I’ve been dispatching for about six years now and it’s important to understand that Owner Operators go through the same things as everybody else. Things can happen at home with their families when they’re out on the road and if you’re a dispatcher you need to understand that – you can’t have a cold heart. In whatever I do I truly believe that you need to have mutual respect with your driver. There is a personal line some people think shouldn’t be crossed, so you have to understand that and respect people’s boundaries. You still need to develop a good personal relationship though so you can take care of the Owner Operators and know their needs.
Safety is the most important thing a driver can focus on when starting a trucking career. They need to make sure that they maintain their equipment to prevent breakdowns while out on the road. Ignoring your daily maintenance creates issues like becoming late to deliveries, and it will inevitably keep building up. A reputable trucking company will always work with an Owner Operator to help remind them of their wear and tear.
The first thing I learned when I was starting a trucking career and became a dispatcher was tracking and tracing. I strongly believe in tracking and tracing because you need to know the cities your driver is going through, your driver’s hours, and of course where the good loads are located. Calling your drivers on a regular basis is also a good opportunity to get to know them. It’s very important because it teaches you not just to call the Owner Operator and ask ‘where are you at’ or ‘what you’re doing’ but instead to ask ‘how are you doing?’ or ‘is everything okay?’ It creates an easy way to talk to the driver in the beginning for me.
The difference between a good dispatcher and a bad one is that a bad dispatcher just books loads. A good one talks to their drivers, sends emails to the brokers to let them know where the Owner Operator is at, they can learn the systems of the company, and so on. A good dispatcher is someone who not only cares about making the most money for their Owner Operators but also looks at the driver’s preferences of how they want to run their truck. There are Owner Operators I’ve taken care of that can’t go to high mountain places because of the oxygen level, in that instance that’s something you need to know before booking a load for them.
To make money in the trucking industry you need to understand what the Owner Operator needs and what they don’t need. This also ties into how you speak to them. The Owner Operator needs to know that they’re driving with a reputable trucking company and a lot of that comes down to how an Owner Operator is treated. The way you speak to a driver should always be with respect. A great dispatcher can be open and know that the needs of the Owner Operator are important. A bad dispatcher is someone who doesn’t care where they send their truck, and they don’t communicate with any sense of direction or respect.
Being in the trucking industry, I know that there’s a lot of options. I always say to look at what’s best for you and what places can find you the most money. If an Owner Operator is not happy you’re always going to hear them complain. The most important thing is to try to make the Owner Operator happy, even if everything cannot be catered to them. Your relationship with your Owner Operators has to be open, trustworthy and understanding. To be able to make money in the trucking industry you’re not always going to get what you want as a driver or dispatcher, but when you work for it together it becomes that much more rewarding.
