Sure it effects the lives of the drivers far more than that of the dispatchers and load planners, but most of the people that work in the offices of trucking companies were never actually drivers, so they don't really understand the implications of their actions too well.

Now another HUGE problem I've seen drivers bring upon themselves is having the attitude that, “hey, if this company wants me to run the lousy loads then they better give me some good ones first.” I have seen tons and tons of drivers that have taken the attitude that the company has to prove itself to them before they are going to go out of their way for the company.

If you are going to take this approach then let me help you out here....just take a trip to NYC, go to the top of the Empire State Building, then jump off the building and land squarely on your face. Believe me you will save yourself and others a lot of suffering.

Ask yourself this, “why would a company go out of their way to make life easy on a brand new driver by giving him or her great loads all of the time?” Haven't they spent a ton of time and money on you already?

Haven't they already paid for your physical, transported you to the terminal, put you through orientation, given you a beautiful truck to drive, agreed to a nice pay package for you which likely includes great benefits, 401k, and direct deposit, and incurred the liability risks of having you as an employee?

Now make a list of all of the things you've done for them.

Hmmmm.....awfully short list isn't it? They have done all of this for you based solely on the POTENTIAL for you to be a good driver. Now why don't you fulfill your end of the bargain and SHOW them what you're capable of? Show them that you are worthy of all of the time, money, and risk.

There is a simple cliché we've all heard....give and ye shall receive. Try it. You'll be amazed.

Your company likely has tons of proven drivers, dispatchers, mechanics, salespeople, and managers that have actually made money for the company and done a great job over a long period of time. They are the bedrock of the company.

After all your company has already done for you without you having done anything for them, what would you expect them to do now.....give you all of the good loads and make their proven veterans suffer with all of the lousy ones?

Let you make a ton of money while the drivers that have become the foundation of the company make very little?

Now that I've laid this all out for you and given you this perspective on things it should be painfully obvious to you that you should come into a new company with the attitude that you're going to work hard, be safe, pick up and deliver on time, and just be the best driver you are capable of being. You'll do that in the beginning so that someday soon, you can call your dispatcher and request a few more miles or a mix of better runs each week in return for the great job you've done proving yourself to be a valuable commodity for the company. It SHOULD be painfully obvious anyway.