Dispatch and CC's

[Mare]

Self-explanatory!!!! :D

[wshort]

Perhaps all new dispatchers should be issued "a clue" as most are clueless...
Possibly putting them out on a truck for a couple of weeks will give
them a better taste for what's going on out there.

[hellcat_99]

Dispatchers should all be sent out in the trk with a load from he$$. This will give them an idea of what really happens on the rd. Most of them will be lucky if they have ever been out of their own back yard.

Holly

[wshort]

Yeah, give them a couple of canadian loads, a trip into NYC, a couple
of whirls up thru Chicago and LA then make them sit out in the boondocks
for 3 or 4 days before offering them a 1250 mile relocation run.

[Molly]

Once I ask dispatch if she ever was out here in a truck, she said "Heavens No". See this is "Self -Explanatory" too. :wtf:

[Italiangirl769]

When I worked at Panther, they used to have twice a year where dispatchers could go out on a truck for 3-4 days... It was eye opening to some. I never went. But since I own my own trucks Ive been out and I understand its not all a party thats for sure

[Mare]

Something that I think would really help the driver is if dispatch would FINISH one job before starting another. Example: yesterday's run did not include locals to the delivery. This happens to us a lot. Now I have 2 choices, I can

A. Take the time to ask for the locals. There have been times I've had to ask several times. Many times the dispatcher replies that they will take care of it and it is HOURS before you hear from them again. Hence my comment about finishing one job before moving on to another.

B. Trust my GPS but what if I'm a driver that doesn't have a GPS OR if my GPS has no way of recognizing that I'm driving a truck, it may try to send me places that are not legal for me to be!

Last night I remained quiet and trusted the GPS as we weren't dealing with any large cities were we might find restrictions.

I would add that there have been too many times recently while carrying hazmat, the directions HAVE NOT been matched to a hazmat load. Dispatch has attempted to route us through cities with these loads and one time even tried to route us through the Lincoln Tunnel!!!

Obviously one can see why we like to have BOTH the GPS AND company provided directions.

Each and every time I have to send a message asking for more information I'm either endangering myself and others by using the clink while driving or I'm slowing down the pickup or delivery by stopping the truck to communicate, either way should be as unacceptable to Fed Ex as it is to me.

Now I know we all make mistakes but these happen so frequently that it's rare these days when all of the information given is correct. Time for Fed Ex to address these issues.

[Harry]

I second you in everything said :HMM:

[wshort]

Me too, a lot of times these directions are atrocious

[Mare]

When I worked at Panther, they used to have twice a year where dispatchers could go out on a truck for 3-4 days... It was eye opening to some. I never went. But since I own my own trucks Ive been out and I understand its not all a party thats for sure

Italiangirl, as a former dispatcher I'm wondering what your take is on the suggestions made on this thread so far. Also, now that you're an o/o for a different company, what would be your suggestions for improvement of the dispatchers with FECC?? :D

[Italiangirl769]

Well, as far as dispatchers and drivers go they are definately on opposite sides of the fence. Dispatchers are there at work to do a job which is cover loads with trucks, give directions, monitor loads etc... Once they are done for the day, their job is over until the next day. They do not realize that being an O/O or OTR driver is a 24 hour a day experience and even the smallest mistakes on the dispatcher's end can cost the driver loads of wasted time an enormous amount of stress, and not to mention how much money. When I was a dispatcher, I always had a big piece of paper and as soon as I answered the phone I wrote the drivers name down and anything we talked about. If I needed to follow up on something I circled it immediately. It is a fast paced world and things get easily forgotten unless its right in front of you.

As far as FedEx Cc dispatch is concerned, I think they are very curtious and I was impressed when I started dealing with them. I have to give them Kudos for that. It wasn't always like that where I worked. They didn't have all the "Rules in place on how to treat drivers" like FedEX does. Some would come in there and have a what I call "power trip" going on. Lately, FedEx has changed a bit though. Dispatch seems the same but the CC's and higher ups aren't as cooperative. Maybe its just me or they have alot of stress with this new FSC program. I certainly know drivers aren't very happy right now.

My motto as a dispatcher was "If I promise something" I am going to honor it to the best of my ability". Because without trust from your O/O's you have nothing as a dispatcher. And O/O's take bad news, the truth, way better than a bunch of BS. Because the truth always comes out and O/O's know when someone is trying to pull the wool over their eyes.

[hellcat_99]

I agree with you too.
My problem was I was on call 24/7. I was so tired most of the time. A lot of the questions could have waited until I got into the office in the am. I would always make sure that the driver's had all the info I had, & if more was needed, I would get it right quick.
I did this,as I knew what was required from being OTR.
The new dispatchers really only look @ this as a job. they don't realise how important thier job really is. They come in off the street into a field they have no idea about.
Like I have said, there is nothing better then sending them out on the rd with a ld from hell. Real life is a great teacher.


Holly

[Mare]

A fresh example of dispatch incomplete work for you. A few days ago we were dispatched on a short run for air expedite. You know how it is, after the initial information is sent, there's another message saying "freight is ready now"!! Ok, I'll get right on that.....oops..........................NO LOCALS FOR PICKUP!!!!

Please dispatch, help me do my job as quickly as you'd like me to, all you need to do is FINISH YOURS!!!!

[Mare]

While I'm on the subject of that air expedite load, we had some questions regarding the pay so we called our cc. She didn't even want to TRY to help us. As soon as she heard the words air expedite, she said we'd have to call them. I told her we already had and we needed her help to straighten this out. She STILL didn't want to help, said she couldn't even access the run on her computer, what a bunch of crap!! I finally told her we're not leased to air expedite, we're leased to custom critical and you're our cc so you need to take care of this! Needless to say it didn't turn out in our favor and in the process we were needlessly frustrated at this person trying to refuse to do her job! WHAT GIVES??? Isn't part of the cc job working between us and the company to smooth things out??

Oh and by the way, turns out she really COULD access that run...........suprise-suprise.

Fed Ex I hope you're reading this.

WHY WOULD I HAVE TO REMIND HER THAT IT'S HER JOB TO HELP US INSTEAD OF TRYING TO TOSS US OFF ONTO SOMEONE ELSE??

[mikec]

One or two trips in a truck is just a lark to them. Dispatching from FEDEXCC started going downhill about 2 years ago. Lots of new names,old names are gone?? Probably some consultant from Memphis looked it over and told them that this job could be performed with $8.00 per hour labor vs $12. I have been with Roberts and FEDEX many years and rates and help are about the lowest you can get.

Fedex Freight is calling the shots and if you don't like it ,leave. But thats business. Competition is fierce these days. Harry's post about a major customer demanding and getting $1.55 per mile is a good example. In the old days this would not have happened. Frankly I don't see much of a lucrative future with Fedex or any of the others . yes you may pay your bills but the profits we all made in the 90's and early 2,000's are gone.

[hellcat_99]

They now call themselves Logistic Anylists. We had one come to the place i was working in a few yrs ago.
Straight out of school. She logisticl change her new office.
I saw her get on a phone with a driver 7 started telling jokes. I took the phone out of her ear & got the driver fixed up. She went into the VP & told him what I did. I went in, & told hiom how she was acting on the phone with a driver who was stuck up in the ROCK broke down. I also told the VP if she ever came into dispatch & did that again, she would be wearing the phone out of her azz. This isn't a game & no degree will match any experience I had.
She was canned shortly after she went & purchased a whole office of Cherry Wood furniture for herself.

Holly

[kini lu]

We did an easy (?) short run a couple of months ago. (That's what we thought at the time) We were given the wrong directions to the PU. (We ended up at somebody's house) . Did we get compensated?? NO, because it was FECC's Fault. Then....we had to stay on the phone with FECC the entire time back for directions to the Actual PU. Arrived in downtown Pittsburgh and guess what...the dispatcher had NO CLUE where we were suppose to PU these 64 boxes of files. After 2 hours of waiting for phone calls, I got out of the truck and started walking all over downtown Pittsburgh asking for myself. I found the PU by accident and we got he truck loaded. This was the biggest joke ever. They should have paid us 2 extra stops plus milage, but when it's FECC's fault, NO COMPENSATION. What Bull!!! This has happened so many times before. If there is noone to blame it on or charge it to, you can't expect FECC to pay for their mistakes. They expect you to waste your time and fuel though. I am finding out how often this kind of thing is happening. Way more than it should be. Is there someone over the dispatchers that checks and makes sure operations are running smoothly? I totally agree that the biggest problem is not finishing one job before starting another and not following through with each one. That could quite possibly eliminate alot of small problems that turn into BIG ones. :D

[Mare]

I agree with your question mark after the so-called short, easy run. We end up talking about that after each one. For whatever reason, what should have been a short amount of time and the simplest thing to do somehow turns into a nightmare almost every time. Go figure. :wacko: :wacko:

[hellcat_99]

There should be an Operations manager.
If you guys have so many problems, can't you go back to your recruter?


Holly

[sidecar]

If you guys have so many problems, can't you go back to your recruter?


Holly

And slap him? :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[hellcat_99]

If it works. :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:


Holly :rofl:

[DANMELISSA]

The main problem with their so-called directions is they look them up on map quest. Map quest is for 4 wheelers, and is wrong 99% of the time. It shows a star on a map that shows the general area of the address, its best to get yerself a copy of PC MILER 18-20 with Streets & Hazmat. Why the HM, cuz the idiots try and use mapquest for HM also, and ya may wind up at a tunnel with no turn around....