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.
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.