Top 5 things you can do to make money with FED EX

[LDB]

RE: Top 5 things you can do to make money with FED

I spent a day in dispatch. The dispatcher I sat with had about 70 loads she inherited from the prior shift plus another 50 or so new loads of her own. With over 100 drivers on loads the phone was constantly ringing. Before she could get one load accepted and in transit another would be queued to be placed. There were several loads showing delays the entire day. Some would get caught back up and others would fall into delay. They have 2 and sometimes 3 monitors and those are split into 4 panes so they have as many as 12 screens to track and swap between. No, this isn't life/death police/EMT dispatching. Yes, it does ebb and flow during the day. Yes, they do even have a minute here and 30 seconds there to make comments like so and so is always so nice when he/she calls in and oh no, it's so and so calling in again. Overall though it is a very hectic job that doesn't allow them the opportunity to plot for hours on how to screw so and so or how to get so and so on that plum load. That just isn't happening, at least based on my observation.

Leo Bricker, 73's K5LDB
OOIDA Life Member 677319, JOIN NOW
Owner, Panther trucks 5508, 5509, 5641
EO Forum Moderator
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Support the entire Constitution, not just the parts you like.

 

[kg]

RE: Top 5 things you can do to make money with FED

I wish I had five dollars for every time over the years, someone has posted a notification to the EO community, that they have had the opportunity to sit with dispatch, and how awed they are by the complexity of the job.

What do you think we are doing in this industry, we are not trying to land a man on Mars, and dispatch is not mission control.

We drive trucks to the best of our abilities to deliver timely loads, while living out of a suitcase and sleeping in parking lots.

Folks that work in the headquarters arrive at work, do their jobs to the best of their abilities and then go home just like millions of others.

We all are doing our jobs just like everyone else in any line of work.

just my opinion

 

[TeamCaffee]

RE: Top 5 things you can do to make money with FED

You are right they do their job to the best of their ability and we do our job to the best of our ability. We don't have time to remember one persons initials so we don't ever take a load from that person again as they did us a wrong and the same way with them we are a number. We just choose the good life of being out here in the truck and not stuck in a 9 to 5 type job.

 

[Tennesseahawk]

RE: Top 5 things to make money with any carrier

>hehe haha hoho hmmmmmmmmm

You a Mary Poppins fan too?

-A bore is a person who opens his mouth and puts his feats in it. - Henry Ford

 

[greg334]

RE: Top 5 things you can do to make money with FED

OMG look at the defense for these poor dispatchers. It is too Funny.

Leo, you really can’t get a grip on things by a single visit or a couple of them unless you have the experience behind you doing that job.

“Overall though it is a very hectic job that doesn't allow them the opportunity to plot for hours on how to screw so and so or how to get so and so on that plum load. That just isn't happening, at least based on my observation.â€

Yea you can say that but how much are you exposed to management? How much do you see beyond that one day or those dispatchers? Just because a truck is targeted, does not mean that it is being done so by a dispatcher – it could be a supervisor, a manager or even higher up. All of them have the same access, if not more access to the systems that we all get work from.

Like KG pointed out this is not mission control and we are not landing a man on the moon at these companies and as I will repeat what I said before (another thread), a lot depends on the company and how they use the resources they have that shows the quality of the work being done with dispatching. Having 12 screens up is a waste of resources as much as having poor handoffs between shifts with information and so is information overload, all of which indicate both understaffing, poor management and poor training quality.

Most of what I see is that the company does not understand how to serve the customer and the contractor at the same time by properly using the resource. Many use the employees to multitask when they are not capable of doing so because they are either incapable of doing so or get a light training session and paired with another dispatcher for X weeks and let loose, sometimes this leads to continuing bad habits that the first dispatcher has. Another issue is road training and I contend that one week in a truck is nothing to show any difficulties, the company may pair a dispatcher in training with a team and give them good loads and allow a pleasant experience. Give them difficult situations to deal with, have them drive for a month (at least two weeks), let them figure out what a good load is opposed to a discounted load that pays only for fuel.

For dispatchers to act professional there must be an understanding of the differences and difficulties of contractors job and respect from the fact that without the contractor, they don’t get a paycheck, I don’t see this in half of the dispatchers I watched and dealt with. To expect a contractor to be professional is a rather poor excuse to make for their inability to understand our work, again as KG pointed out, we LIVE our jobs, they go home after their shifts – a bit of a difference there. I feel that the person on the other end of the phone, by the very nature of their job has to know what my limitations are without asking me. They must also know what I have to do to get the job completed, anything less shows a lack of proper training and no respect for me.

Team Caffee pointed out something I complained about; problems resulting in removing the Contractor Coordinator (CC) as a single point of contact for a single contractor and replacing them with dispatchers/CC’s ‘teams’ which results in the problem that they have now, contractors expecting answers regardless what the question is or who they are talking to. If this makes no sense at all, think of it this way, there needs to be some trust built up between your single point of contact so you to feel comfortable about getting solutions.

This change to the team method or group think to me is to save money for the company and nothing else and when there is no proper hand off’s between shifts (poor training and management), it gets really frustrating for the contractor and the result is the dispatcher is now the problem solver for everything and there is no trust.

Companies need to understand that trust is part of the work; it is part of being professional on their end and they need to have avenues to build that trust up if they want some pride and professionalism given back. For what it’s worth the example of Team Caffee’s, I would say answering questions is the dispatchers job, including giving the address and a complete breakdown of the load offer and any other questions that the contractor feels that they need to complete the work they are being asked to do. Remember the load offer is not being made by the contractor but the company and if the company can’t explain the offer, then the company should not be in business. Scaling and having supplies is not the company’s problem I will hand that to you but that is what the company has allowed to happen.

You know Leo/teamcaffee, I would welcome going back to dispatching, and it is far easier to me than driving. I would love to go into the management end of it again, to teach people how to do things but I am a contractor with a cr*py little truck and nothing else.

 

[truckwife]

RE: Top 5 things to make money with any carrier

Sounds like you are getting a good grip on things there bud.

 

[truckwife]

RE: Top 5 things you can do to make money with FED

You are all probably right. The loads just go out as they come in.
Guess we made a good decision to switch carriers. Before leaving
we received a message that this was busy season and please try to
stay in service. As a team we did a 200 mile run in 5 days. If that
is busy we need the other 5 things on that top 10 list. As all who have met us know we will run whatever it is as long as it is profitable. Take all loads.hmmmmm .80 cents a mile for a D truck.
I had rather polish rims. Wrong place at wrong time for year and
half . Dont think so. Thank goodness we didnt invest 200,000 in
the spit and polish. In a few months we will have our truck paid off
and will invest in a new one but one that is a good fit for what we do. We love expediting . Better parking. Better eating. Good friends.
Its all good.

Well looks like winter is sitting in. Please drive safely .
God Bless and Merry "Christ"mas to all.:+

 

[tmbm]

RE: Top 5 things you can do to make money with FED

My opinion for anyone that may care.

Background in industry: almost 13 yrs w/ CDL A, driven E units down to A units, driven for big companies and small. I injured my back and dispatched for about 3 yrs, before coming back on the road expediting.

I can see both sides of this, because I have been on both sides. Simply put, dispatching can at times be very stressfull, and at times a walk in the park. Same as driving, or any other job for that matter. There are too many factors that go into it to use a blanket statement. Some dispatchers can have few stressfull days, because the are experienced, and know how to do their job. Some are clueless and every day is a struggle for them. Not so different than comparing drivers, some struggle because they don't know how to do their job, others thrive. The thing to remember (for both) is we're on the same team, one does not work well without the other, and each of us can make the others job easier or more difficult.

Again just my opinion.

 

[greg334]

RE: Top 5 things you can do to make money with FED

"The thing to remember (for both) is we're on the same team, one does not work well without the other, and each of us can make the others job easier or more difficult."

I agree with this ...sort of.....almost.... the dispatcher must relize what ever their thoughts are about how stressful anything is, it comes down to two important things;

my work is dangerous and very stressful in comparison

my work allows them to bring a paycheck home - without me, they don't get a dime

Many forget both of these points and this is one area that I strongly feel the dispatchers need to be put through the same system we are in and make money off of our success in completing the work we do. Many feel that they EARNED their money by sitting at a desk for 6.5 hours a day and 'dispatching'.

 

[Broompilot]

RE: Top 5 things you can do to make money with FED

I found nothing good in working with FECC. I did not give it the three months either as advised to my advantage and discouragement with the company it was a Great Move to Leave.

If your not happy or profitable find a solution before leaving as I did.

I am not convinced in FECC as a Solo Driver with a Good Work Ethic, some Business Sense, and a New Truck. Teams will succeed Solos better pick your Carrier with alot of homework.

Before one party comes on here and states that I failed, I did not this is my choice one I am able to make Expediting was a Blast, just to much time away in long doses.

 

[kangar0085]

RE: Top 5 things you can do to make money with FED

LOLOLOL thats hilarious man

 

[jrcarroll]

Re: Top 5 things you can do to make money with FED

"the thing to remember (for both) is we're on the same team, one does not work well without the other, and each of us can make the others job easier or more difficult."

i agree with this ...sort of.....almost.... The dispatcher must relize what ever their thoughts are about how stressful anything is, it comes down to two important things;

my work is dangerous and very stressful in comparison

my work allows them to bring a paycheck home - without me, they don't get a dime

many forget both of these points and this is one area that i strongly feel the dispatchers need to be put through the same system we are in and make money off of our success in completing the work we do. Many feel that they earned their money by sitting at a desk for 6.5 hours a day and 'dispatching'.

amen!!!! +1000

 

[Deville]

1. Get a part-time job at Pilot.

2. Buy a can of aluminium polish so you can go truck to truck.

3. Park by the Plasma Center.

4. lay over at the mall with a red bucket and bell.

5. buy a taxi sign for the top of your truck, and park near airport.

Someone isn't happy.

 

[Deville]

Being on both sides of the driver/dispatcher coin I can say that a dispatchers job is not the easiest. Like anything else some days are better than other. Some are just a living hell. Frankly a busy dispacther translates to a busy truck driver.

I find That dispatch & I can have the most productive relationship if we leave each other alone. I do my job, you do you're job. When we need somthing from each other get right to the point & keep it short & sweet.

2 things that drive me nutty is when i'm on a load laying over & dispatch will call me 14 times in a 12 minute span. It happens all the time. Frankly it's a safety issue. I have a load thatpicks up at 4am Iplan on sleeping from 8pm to 1am & at 912 my phone starts ringing & ringing & ringing, disputeing my sleep pattern & waking me up hours before I have to be up, & I can't get back to sleep.

2nd thing is that we have this $3000 Qualcomm unit in the truck that is suppossed to track our every move yet we get messages from dispatch asking what your present location is. That makes me so angry. Why do I have this thing in my truck costing me hundreds of dollars a year if it isn't being used properly by dispatch.

Other than that I'm good.

 

[Bruno]

This post was started bad in 2007. Talk about old post's, this one is really dusty.

 

[Deville]

I thought it seemed farmilar.