Dispacthers should be required to be a rider

[truckingbill]

There needs to be a law set that before u can dispatch you have to have atleast 2 weeks as a rider and be required to answer ALL calls from dispatch....... This morning at 3:40am I was awaken for a load offer "190 miles" to be picked up on 08/25/2010 This is so screwed up to wake someone up for a load that is 4 days from pickup.

 

[johnf]

There needs to be a law set that before u can dispatch you have to have atleast 2 weeks as a rider and be required to answer ALL calls from dispatch....... This morning at 3:40am I was awaken for a load offer "190 miles" to be picked up on 08/25/2010 This is so screwed up to wake someone up for a load that is 4 days from pickup.

My thoughts exactly but instead of 2 weeks make it 2 months

 

[Turtle]

There needs to be a law set that before u can drive you have to have atleast 2 weeks as a dispatcher and be required to answer ALL calls from drivers.

 

[layoutshooter]

There needs to be a law set that before u can drive you have to have atleast 2 weeks as a dispatcher and be required to answer ALL calls from drivers.

I don't know about the "law" stuff but it would be a really good idea to sit in with dispatch and learn what they go through. At least for a couple of days. It always pays to know more.

 

[shadow7663]

Well I can you I have done both jobs. I dispatched for several years after driving several years. I am now driving again.

I do believe every driver should be required to sit in with dispatch for a 1 week minimum and dispatchers ride with drivers for 1 week minimum.

Both jobs have their good points and dispatching has many downfalls. It's a very high stress extremely fast paced environment and is not for the weak...lol and I can honestly say I would like to never have to dispatch again.

As drivers we have our one truck, one load, to worry about. As dispatchers you may have dozens if not more loads to worry about, trucks, angry customers, drivers who think dispatch owes the world to them ect ect....... it really does go on and on and on and on....

Not defending this situation and I agree a good dispatcher should have known better than to call at this time however he/she may have been instructed to do so by their boss!

 

[blizzard2014]

There needs to be a law set that before u can dispatch you have to have atleast 2 weeks as a rider and be required to answer ALL calls from dispatch....... This morning at 3:40am I was awaken for a load offer "190 miles" to be picked up on 08/25/2010 This is so screwed up to wake someone up for a load that is 4 days from pickup.

Dispatch called you early in the morning "hoping to wake you up from a dead sleep" in the hopes that you might be disoriented and accept the load without realizing when it was actually picking up. I think dispatchers have a secret book of tricks that they use to get drivers to cover truly crappy loads. Why else would they have called so early in the morning?

 

[greg334]

The good companies actually get their dispatchers out of the driver pool. This way the dispatchers know what a truck is and what limitations there are.

Dispatchers need one solid month on the road, not a ride along, not much is learned that way, but actually doing the work.

As for drivers doing dispatching, forget that idea. You will have problems teaching some just to turn on the computer, let alone pick up a line.

 

[Deville]

I've been on both sides as well. i'm just not an office guy but if I had too I could go back to dispatching. I'VE ALWAYS GONE WAY OUT OF MY WAY to be couterous & pleasant with the dispatchers becuase they do remember the nice ones. Now, this apporach has not worked with every dispatcher, some people are just miserable jerk offs & needed to be treated as such, or very close to it.

I keep it very simple,

Good Morning, (enter dispatcher name) this is so & so with a depature call.

go though the info.

Ok thank you, have a nice day.

& that's that keep ot nice simple, pleasant & professional.

But, yes. The 3 am calls need to stop, especially when i'm alreadly on a run for the morning & i'm trying to get my sleep. Even than I'm as nice as possible, alot of times I don't even answer the phone. I find they like to try & dispatch those daily Jamesburg NJ loads at that time that are usually difficult to cover.

 

[Deville]

Dispatch called you early in the morning "hoping to wake you up from a dead sleep" in the hopes that you might be disoriented and accept the load without realizing when it was actually picking up. I think dispatchers have a secret book of tricks that they use to get drivers to cover truly crappy loads. Why else would they have called so early in the morning?

They got me once like that. When I reliazed what happened I wasn't happy, not to mention the women Flat out lied, thankfully the tapes cleared me of any wrong doing, but my CC was just clueless how to handle the issue. The CC actually told me that they don't wanna get involved ina prolbem I had with a dispatcher, or what a dispacther did too me. I thought I was in some type of twlight episode, becuase I remember being told over & over again that CC's & Contractor relations were your Liasion to the company.

My head hurts now reliving this painfull, mind boggling memory, good night.

 

[Dakota]

The dispatchers at Towne Air Frieght are also drivers and sometimes have to go out in a truck. I believe this keeps them on the same level as the drivers and they don't forget that sometimes a stop takes 1/2 and hour or more.
I believe a rider program is a great idea, the sales reps also ride along, this way they can see what the job is like and not promise the world to the customers

 

[AMonger]

Originally Posted by truckingbill
There needs to be a law set that before u can dispatch you have to have atleast 2 weeks as a rider and be required to answer ALL calls from dispatch....... This morning at 3:40am I was awaken for a load offer "190 miles" to be picked up on 08/25/2010 This is so screwed up to wake someone up for a load that is 4 days from pickup.

Dispatch called you early in the morning "hoping to wake you up from a dead sleep" in the hopes that you might be disoriented and accept the load without realizing when it was actually picking up. I think dispatchers have a secret book of tricks that they use to get drivers to cover truly crappy loads. Why else would they have called so early in the morning?

Also, keep in mind that, with the irregular hours expediters keep, they had no way of knowing that you might be sleeping then, or if you would be sleeping at 3:40 PM. The four days out, though, that's another matter...

 

[Jack_Berry]

dispatcher can see if the truck is moving or parked and for how long it has been moving or parked. calling at that hour for a load so distant was hopefully a newbie learing/eager mistake. if that was a disatcher with experience it is inexcusable.

 

[geo]

when i ran for fedexcc i never hread the pager going off as i slept though it
and at home my wife ans the phone as i never hread it and it was on my side of bed

when ceva call nowmy wife ans my cell phone as i don't here it

 

[Dakota]

when i ran for fedexcc i never hread the pager going off as i slept though it
and at home my wife ans the phone as i never hread it and it was on my side of bed

when ceva call nowmy wife ans my cell phone as i don't here it

They need to make louder cell phones for us hard of hearing people. I can't hear my phone half the time when drcing my truck.

 

[layoutshooter]

They need to make louder cell phones for us hard of hearing people. I can't hear my phone half the time when drcing my truck.

You got that right. Louder ringers too. They keep making phones all fancy with all kinds of junk on 'em but you can't hear 'em.

 

[cheri1122]

That's my favorite thing about the Blue Ant bluetooth: it speaks directly into my ear, announcing calls, asking for commands, etc. Works great as an alarm backup, if you ask a friend to call you, as it's comfortable enough to sleep with it in place.

 

[layoutshooter]

That's my favorite thing about the Blue Ant bluetooth: it speaks directly into my ear, announcing calls, asking for commands, etc. Works great as an alarm backup, if you ask a friend to call you, as it's comfortable enough to sleep with it in place.

I spent the better part of 20 years with things either stuck in my ears or near them. I don't WANT things in them anymore. I just want to hear my phone without my hearing aids in. They hurt and itch after they are in for a while too.

 

[BillChaffey]

A louder ring tone may help some. I would prefer a better DOT physical. So if I'm along side of a rig he can hear my horn if necessary.

 

[layoutshooter]

A louder ring tone may help some. I would prefer a better DOT physical. So if I'm along side of a rig he can hear my horn if necessary.

I know what you mean. I have had hearing aids for at least 15 years now. My hearing is getting worse and the tinitus is getting louder. I am being sent for ANOTHER hearing evaluation, in November unless I can get it changed. This time the VA is sending me to an outside doctor.

 

[JBCarroll]

I agree that dispatchers and sales reps need to do a ride along program. But also learned when driveing for the Fed to let dispatch know when I was going on my 10 hour sleep period, and when I had come back off it. Do this and your middle of the night calls will be cut back drasticly. You also need to do this when your takeing care of needed business...eatting, showers, laundry, truck repairs/wash, shopping, etc. Dont even try to blame dispatch for things you forgot to tell them.