GETTING LOADS

[oldtimer]

Hi all. Here 's another hint on how to get runs ! When ever you get
paged or a load comes over the computer ALWAYS ASK FOR THE EXT of THE
DISPATCHER PAGING YOU! this way when runs are low you can ask for that
dispatcher directly without getting the run round. I have a book with
all the exts of my companies dispatches some good and some bad.Over the years it really pays off! When you get a good load offer ask for the ext of that dispatcher so the next you check in you call in to that ext and ask that dispatcher if there is anything on the board?
you would be amazed how often they look for you and tell you if there is a load picking up later that day and ask you if you want it! After a few
weeks you will have a list of exts . you can spend some time with differnt dispatchers looking for a load ! Don'''t worry about phoning in numerous times because they do not talk to each other about this
because it is a favour ( against company policy). You will see it really pays off because if you do a good job they remenber you!

 

[Glen Rice]

Sounds like a good tip! Being in business does not make you a good business man. Creating a business plan including marketing stratagies is a great idea. Some contractors may say your "sucking up", and thats OK. When a load comes up and dispatch has a personal relationship with a contractor they trust and understand, that may be the extra nudge to get you the load. Some call it "networking". I call it good business! Thanks again for the tip.

 

[RichM]

How do you feel about screwing the people that live by the rules and were ahead of you on the dispatch board ,but don!t suck up to individual dispatchers. Any Dispatcher that shows favortism is as bad as you. I have known of several FDX CC dispatchers fired becaused they gave runs to guys that sent little gifts etc. This situation will never go away but it makes me wonder about the human race where fairness is going away.

 

[louixo]

During my trucking career, I´ve seen dispatchers do all kinds of things when giving out loads. They have thier problems the same as we do on the road, and there are good ones and bad ones just like drivers. I remember once when I saw a team passed over for a really goood high paying load as I was sitting in the dispatch office watching the operation because I happened to have to cross dock at headquarters a short time earlier. I was stunned to see the dispatcher give the load to a team that just emptied in favor of the aforementioned team that had been waiting all day. I called the dispatcher on it, and she showed me a fax, that was from the shipper. It read in no uncertain terms, that if the load was 1 minute late, it would be the last load that our company would get from that shipper. The team that lost the load, I knew personally. They were notoriously late. The team that got the load was never late. That team was mine. I had no qualms in taking it, and it was not the only time over the years that my team was selected over the crowd based on performance. Many years ago I read a plaque on the wall of a company where I worked. Though I don´t remember it verbatim anymore, it basically said, "if you´re going to take the mans money for the job, do the job he asks you to do, the way he asks you to do it. If you want to complain, whine or quit, do it when you finish the job." I think that´s still good advice today. I also think, the rewards will come your way if you do the job right. OLDTIMER is saying the same thing with technique thrown in.

 

[ATeam]

When we meet and visit with other teams on the road, most conversations include: "Where are you from?" "How long have you been doing this?" And, "Ain't it aweful about dispatch?"

While most drivers have dispatch horror stories to tell, I have yet to meet one that hopes to be a dispatcher some day. Dispatchers have bosses to report to. Independent contractors do not. Dispatchers know when they have a bad load. A driver can turn it down with ease. When a driver does so, the dispatcher is still stuck with the responsibility of covering the load. I pitty the poor dispatcher that has to plod along from phone call to phone call trying to convince someone (anyone!) to drive into New York City for $200. Yuk!

For each load a dispatcher sees, a host of financial, ethical, practical, and job performance issues come into play. Emotional responses to dispatcher actions are sometimes intense, whether they are justified or not.

I'm glad dispatchers are willing to come to work each day and do their balancing act. It's not a job I'd want.

 

[redytrk]

>have yet to meet one that hopes to be a dispatcher some day

I did meet a nice young lady who was driving a van as a solo.She said her dream was to be a dispatcher for Then Roberts Express.I have often wondered how it worked out for her.Her name is Kristle and lives in the Akron Oh area.
Dispatchers are the unsung heros of our business. I cant think of any thing more stressful.
I wonder if any dispatchers visit this site. Maybe a forum could be started for them.Sorta like the "Ask the Recruter"

 

[Doggie Daddy]

once again, oldtimer has proved that he cannot play by the rules.if it's not creating ghost co- drivers or disconnecting his qual- com or calling up dispatch trying to sneak himself passed other trucks it's something else. whats next oldtimer, sneaking around the truck stop lots and letting the air out of the other trucks tires??? DD.x( x(

 

[davekc]

I think it is oldtimer's brand of humor. Trying to stir the pot alittle. Sounds like he has a axe to grind with FedEx. If the company is good enough, and you are a reputable driver, the loads will come to you. If not, I would be searching for another company, not using bribery on a dispatcher.