A Mild Grumbling

xxiv24

Expert Expediter
There are a few out there who probably grumble a bit about this or that including myself on occaision, and are not willing to post about it on the boards for fear of repercussions and such. Well, allow me to lead the way in this case.
In the past few weeks, we sometimes get a message on the com saying not to call into dispatch because of high call volume, customers need to get through to give loads and we can then have more loads. I understand this to be sure. In fact I rarely, if ever call in the office w/o a good good reason. But, sometimes it cannot be helped and in some cases those rare instances do occur. It is those instances that i am now about to speak of.
Last Thur. I took a load up to near the yard for a Fri. Morn delivery. After i delivered i awoke the next morn and went to get new tires put on the van.
During installation i had to decline a load, in which i was put out of service and told to let them know when i was going to be finished at the tire place. About an hour later i was back in the yard, and in the office. I told dispatch that i was available and took a load right out of the office. I delivered the load on fri afternoon and went on to my home about 43 miles away. I was thinking, no worries i'll get another load sat or sun. Today i call in the office after not getting a response to position update to find that i have been oos since friday.
This is a load of cosmot. I would not be typing my annoyment if this had not happened before, but it has. Some of you are likely thinking why didn't i check sooner...well like anyone else, i sometimes do have other things to do when i am in the locale of my home of record, and conversly have my phone on me at all times. Besides, why would i be oos when i just delivered and did not put myself oos?
There are even some drivers out there who are so paranoid about being mysteriously put oos that they check position updates sometimes as often as 6 times a day.
I do not call in and beg for loads...I do not call in to shoot the breeze....nor do i wish to sit in the van when i do not have to to check my position every other hour to see if i have been bumped or somehow ended up not in service.
I have been working very hard in getting things here set right, and last week only had 2 loads both of which may net me about 60 bucks after fees and fuel. This happens, i understand it. But when i get put into that position again for a second week in a row and not by my own doing...well, surely it can be understood where i may get grumpy. Also, i understand that you do not nor cannot as a company feasably keep track of what i am doing in my time off, just as i cannot keep track of what goes on in that office daily. Though i have a good idea of how things are there daily and i have a great amount of respect for each and every one of you that provide us with the needed income for us to achieve our goals.
What i am asking, however, is that if you tell someone you are going to put them in service then kindly do so. I cannot speculate on how many loads i may have lost out on, but i know that it will be enough to set me back again. Conversely it may have been no misses, but who knows...all i am saying is that i delivered a load while not being in service and thought i was...that sort of thing should not and need not happen.
For the large part i am a happy driver, and you know a happy driver is a no calling in driver. :)
 

jelliott

Veteran Expediter
Motor Carrier Executive
US Army
Scott,

I have Mike Bayko and Mike Johnson looking into this.
 

Jenny

Veteran Expediter
We had the same thing happen to us last week as well. we were out of service, went in the office to go in, were given a load. delivered it, did a 19 with no response. I got online and caught that we were still oos.
 

Turtle

Administrator
Staff member
Retired Expediter
If you can't get a Mac 19 response because you're OOS, then the software should be changed to not even allow dispatch to put you on a load if you're OOS. I'm guessing Mac 23 and Mac 24 require some action on the part of dispatch, and it's more like a specially formatted freeform message than it is an automatic thing.

If Mac 23 and 24 were automatic and went directly into the system, just the same as if someone in dispatch entered the data into the Status Planner screen, and if an OOS status prevented dispatch from putting you on a load at all, then this problem would be eliminated.

The drivers themselves could send a macro to place themselves OOS, and it would do exactly that, automatically, in the computer. The return to service date would be solely to let dispatch know when you planned on returning, but you wouldn't automatically go back into service until you actually sent a macro that put you back in-service. Because the drivers themselves would be putting themselves in and out of service, it would also make the "unconfirmed" status unnecessary, since the driver would be confirming by their own actions.

Just a thought.
 

jelliott

Veteran Expediter
Motor Carrier Executive
US Army
Ok, after further investigation.......

When you came back in service after getting tires, dispatch sent you right out with a load. The dispatcher failed to put you back in service when they assigned and dispatched you. Now I would have thought the system would not allow a truck that is out of service to be dispatched and run a load, but it does. So when you delivered it kept you in the out of service status.

We are working with our software provider to have the system changed asap to not allow this to happen again.

I am sorry for the issue and now that I am aware of the problem we are working quickly to fix it.
 

OntarioVanMan

Retired Expediter
Owner/Operator
Yet another glitch since are on this...twice now to my knowledge drivers have used the macro to go out of service..only hours later to discover it was not entered and having dispatch call them with a load...it appears dispatch must enter what we submit....and they get busy and then well...they end up with a load on their hands...

any way to take this task away from dispatch? It causes dispatch more harm then us out here...
 

jelliott

Veteran Expediter
Motor Carrier Executive
US Army
I only look fast if the computer guys say....we can do that! LOL
 

cheri1122

Veteran Expediter
Driver
Just being able to express a complaint or point out a glitch and have it addressed [!] immediately [!!] by someone who can do something about it [!!!] is priceless - thanks John.
Whatever trivial nitpicky tasks can be shifted off the dispatchers' plates is a help - I can't imagine how many balls they're trying to keep up at the same time, and that makes little oversights happen - except they're not little to the person who finds themselves OOS.
I once had a call from the owner asking "What's going on?" That's really unusual - he hardly ever knew where I was before Load 1, lol, but this time, he said I was showing OOS - dispatch didn't enter the request to put me back in. So I try to check online, but as the OP said, we have stuff to do too, and it gets 'postponed' [which means I'll do it tomorrow, lol] and forgotten.
If the computer could do it, that'd be great: they never forget anything. :eek:
 

jelliott

Veteran Expediter
Motor Carrier Executive
US Army
I agree! Well the first item has been fixed. The second one they are still researching. They don't think it is an "easy" fix (which means it will cost me, lol). They have to figure out if it can be integrated and what the process would involve.

I agree it would be a great enhancement. Any thing that we can do to lower human error is good. When the dispatchers are doing 50 things it is just too easy to miss a single click of a mouse.
 

OntarioVanMan

Retired Expediter
Owner/Operator
I for one, don't believe the world revolves around me...:rolleyes:

and dispatch has other concerns besides me...anything we can do...or should I say John can do,via the pocketbook is appreciated...:D
 

Wolfeman68

Veteran Expediter
Fleet Owner
US Marines
I for one, don't believe the world revolves around me...:rolleyes:

and dispatch has other concerns besides me...anything we can do...or should I say John can do,via the pocketbook is appreciated...:D

I'm with you Ken. I get the impression from talking with Steve B. that sometimes Qualcomm doesn't even know the answer, and it's their system.

I put myself on Elogs about a month ago and when I came out Sunday, it wasn't working. Luckily, I had a paper logbook in the truck. I imagine I'll have to get to Taylor for the boys to look at it. Raises a concern on how to explain it to a DOT officer.

Posted with my Droid EO Forum App
 

xiggi

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
I'm with you Ken. I get the impression from talking with Steve B. that sometimes Qualcomm doesn't even know the answer, and it's their system.

I put myself on Elogs about a month ago and when I came out Sunday, it wasn't working. Luckily, I had a paper logbook in the truck. I imagine I'll have to get to Taylor for the boys to look at it. Raises a concern on how to explain it to a DOT officer.

Posted with my Droid EO Forum App

Probably not that unusual of a thing for DOT to deal with. The more companies that use Elogs the more they will experience glitches.
 

Wolfeman68

Veteran Expediter
Fleet Owner
US Marines
Probably not that unusual of a thing for DOT to deal with. The more companies that use Elogs the more they will experience glitches.

I figured that it will and has happened already. I've noticed many carriers with them. Technically, they could cite you for not providing prior days logs.

Some of the ones I've met would do just that saying it wasn't their problem.

Posted with my Droid EO Forum App
 
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