When it comes to the trucking industry there is a group of non drivers known as the dispatchers and they range from the very good to the very bad and unfortunately they can dictate on how much miles you get each week especially if you are Over The Road. The horror stories I have heard over the years regarding dispatchers are scary and it makes you wonder about the companies that they work for. In this article we will take a closer look at dispatchers and what separates the good from the bad
The 2 Types Of Dispatchers
When it comes to dispatchers there seems to be two distinct types and that is the former driver and the non driver. Lets take a closer look at the two types
A) The Former Driver Dispatcher – It is kind of like the saying when it comes to athletes where it you can no longer play you coach. Well when it comes to the trucking industry when you can no longer drive you become a dispatcher. This type is normally my preference as they usually have a much better idea of what the average CDL driver goes through on a daily basis. Of course a huge factor in this particular category is how long it has been since they have been behind a wheel.
If the dispatcher last drove a truck before ELD’s were introduced well things could become a bit tricky. With this type you get a lot of “Well back in my day” type of scenarios which can be rather annoying. Of course back in their day they ran two log books which made the seven hundred mile trip possible in a single day.
At least with this type of dispatcher you can explain a specific trucking situation and they are going to understand
B) The Non Driver Dispatcher – Now this type of dispatcher either took a course regarding the trucking industry dispatch process or they were hired off of the street and trained in house. Regardless they know almost nothing about the reality of truck industry. Some of them get it after awhile however some are clueless from day one and only know what the computer tells them.
Yes the computer says that from Chicago to New York is suppose to take X amount of hours however when you throw into the mix all of the other factors when it comes to route planning it changes. With this type of dispatcher you get a lot of “Well the computer said” which needless to day gets really annoying really quickly
Hate to break it to them but just because you are capable of driving your car into work every day does not mean you understand what a truck driver goes through on a daily basis.
Honestly the best thing for these type of dispatchers is to spend a full day in an actual truck. Let them experience what a truck driver goes through and what it takes to manage your route, ELD and of course the truck. It would go a long way and make a huge difference
The Problem With Dispatchers
As I mentioned at the start of this article I have dealt with dispatchers that range from the really good to the really bad. When I am discussing the problems with dispatchers I am not saying all of them do it but focusing on the problems that CDL drivers have with dispatchers
A) Constantly Pushing The Driver – Now I get there are drivers out there who are lazy or who are always late on their loads however when it comes to safety that is when the real problems start. If the driver is telling the dispatcher that for whatever the reason it is not safe to run than that should be the final word however with some companies it is deliver the load no matter of the cost
B) Empty Promises – If you want to piss off a CDL driver tell him/her one thing than do the complete opposite. I have been told by more than one dispatcher and on more than one occasion that after I deliver a load to place X than there will be a load to take me home to the terminal in order for me to go home. Take a wild guess what happened…. arrived at the shipper than proceeded to wait a long time before the next load showed up. It gets to the point where the driver does not trust anything that comes out of the dispatchers mouth
C) Playing Favorites – Dispatchers are obviously going to like drivers who deliver on time and cause them the least amount of work however when it becomes blatantly obvious that the dispatcher is favoring one driver over another than we have a problem. You hear it all the time at truck stops and inside of company terminals where drivers are complaining about the dispatchers not liking them and screwing them over when it comes to miles. Sure some could just be blowing hot wind however not all of them.
Through the years I have dealt with dispatchers who I had no issues with however when problems started to arise than instead of talking to them on the phone I would communicate through the Qualcom or the tablet. The reason I did this was that I wanted everything documented if anything was ever escalated to the next level. The first rule of trucking is CYA or Cover Your A** and this is very true when it comes to dispatchers
Being a dispatcher is not an easy job and a ton of them tend to burn out due to the stress of trying to keep their company happy as well as keeping their drivers happy. Thankfully since I have move on to a dedicated route that gets me home every day I no longer have to deal with dispatchers. If something goes wrong with the truck or the load I have someone who will help fix the situation however that is where it ends in terms of day to day interactions.