Good Dispatcher – We constantly get posts and questions about dispatchers. Is it better to have one or to book my own loads? Everyone has their own opinion and I have written extensively about this. However, the markets and climate has changed. There’s a new landscape of fraud and scammers out here waiting for an easy, desperate target.
What has changed? Everything. There are organized foreign and domestic networks posting that they have loads all over the USA and are paying great rates. They even offer minimum weekly guarantees; make $2500 to $3000. Too good to be true?
Good Dispatcher – Avoid The Red Flags
First Red Flag: We all know that trucking is in a slump and to guarantee that much money is impossible and unlikely. Why do they do this? To charge fees for ELD, for processing, and to get your credit card or bank account information. They need to pay you, right? Then there are those that use your information to book double brokered loads. To deceive shippers that they have their loads covered. That is just the fraudulent variety.
Then, there are the ones that sucker in those that want to lease on. They lure you in and then charge you so many fees; ELD, Insurance. They have your credit card or bank account information. If you leave there is an early cancellation fee of $2500 to $4000. We know a driver who drove for one of these companies for several weeks and owed them money. Go figure?
So what else has changed? The trucking market and how we book loads. Brokers have the upper hand. We bid on more and more loads, you must check their credit, you must look for signs of double brokering or scamming. It is a daily occurrence. If you don’t know the red flags, you can be hit big time. We have had many reports of platforms like uShip , Central Dispatch and Super Dispatch are overwhelmed with scammers.
Experience counts and where else it counts is dealing with brokers today. There are a lot of great brokers, we work with some great brokers. However, there are the ones that will give you incorrect weights, dimensions, and information. They will send an unsuspecting driver into bad weather and mountainous passes. Then there is the negotiation process, rates. Pick-up times, and delivery, is it a full load? A partial? Expedited? What about detention time? TONU? Some brokerages like TQL are notorious for not paying TONUs, we have a claim filed against them now.
What Does A Good Dispatcher Do For You?
What else does a good dispatcher do for you? Works for you, suggests and vets loads, handles the Carrier packs, submitting paperwork, making the phone calls. So many want you to email them or text them these days. How many times have you been told your load was sold by another broker in their office while you were on the phone inquiring about it? Someone bid lower and that is what it has become – A race to the bottom, bottom rate, not carrier quality but bottom-line profits.
Then a good dispatcher will check credit, load dimensions, route you so that you can just drop and reload. A great dispatcher submits your BOL to your factoring company, makes sure that all the correct paperwork that is required is there, Checks your Ratecon. I could go on and on.
Now I tried booking my own loads, sometimes it is harder than driving. Somedays problems with my drivers and trucks can take two of us all damn day. I don’t believe in driving and talking on the phone, bickering with brokers, calling about loads. Being on the side of a busy freeway dangerously trying to find loads on my phone. A good dispatcher will have two screens, DAT, Truckstop and TruckSmarter, with all your brokerage load boards on it. Information is good, more information is better.
A good quality dispatcher knows the money-making lanes, won’t send you to Deadhead City, USA or the Badlands Dead zone of the southwest, Colorado, or New Mexico for instance. One of the biggest mistakes of rookies and desperate drivers is taking a load, just to feel like they won one, to just get rolling. I do believe in staying rolling but sometimes it is better to be patient.
How many drivers are blinded by big money signs in their eyes? By that I mean they see $2500 going to Oregon, or Washington, but don’t know it will cost them that in fuel. That they will have to go through I-70, snow, blizzards and need chains? Right now, there are a few stuck in the mountains of the Seirra Nevada Donners pass, wondering if they will ever survive? Takes experience to know these things.
The best dispatchers are those that have been behind the wheel or own their own trucks. Maybe they dispatched for a husband or company. They know about Hours of service, routing, stacking partials, they know what your preferences are. What you can handle.
Here is my definition of a good dispatcher; they are your business partners, your mentor, your advisor. They put in the work to keep you rolling and they know what you need. They watch your back. They are your buffer between brokers and shippers. They make sure you have contacts on both ends. They make phone calls to let receivers know when you will arrive. You must have a personal connection.
The most important key to success is Communication. They have to be accessible and follow through on finding you a load. They must plan, preload, and anticipate when you are going to be loading and dropping. So, all of this is not easy to find in a dispatcher, that is why you have to know who is feeding you. If you don’t eat, neither do they.
You need to vet any dispatcher that you are considering. That is why we developed our Preferred Dispatcher program. To help our members find vetted and trusted dispatchers. We have built a network for drivers, by drivers. I have everything you need from Trailer, insurance, Factoring, ELD, Greenlane Fuel card, Equipment like Mytee Products, and we are adding more all the time.
I read a post and an article written by Asia Dantzler of Soulaan Logistics llc that I thought was excellent advice on how to vet a good dispatcher. I especially like the part about asking for Ratecons, and driver settlements, to see if they are real figures. No dispatcher can guarantee results, that is the way of the market today. Asia is one of our Preferred Dispatchers.
Do You Vet Your Dispatchers?
Written By Soulaan Logistics
Honestly, it seems like this would be common sense but, it’s not. Just like when employers interview a candidate for a job position, you should make sure to vet your dispatcher BEFORE you hire them. A lot of people are getting into the trucking industry just to get rich. They care nothing about the industry or for the carriers who put their business in the hands of a dispatcher. You need someone who cares, someone who is available to you, someone who has a CREDIBLE BUSINESS. How do you know if a dispatcher’s business is credible you ask? Here’s a few things to look out for:
- Business Information
If their business email is “[email protected]” and their business phone number is also their personal number instead of a toll-free number, and to top it all off they don’t even have a website? Avoid them like the plague. Look their business name up with their Secretary of State. Also ask your future dispatcher if you can see the old rate cons. Someone who will care about your business must first care about theirs and how it’s perceived.
- They’re Hiring
First. Whenever you outsource, that person works for you! You do not work for them. You don’t take any forced loads or just do anything your dispatcher says. It’s a partnership and whoever you choose as a dispatcher should realize this. [Side Rant] & another thing!! Seeing “dispatchers” drop their flyer in Facebook groups with no words attached or in the comments of another dispatchers post searching for carriers really irks me. They want you to buy their services, but they can’t even say hi or bother to speak to you at all? Rude.
- They Can’t Spell.
What made you think it was a good idea to hire a dispatcher who can’t spell the word “authority”? & then be upset that they can’t make you $20k in a week like they promised. Look I’m dyslexic myself but with things like Grammarly out there there’s NO EXCUSE to be misspelling words in your ads/posts.
- They Don’t Know Basic English.
There’s money for everybody but if they can barely communicate with you what makes you think they’re going to be able to negotiate to a broker on your behalf? They won’t be able to. And you’ll lose money because of it.
- Social Media Presence.
See who you’re partnering with and how they present themselves. The social media presence is BIG. You can see the person behind the brand. Seeing them vulnerable builds trust.
- Avoid “Promises” & “Guarantees”
Avoid “dispatchers” promising to make you a certain amount of money weekly or promising “good paying loads”. The market varies from week to week & there’s no guarantee that you can make the same amount every week. You can make depending on a number of things but, it mostly comes down to how hard you run for it & the relationships you’ve built.
- Ask for previous rate cons!
An experienced dispatcher will have rate cons & proof of experience that they will be able to show you. Verify that their business name or their personal first & last name is on the rate con. You can also call the carrier listed on the rate con & ask about their business relationship with the dispatcher. It can be a hit or miss depending on why they’re not doing business anymore & whether the relationship ended on good or bad terms between the two.
In conclusion, remember to please vet your dispatchers. We’re getting a bad name from others who don’t care about the carriers they’re working with. I want to remind you that not all dispatchers are bad. Be careful who you work with. There are scammers EVERYWHERE. Do your due diligence and protect your business!
Additional Resources:
By Elizabeth Kate – Preferred Dispatcher with ROCKDOVE Freight Solutions- [email protected]
DISPATCH VERIFY and Helpful Resources
BE SURE TO CHECK OUT OUR PREFERRED DISPATCHERS – MORE COMING SOON.
