Brandon P – Status Trucks Dispatcher

My name is Brandon, and I’m a dispatcher here for Status. I became a dispatcher because I thought it would be a great experience for myself and to see what is alike to work in an office where you are in charge of a fleet of trucks. You get to build a relationship with your drivers where you are working for them, and they are working for you and you guys get along great, and it has been a great experience working for Status Trucks.

You need to be outgoing, and you need to be a person who is willing to make a bunch of calls in a day. Just because they might not be able to work with what you are working with and you might not be able to move what they are working with, but having a good personality where you are willing to call people, total strangers just to see if you can work out an agreement is a big thing. You need to be a patient person because yo might make a lot of calls in one day. All in all every call you make is another call closer to that one owner operator load that is going to help to move your driver. You just need to be a friendly person because this job involves making a lot of relationships. Whether toward the driver or your shipper, having a good relationship on both ends helps you find better loads for better rates and it helps your driver to trust you. You know that whatever you do here in the office at Status is going to benefit them now and in the long run.

To be a dispatcher at Status you need patience. Like I said, you might make a hundred calls one day or one hundred and fifty calls in an hour, but it all comes down to that one call that works out for you, the shipper and your driver. Patience is a big skill. Attention to detail is also a big deal. When we receive rate confirmations, or we book owner operator loads you need to make sure you know what exactly you are signing on for with your driver. You need to make sure they are paying the right amount or the weight on their truck is going to be the correct weight. Getting to the right locations and at the right times. It’s a line of work where you need to build your relationships, and part of that is making sure that you are not sending your driver to the wrong locations or giving them the wrong times to be in some places. Attention to detail is a big thing.

I think being a good friend to your driver is a big deal. In this business, especially at Status, I might call my driver two, three, or four times within an hour throwing options at them they might be willing to take. That is not a bad thing to do, but if you have a good relationship with your drivers, you take the time to call them in the morning or just before you head out of the office just to follow up with them. Ask them how you are doing, how are you feeling, maybe get a little into personal things with them and establish that trust. It benefits you in the long run because instead of having to put a broker on hold or having to run every single thing by your driver, if you understand what your driver is looking for and they trust you that you are looking out for their best interest. That’s really a dream right there because you are saving yourself some time, you are able to work faster and your driver just trusts you more and more. The better you work for them, the better they work for you. If they know you are working for them they are happy too.

To all our owner operators who have been with Status and to all our new owner operators who are coming into Status I want you guys to know that us dispatchers here at the office we are always looking out for you. We’ll always do what we can to work with you. We always have your best interest at heart, every call we make to you or a shipper is because we have your best interest in mind.
A lot of the drivers here are very happy with their dispatchers because they get to know each other. We can make good decisions that benefit both, mostly the drivers on the long run. I think coming to Status was a very smart decision because you got a good staff here, you might have your single dispatcher that you are assigned to but we all work together as a team. If we all work as a team that helps all of us in the long run, especially you as a driver. If you are looking for an owner operator job, I don’t think you need to look any further.