're told with a positive and professional attitude.

It won't hurt to ask and see what happens. But this is very possible to get.

This doesn't depend that much on the company. This depends on your relationship with your DM. Me and my DM are best of buds, if I want a load anywhere he will hook me up. In fact, he purposely gets me a load through the house so I can stop by and see my family because he knows hometime is extremely important for me.

The best thing you can do is just ask him. If he likes you enough he will make it happen. Your relationship with your DM is always a tradeoff. Sometimes he has you doing favors for him, sometimes he does favors for you. Its a give-and-take relationship. That's why you should never complain as a driver and do what you're told with a positive and professional attitude.

It won't hurt to ask and see what happens. But this is very possible to get.

This is really good stuff to know. Thanks. I can cook really good food. Think my DM would enjoy occasional yummy things to eat, just out of the blue, for no reason? ...In addition to pullin' favors for him or doing the job without complaining ...

-mountain girl

This doesn't depend that much on the company. This depends on your relationship with your DM. Me and my DM are best of buds, if I want a load anywhere he will hook me up. In fact, he purposely gets me a load through the house so I can stop by and see my family because he knows hometime is extremely important for me.

The best thing you can do is just ask him. If he likes you enough he will make it happen. Your relationship with your DM is always a tradeoff. Sometimes he has you doing favors for him, sometimes he does favors for you. Its a give-and-take relationship. That's why you should never complain as a driver and do what you're told with a positive and professional attitude.

It won't hurt to ask and see what happens. But this is very possible to get.

This is really good stuff to know. Thanks. I can cook really good food. Think my DM would enjoy occasional yummy things to eat, just out of the blue, for no reason? ...In addition to pullin' favors for him or doing the job without complaining ...

-mountain girl

Really depends on his character. I don't think any of the DM's I've had to enjoy it. They would probably think it was a bit weird. You want to be awesome to them, but you don't want to be a kiss ass at the same time.

DM's deal with rude drivers all day long. I think just being delightful to be around would be enough. When I see my DM in person I treat it like a date with my wife. I get all dressed up and try to look presentable. We always just talk back and forth about random things, its kind of strange because its hardly ever about trucking. There's just nothing to talk about. He likes my style and how I drive so he has nothing to complain about, and I like how he keeps me busy and runs me, so there's nothing for me to have a talk about. But I still want to make myself known to him and be a pleasant person to be around. When they see your truck number/driver code, you want them to be able to put a face to the name. Don't let yourself be a stranger.

I'll tell you what... I see no reason for a driver to be rude or unpleasant, yanno'? Here's a DM , organizing who goes where and when he sends you off on a run, he's the one handing you the work. Correct me if I'm wrong but he's the hand that feeds, right? That just boggles the mind, why anyone would be anything but polite and grateful to this guy. Those who aren't should go through seriously long periods of unemployment and no paycheck at all and then they would know what real, hard work is.

Having work is not hard.

Not having work ...is hard.

-mountain girl

I'll tell you what... I see no reason for a driver to be rude or unpleasant, yanno'? Here's a DM , organizing who goes where and when he sends you off on a run, he's the one handing you the work. Correct me if I'm wrong but he's the hand that feeds, right? That just boggles the mind, why anyone would be anything but polite and grateful to this guy. Those who aren't should go through seriously long periods of unemployment and no paycheck at all and then they would know what real, hard work is.

Having work is not hard.

Not having work ...is hard.

-mountain girl

We have said it a million time here. The company does what the company does. They make money But and I can not stress this enough.... Argue with your wife or husband or anyone else in the world but in trucking the last person you ever want to argue with is your DM. Your dm can make or break you in trucking.

Here is the thing. At most if not all companies dm's get a bonus for every truck in there fleet that delivers and picks up on time. It's in their best interest to make sure everything goes smoothly for you. Most dispatchers have anywhere from we drivers at smaller companies to 70 to 80 drivers at larger companies on their board/fleet. Their job is DM or Driver Manager. They manage their drivers. They are your new wife/husband and everything goes through them and on to the company. Now if you are fighting them all the way with refusing loads it makes their job harder cause they have to get another truck to cover the load that you refused. Well guess what? Rather then deal with you again they unofficially put your truck unavailable for a new load until they think you learned your lesson. That might be 2 or 3 days down the road because there will always be more trucks come into the area to deliver and once empty they will get the next available load. Not you. You will be told there is nothing available yet and you will be notified when a load is ready. And I could not agree more with that method. I would do the same thing if I was a dm and had a problem driver.

I'll tell you what... I see no reason for a driver to be rude or unpleasant, yanno'? Here's a DM , organizing who goes where and when he sends you off on a run, he's the one handing you the work. Correct me if I'm wrong but he's the hand that feeds, right? That just boggles the mind, why anyone would be anything but polite and grateful to this guy. Those who aren't should go through seriously long periods of unemployment and no paycheck at all and then they would know what real, hard work is.

Having work is not hard.

Not having work ...is hard.

Mountain Girl, you make a very valid and cogent argument. Unfortunately truck drivers are a very independent and head strong group of individuals - they tend to think they "know it all". And the current trend of thinking among many of them is that they need to brow beat their DM into submission if they are ever going to get the treatment they think they deserve. It is such a backwards way of getting things to go their way, but it is a universal problem in the industry. My trainer even tried to show me how to badger your DM into giving you the kind of loads you want. There was seldom a day when he wasn't complaining on the phone with his DM. I hardly ever call my DM, he sends me a load, and I'm off to the races. They love it when the have a driver like that, and those are the ones that get the good stuff. It takes a little while to establish yourself with your DM, but once you've got that relationship solidified it's all good from that point on.

I think Daniel B. and Old School are right on the mark. DM's have to deal with a lot of drivers on a daily basis. If you can save your DM time by doing your job every day without complaining and contacting them with pertinent information when needed, your life (and pay check) will be better for it. Relationships are the key. Anything that can be done to make the relationship a positive one will work to your advantage. Humor can go a long way toward that goal; just make sure you have some cred before cracking too many jokes.

Face to face is the best, so when you have a chance at it, take it. Also trying to understand their job is helpful, too. Our jobs as drivers are important to the company, but our view of the big picture is like looking through a straw unless you try to broaden said view. Another thing to avoid is personalizing an issue. It is way too easy to start taking things personal when it is just a part of doing business in the trucking industry. Sort of goes back to that straw view issue. That positive relationship will pay dividends should you be in a position to need a little slack on a situation; they will be more likely to work with you on it.

I've been very lucky with all of my DM's to date. I live in fear of getting reassigned to a newbie that knows it all. Building a level of trust is hard to do in that environment, but you have to try. However, you have to look at it the same way the company does, this is business and if it adversely impacts the pay checks, you have to take action. Shouting, name calling or threats will not get you what you want.

While drivers tend to be very independent people, never forget that it takes a team to get the entire job done and, we drivers, are just a part of that team.

Mountain Girl, you make a very valid and cogent argument. Unfortunately truck drivers are a very independent and head strong group of individuals - they tend to think they "know it all". And the current trend of thinking among many of them is that they need to brow beat their DM into submission if they are ever going to get the treatment they think they deserve. It is such a backwards way of getting things to go their way, but it is a universal problem in the industry. My trainer even tried to show me how to badger your DM into giving you the kind of loads you want. There was seldom a day when he wasn't complaining on the phone with his DM. I hardly ever call my DM, he sends me a load, and I'm off to the races. They love it when the have a driver like that, and those are the ones that get the good stuff. It takes a little while to establish yourself with your DM, but once you've got that relationship solidified it's all good from that point on.

-Old School

Thanks, Old School. ...yeah, browbeating is simply not my style. Sounds like the grumpy truckers who do that end up creating their own little unhappy world in the form of self-fulfilling prophecy. I've no doubt there will be many tough days waiting for me. I'm hoping I can keep on going & let all the "small" stuff roll off my back, get it done right, & report back for more, like you do. No drama from me, just, "Waddya need me to do?" and "I'll see/call you when I'm done." (On time, of course) That's overly simplistic, I'm sure, but that's the goal, anyway.

And Daniel B., and Guyjax, I agree with all of you guys. And Larry E., I'm sure you've never had a problem with your DM because you've probably always been respectful to them, too. Respect goes both ways. In trucking, I'm only talking in theory but I've seen it elsewhere. In my trucking school, for example, there were a few in the administration department who could've made my life miserable but they knew I wasn't going to complain about stuff and ask them to switch things around, over and over 'cause I was always going to be unhappy with everything. I even told the scheduler straight up, that in some schools (like a previous non-trucking school I'd been to) if you say you'll take whatever hours they need to put you in, you end up getting screwed over with a late night followed by an early morning shift ...things like that .... But that won't happen here, right? We all just get varying hours for driving times and if I say you can put me in wherever, that'll just make things easier on you, right? And she said, "Yeah, no problem and we don't do things that way, here. I'll take care of ya'." So I told her, "Sure, I'm flexible for whenever you need me," and she took great care of me. We had a lot of fun.

Hope you get some good runs, up there SnakeSkin!

-mountain girl

Yep yep. I agree with all the folks who say keep your DM (In my case, FM) happy by being polite and driving. I have been with the same dude since day one and wouldn't have anyone else if offered. Now, it started out crazy, as if being tested for a few months, but that was because I was a newb and he had to feel me out. I do not and will not complain about anything, ever, to this man (I learned early in my life the benefits of being a go getter instead of a squeeky wheel). Oh, and I have not and do not plan on declining a load... any load... (my mentality). During breakdowns, detentions, or whatever he has gone out of his way to make it right. What more could a driver ask for than a "friendly" at base camp?