Any Monkey Can Be A Dispatcher!

PreacherRich · Feb 18, 2012

I really, really miss the "Like" button...just not the same. Great responses guys

turritrans · Feb 18, 2012

Yummy...

Bananas!

There is a mutual respect needed in order for a company to perform at it's best! We couldn't do it without one another, we we both need to be good at what we do behind the wheel or computer.

blizzard2014 · Feb 18, 2012

Now look here. It's not about good dispatchers verses bad dispatchers. It's not even about what a dispatcher is earning per hour; it's about whether or not that person loves their job. If you don't like your job you're not going to be any good at it. Some of us are drivers; we love to run up and down the road all night sipping on coffee, smoking cigarettes, listening to tunes, and talking to our buddies on the cell-phone. We would be lost in an office because we like to be out on the open road going to new places and meeting exciting people like, Preacher Rich.

Me personally, when I am dispatching for my company, I feel a sense of pride and deep personal satisfaction when I get my drivers a good load. Even if i'm only making 25 bucks a pop, i'm rejoycing in the fact that my driver is making money and not rotting away in some nasty parking loa- some of that has to do with the fact that I can relate to the drivers, the rest of it is due to the fact that I feel directly responsible for my drivers successes and failures. A driver is only as good as his company and a company is only as good as it's drivers. The really good dispatchers don't view their job as a job but rather they view thair job as a responsibility!

greg334 · Feb 18, 2012

Me personally, when I am dispatching for my company, I feel a sense of pride and deep personal satisfaction when I get my drivers a good load.

I understand what you are saying but I can't see me as a dispatcher working for the driver, I am working for the customer.

The driver, who makes it possible for me to do my job, has my respect and this means that I have to understand his limitations and rely on his judgment to fulfill the customer's needs.

When I was dispatching, my satisfaction came when I did a good job for the customer and they would use us again.

The problem is most don't get that this is not NASA and we are not launching some space mission, too many times people make it hard when they are sitting there 'dispatching' while others who observe don't see a lot of things that could make life easier. One issue with dispatchers I have is a lot of people in this industry are treating this as a job, not as a career. To clarify, those in the office punch a time clock and rarely go beyond which is opposite to those who have decided to make this a career and invest money into a truck or trucks, they have a different goal but also more dedication to the customer.

Should office staff be in a truck for a month?

Yep I think so. I think like a lot of other jobs, training is not a week ride along where they get easy loads but actually hard work with problem loads.

LisaLouHoo · Feb 19, 2012

LOL, I am reminded of the dispatcher who called one fine 2am for our position while we were under load. Jeff spelled the name of the city for him (he spells for everyone in an attempt to avoid misunderstanding). The dispatcher repeated it back, spelling it wrong. Jeff corrected him. Dispatcher said ok, hung up. Dispatcher called back in 3 minutes, could not locate the town. Jeff spelled it again, guy repeated back wrong again. Jeff told him the mile marker and freeway and double checked the guy was in the right state. Ok, got it.

Nope. Dispatcher called back again in about 5 minutes, couldn't locate the location. Jeff asked him to spell what he was looking for. Yep, you guessed it, wrong again. Jeff said, "Listen carefully!" It is H-a-n-c-o-c-k! H-a-n! No 'D'!"

I do not even want to know what that dispatcher was up to between calls.

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davekc · Feb 19, 2012

Much of it depends on the company. Some dispatchers are very hands on from the customer all the way to the drivers. Some are broken up where customer reps only deal with the customers and dispatchers only deal with the trucks. Panther is more the latter. Dispatchers follow a choreographed process in order to move trucks. Some processes force them to deviate from the norm, but not too many. The downside is that most only see a truck through the window. Most haven't got close enough to even lean on one.