Quote:
Originally Posted by MamaEnnis
Hey guys, I am a new independent dispatcher. I was hoping some of you might lend me so advice, tips or suggestions to better meet my clients needs.
I am not just a dispatcher but an assistant as well. I want to be the best I can and make my o/o's jobs as easier. I know yawl's time is money and how better
to learn to meet their needs then by advice from the source. So if you have a few minutes would you mind letting me know what you look for in a great dispatching service / assistant? I would be very grateful.
- Melanie -
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I am also a dispatcher for O/Os. I have been doing it for many years. There are many dispatching services out there and I think to be the best of the best, you need to have owned your own trucking company so you have an understanding of the expenses the driver deals with from fuel to insurance and beyond. You need to make each O/O - carrier your #1 priority. No vacations or if you do go on vacation, you need to have back up. I have drivers that have been with me for years. If I didn't find them a load, I don't know if they would even know how to get one. They rely 100% on my service. You should be willing to fight for every dime the O/O deserves. That would include a TONU, detention, an extra stop fee, etc. If you can look in the mirror and say "A carrier will not find a better dispatcher in the business", then you are doing a good job. Anyone can get on a board and find a load. The best of the best get on the board, search until they have found what they think to be the best load posting that day whether it takes an 1 hour or 4 hours. Once you find the load and negotiated the rate, follow the truck through to completion of the load, and make sure you are on call if the driver has any problem at the docks on either end or during transporting the load. Be willing to basically be the go to for everything the driver needs. If a load cancels on Friday at 3:00 and they do, you need to be prepared to recover the driver. If not that night, the following morning. The carrier is going to blame you for things that are not in your control. You take it with broad shoulders and try to recover the situation as best as possible. It is a tough business and you better love the business because it is with you 24/7. Never stick with one broker. I set up drivers that have been with me for 3 and 4 years, with new brokers every week. CH Robinson might have a good load to GA but they might not have a good load coming out of GA. The good load might be with Joes Logistics. Make sure you check each broker out. The carrier depends on you to make sure the broker is credit worthy. Every driver I have I treat like they are my driver and my truck. I pulled a guy off a $2900 and put him on a $600 load because it made more sense. He was willing to take the $2900 but I wasn't satisfied with that rate per mile after running all miles so I moved him short for $600. I put his needs before my own. By doing that I took over $100 out of my pocket but it was the right thing to do. If a driver is 100 miles from home, I will always try to find him a load rather than him deadheading. Of course if he would rather not mess with a load, fine, but if he allows me, I will search for a decent load if one is available. I don't make hardly anything on a short run but again, it's about keeping the driver in business and that is why he hired me. It is hard for a driver to make it in this business and we are one more service asking for money. The poor driver is getting buried in expenses hence it is critical they make the most they can make per mile. Don't get me wrong, I think this service is necessary for a driver. He will lose far more then he will pay for a dispatching service if he isn't familiar with lanes and rates. However, it is still an expense that the driver has. Good luck to you and I hope I have answered some of your questions. I realize I didn't make it sound all roses but I love what I do and I wouldn't do anything else. I will be in this business for many years to come. It helps that my hired dispatcher is also great and has a fantastic rapport with the drivers and visa versa. Have a great week
Dispatcher
