[cheri1122]

There's a loophole in that "not adding any vans" rule: most will accept new units signed on by current leased O/Os. So even when they say they aren't adding vans, they may be.

[LDB]

That loophole also includes replacing 100% of those leaving which tecnically doesn't "add" any but doesn't thin the herd any either.

[Twizted1]

Originally Posted by cheri1122

There's a loophole in that "not adding any vans" rule: most will accept new units signed on by current leased O/Os. So even when they say they aren't adding vans, they may be.

Thats what they told me.I could put another van on because I was a fleet owner.the freeze only applies to new van hires,or so they say.I saw 5 new van O/Os lease on the last time I was there.
Yah I know its to replace the battered and bruised lol

[FIS53]

Well of all the things said some things do stand out that have been in place for years.
first dispatchers do remember certain o/o out there for different things. But if you do shorties they will remember and try to give you more (usually). Some do remember you doing a favour but in the big companies this does not seem to be the case.

With some companies yes they do watch incomes and try to keep certain trucks in a certain leel and do sort of try to level the field (not really equal though). I have seen this actually in play at one of the hot shot type companies.

Do dispatchers have favorites??? You bet they do. In the real big outfits maybe not so much but in the small to medium they definitely do.

Being a real good and efficient driver can be both a blessing and a curse depending on the company and the dispatcher. I have found myself being punished with crap loads because I could do them faster than someone else. Well all that good work just earned me more lousy loads and none of the gravy loads as dispatch did not want to work with the noobs and the boobs.

Anyone who says that there is no way to figure out what a broker makes or otherwise with the software in use today is fooling themselves. I have seen several different programs used in the courier business and I can definitely say that they can tell what you are making per day, per week and for the period and ytd. With many you can quickly view a snynopsis of the fleet or selected members of the fleet so choosing a poor van out the many for a run can be done easily. Comptuers are a great tool but unfortunately they do allow for more playing around than the old days when the dispatcher had to use his head.

When it's busy the playing field definitely does level out a lot as everyone is too busy to play any games.

Oh well such is the game.
Rob

[Twizted1]

Originally Posted by FIS53

Well of all the things said some things do stand out that have been in place for years.
first dispatchers do remember certain o/o out there for different things. But if you do shorties they will remember and try to give you more (usually). Some do remember you doing a favour but in the big companies this does not seem to be the case.

With some companies yes they do watch incomes and try to keep certain trucks in a certain leel and do sort of try to level the field (not really equal though). I have seen this actually in play at one of the hot shot type companies.

Do dispatchers have favorites??? You bet they do. In the real big outfits maybe not so much but in the small to medium they definitely do.

Being a real good and efficient driver can be both a blessing and a curse depending on the company and the dispatcher. I have found myself being punished with crap loads because I could do them faster than someone else. Well all that good work just earned me more lousy loads and none of the gravy loads as dispatch did not want to work with the noobs and the boobs.

Anyone who says that there is no way to figure out what a broker makes or otherwise with the software in use today is fooling themselves. I have seen several different programs used in the courier business and I can definitely say that they can tell what you are making per day, per week and for the period and ytd. With many you can quickly view a snynopsis of the fleet or selected members of the fleet so choosing a poor van out the many for a run can be done easily. Comptuers are a great tool but unfortunately they do allow for more playing around than the old days when the dispatcher had to use his head.

When it's busy the playing field definitely does level out a lot as everyone is too busy to play any games.

Oh well such is the game.
Rob

Well if thats how they want to do it no problem just put me on a schedule so I wont waste my fuel and time.Think green

[roadeyes]

So it looks like you have two types of operations:



a) Capitalist operations: Throw everybody to the wolves and let the strong/smart survive
(my preference)

b) Socialist operations: Hold everybody's hand so that everyone shares the wealth no
matter if you even know how to dress yourself or not.


Seriously though, "equalization" dispatching does happen. I have no knowledge of Panther's
rules for dispatching so I can't comment. However I believe Dynamex used to do it this way, as I'm sure Ken OVM could attest to. Whether or not they still do, I can't say.
The reason it is done is in an attempt to reduce driver turnover plain and simple.

The reason I say "attempt", is because while it supports the monkey/robot behind the wheel, it will only stifle the owner operator/driver with the brains and entrepreneurial spirit that wants to achieve more, thereby resulting in them leaving for greener pastures where they can run circles around the "brain dead" drivers.

The fact that you analysed your stats and noticed a pattern suggests that you at least have some of the smarts needed for higher achievement, and do not fit into the "knuckle dragging mouth breather" category.

So in reality, this backfires on the company since they actually lose many of the quality/dedicated people in this industry that have a brain, while keeping the "brain dead".

If a company is going to use "equalization dispatching" then they should go one further and not allow any turn downs as it would be irrelevant since everyone would end up with roughly the same at the end of the month.
(whoops, better not give em any ideas hehe).



Speaking of turn downs:

I am the first one to agree with the statement "business person first, driver second".

However, that being said, many of you, and you know who you are, will turn down short runs even if they are profitable or just because you don't like a certain run because you
actually have to get out of the cab of your vehicle and do a little work. Or maybe because your a team and have the mentality of "teams don't do short runs".

Looking at it from a carriers point of view, they need to get that load covered plain and simple, and if they have ten trucks that turn it down, then they will have to put twenty
trucks on so that when everyone starts to starve, they will take that short run and be glad to have it. So you people with a less than shall we say "stellar" acceptance rate,
you are the ones that actually contribute to the high ratio of trucks to loads and the high turnover rate.

Also, if the shipper that ships mostly 1000 plus miles has the occasional shorty and the carrier can't get it covered, then that shipper will look for someone who can and when they
do find that carrier, guess what happens?

Being a business person first is not always about only accepting profitable loads, it's even more about customer retention so those "profitable loads" will be there in the future and if it means that you may have to accept the occasional unprofitable or marginally profitable load in order to keep a customer that will give you many many profitable loads then that's
the way it has to be. I am not preaching for a second that you or I or anybody else should work for nothing and there has to be a cutoff point somewhere. I'm just suggesting that if
you trim your expectations a little and keep your acceptance rate high,you and your colleagues within your fleet may in fact be better off in the long run due to the company feeling less of a need to over recruit which will leave a bigger slice of the "wealth pie" for everyone to share.

Call it "social capitalism" if you will.