5 LIES FREIGHT DISPATCHERS TELL!

This article may find some of you a little uptight but the discussion needs to be had. For the longest dispatchers have picked up a bad rep for being money hungry and not necessary in the industry. Being that the Freight Dispatcher role is not a federally regulated role in the transportation industry this has allowed a lot of speculation and self regulating to start! In the sea of sharks that are grueling at jumping on the first Carrier they see be on the lookout for these top 5 misleading advertisements.

1. I'll Have Another Load Waiting for You when you Unload

This is a common promise that is just not practical to keep. Although as a Dispatcher we would love to have you booked ahead for a week at a time but, it is just not smart to book a load with product on the truck. The easy explanation for this is Reputation. At unloading many things can happen, rejections, overages, shortages and when this happens the driver usually cannot move until the Broker and the Customer can arrange what is to happen with the product. We all know time is money and the longer it takes to figure things like this out the more all parties lose money. Now let's say Dispatch has booked you in advance and now you have to cancel. Load cancellations are a sure fire way to earn your Trucking Company a bad reputation.

2. You'll get Loaded as Soon as you Get to the Shipper

As a Dispatcher it is our job to ask all the necessary load details at the time of booking. We should be asking the Broker is the product ready? How fast does the shipper load? Is the load ready? is the product there? In return most Brokers will say "yes of course the load is ready now" avnd then you get stuck waiting to load 16hrs later. *Pro tip* Check shipper and receiver reviews for as much insight as possible.

3. It's only X Amount of Miles, You can Make it

Many dispatchers are not aware of how to truly trip plan for their Carrier and, this adds. to the stigma of a bad rep. Unless your dispatcher verifies road conditions, weather, road closures and truck routes they have no way of knowing your ETA. Often times dispatchers will book you on a time pressing load without properly communicating this to you. When putting a Carrier in this situation it causing unnecessary pressure and makes the driver more likely to speed. Speeding can lead to safety and compliance issues and potentially put your Trucking Company out of service. This in turn can ruin your company reputation and make it hard to book future loads. Always route your own trips to ensure accuracy and appropriate travel updates.

4. I can guarantee you $10,000 per Week

Let's just be honest, the only thing guaranteed in the Spot Market is volatility and promising a carrier a set amount of dollars without having a crystal ball to predict the future is ludacris! All we can do is capitalize on what the market gives us and build relationships to help produce the best outcomes. By no means am I saying that a Independent Freight Dispatch company cannot help you achieve your profit goals, what I am saying is be mindful of the one that makes big promises with empty pockets and minimal industry knowledge.

5. I'm available 24/7

Many of us would love to be available 24/7 yet we all are human and sometimes we may just not hear the phone ring in the wee hours of the night. The proper response that you want to hear is that I give my all to my carriers and make myself available whenever I can. Make sure they have multiple contact points: email, secondary phone line, or even a 24 hour dispatcher on call. *Pro Tip* Discuss your carriers drive times ahead of schedule, some drivers like to drive overnight some during the day be sure to coordinate these things so that you Dispatcher can respond accordingly.

In Conclusion

Freight Dispatching operates on the honor system. Be sure when you are doing your screening process for dispatch that you are looking for integrity first. The trucking industry is cutthroat and raw but, that doesn't mean that your experience has to be. I believe we can change the industry one role at a time. Let's build a network filled with integrity, discipline and professionalism!

#Owneroperators #Freightdispatch #FreightDispatchers #Logistics #Trucking #18wheeler #Womenintrucking #OTR #Freight