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Good ole Count to 10 is some of the best wisdom ever. My worse day since being solo, and all because of confusion, disorganization or plain ole ineptitude from dispatch concerning comunication due to dealing with multiple DM's for issues. From this day forward, I will request to speak to my FM only for an issue rather than getting 5 different DM's giving 5 differet replies for the same issue, then telling me "I'll have to check on that", then getting 5 different replies or information, then having to respond more times that that was or was not the resolution to the problem AS I PREVIOUSLY stated in my last email or phone call! That's not me yelling, just emphasizing I had to repeatedly tell them the same things ALL day. How many times do you need to tell someone that an empty trailer they wish you to take is loaded, or getting a reply that a certain trailer (number) "doesn't exist" when you are looking at it live and in person. Makes me want to get 'loaded', that's for sure. Haha. Doesn't anyone READ the messages I send in?! Terrible communication. Or when you explain that a load cannot be delivered on time without changing pick up or deliver times because your 14 is going to burn out befote you can pick up the load, thus you need to complete a ten to get a new 14? Changing the delivery time won't matter if you won't change the pick up time which is the true issue. THEN someone states "oh, thete is a window until this time" and I had asked previously if thete was a window which I could have worked out relating to HOS , but not now because of terrible communication. I am rambling now, so may not be making sense. Just shows that terrible, God awful communication can ruin a person's sunny day. I know, 'welcome to trucking'. By the way, did I mention terrible communication can be frustrating? .......snicker.......

You should have called me.

As frustrating as it is, I've found taking the time to build relationships with an entire office of dispatchers is worth it. Any one of the folks in my terminal know how I work, and what I will generally call about, so I can usually bring them up to speed if it's not my actual assigned dispatcher.

And the rest of that stuff is three or four links of ****ty communication that probably goes back as many days.

[shrugs] but I still get the frustration Today was like that for me except I was dealing with both Knight Dispatch and wal-mart dispatch because of a break down. Probably something like ten different people I'm updating on the same damn problem.

Thanks Scott, but I have to be able to deal with these issues on my own. Frustrating when dealing with too many cooks in the kitchen and none seem to know how to cook.

You should have called me.

Getting help so life is easier is part of doing it on your own.

With CFI, there are times you get to a drop and get a message that says CFI suggests you pick up trailer #####, as it has been in the pool the longest. This message may be disregarded. It is an automatic, computer generated message. CFI has no way to track their trailers. Sometimes that suggested trailer is not there, broken, loaded or you just can't find it in a huge DC. All we do is grab a different empty and enter that trailer's number in the form.

Sometimes, a customer tells you to get empty ##### and you can't find it. Just grab a different empty and tell the guard you grabbed that one because you couldn't find the one they wanted. I once spent two hours at a huge DC looking for the trailer they told me to get. After checking everywhere on their lot a couple of times, I went back to the guard and he said just grab anyone and write it on the gate ticket. Lesson learned.

Just last week I was sent to one of our drop yards to get a loaded trailer. It wasn't there. I messaged dispatch and waited. After several back and forth messages, my clock was running low, so I messaged them that I was bobtail ING to the truck stop 7 miles away. Next morning, I sent a message asking if they found the trailer. They answered no did you check today. I replied that I was at the Pilot and would head down there. I got there and it still wasn't there. This was a trailer coming from Mexico. I made a note of every CFI trailer in the lot and sent them a message letting them no it wasn't there and sent them the list of trailers that were. After half a day of sitting there, I messaged if they had any answers. They had none, so I messaged that I was heading back to the Pilot. I told them if they couldn't find this trailer to please give me a different load. The next morning started the same as the last, except I added that this was day 3 and if the trailer is not there I want a different load. The trailer wasn't there, I sent a list of trailers that were there and asked for a new load. A few minutes later I get a message load unassigned. Then the new load comes and I'm on my way. In the end, I also got paid $150.00 for layover pay.

One other thing I have started doing is sending everything over the PeopleNet. I only call if I'm driving and need something.

Trucking will humble you and at times frustrate the hell out of you.

I send everything over Peoplenet. Then when no one responds aftet waiting an hour, I call on. Whoever answers states 'I'll take care of it' or 'I'll get back with you' and doesn't. For now on I talk to my FM only. If she 'isn't available or someone else states they can help, I'll ask them to have her call me. She won't be available 24/7 of course, but I am not jumping through a dispatcher minefield where nothing gets resolved. I finally picked up my load this early morning to take to W. Memphis. Supposef to be a hazmat. It wasn't. Get to W. Memphis. then take a load across the river to Memphis door a live unload. While they are unloading, I get a message to drop the trailer. I call in, ask what's going on and am told by day dispatch that it IS a live unload. SMH. Then see on my phone that Joplin dispatch called while I was in receiving. I call Joplin dispatch, who stated "I just got here, so I have no clue why someone called you". No pnet message from Joplin. No phone message. Nothing. SMH. Oh well.

Don I think we have all had days like you described. Trying to work things out on your own is admirable, however in this case not necessarily prudent.

Your absolute best available resourse (and willing) for all things CFI is Big Scott. He clearly has dealt with the exact scenario you described and in this case could have saved you time and aggravation. Use all of the tools you have available to learn this job.

For any Swifties running Walmart Dedicated I have offered the same life-line to Pianoman, Tractorman and Gladhand. I will continue to do that and expect to be called or texted. No different than Rainy with Prime, Old School at Knight and me and Errol with Swift.

Put your ego aside for a bit and call your friend whenever something is unraveling and doesn’t add up. It’s likely he has already experienced the situation and can expedite a solution for you.

Glad you posted this...good “learning” discussion.

My Dispatcher will often give new drivers or drivers who are struggling my number. She had already asked if it was ok to do that and told her yes. Sometimes having something explained is easier to understand when it comes from another driver.

At Knight they have a system in place called the "Senior Driver Committee." Each terminal has a small group of "Senior Drivers" that the new incoming drivers are given phone numbers for. The purpose is to alleviate issues exactly like what Don, and all newbies go through. A good solid driver with experience knows how to handle these things, even when dispatch may not have a clue.

On a side note, I asked one of those guys on our "Senior Driver Committee" about how many calls he gets from rookie drivers. He said, "None, they'd rather waste their time trying to get hold of dispatchers who are already overloaded. But, I don't mind it. I'm getting paid extra for being on this committee, and I don't have to do anything for the money!"

Probably something like ten different people I'm updating on the same damn problem.

That was the exact point of my post.