Is All Load Planning Not Planned Very Well Or Just My Company?

In a perfect world (click your ruby slippers) dispatch, load planners, etc etc should all be required to ride along and/or have a friggin cdl. Whoa! Sorry just woke up from a dream!

Too funny...

The majority of Swift’s , planners, safety managers and terminal managers I worked with for my 8 years there were former drivers. Several of them still drive part time. The most recent terminal manager was a driver for 12 years.

It used to be a requirement that was recently relaxed.

In a perfect world (click your ruby slippers) dispatch, load planners, etc etc should all be required to ride along and/or have a friggin cdl. Whoa! Sorry just woke up from a dream!

Too funny...

The majority of Swift’s , planners, safety managers and terminal managers I worked with for my 8 years there were former drivers. Several of them still drive part time. The most recent terminal manager was a driver for 12 years.

It used to be a requirement that was recently relaxed.

In a perfect world (click your ruby slippers) dispatch, load planners, etc etc should all be required to ride along and/or have a friggin cdl. Whoa! Sorry just woke up from a dream!

Instead of the FMCSA 'worrying' about L/Ops.. they really SHOULD make it mandatory for dispatchers (dipsticks as my other half says) and FM's to have CDL's.

Luckily, our evening guy does. SMDH.

~ Anne ~

Anne I would settle for mandatory parking at customers or at least in industrial parks

Anne I would settle for mandatory parking at customers or at least in industrial parks

Agreed! I see so much wasted space at some of these locations, that by doing away with certain decorative landscaping, they could wrap a two lane around the building. Make it a one way private street, two lanes. One for parking, one for actively driving into the facility.

Good to know. Once again Swift gets props in my book.

Too funny...

The majority of Swift’s , planners, safety managers and terminal managers I worked with for my 8 years there were former drivers. Several of them still drive part time. The most recent terminal manager was a driver for 12 years.

It used to be a requirement that was recently relaxed.

In a perfect world (click your ruby slippers) dispatch, load planners, etc etc should all be required to ride along and/or have a friggin cdl. Whoa! Sorry just woke up from a dream!

I dont know if this is just how the industry is or if my terminal is just very dysfunctional? When I run out of other terminals, the problem doesnt seem to occur nearly as much, but its definitely building up to me looking elsewhere for employment.

To answer your question really directly…the answer really is both. Sometimes that’s just how it is. Something I had to remind Truckin Mama while I was training her is that their priority is to move the freight not the driver and there are usually things going on behind the scenes that we’re not aware of.

That said, yeah I’m sorry but that’s inefficient as hell and I’d be very frustrated as well. Like you mentioned in a later comment there was obviously a lack of proper communication between the various people involved in the process. Things like this happen from time to time and it’s part of trucking but if it were happening frequently personally I’d be looking around too. Sometimes the answer is getting on a different fleet in your company, different dispatcher , etc. When I worked at Swift my productivity when OTR had a lot to do with who my dispatcher was. When I switched to certain dedicated fleets I tended to have more consistent work and scheduling.

Not to tote my own company but to give some perspective I never sit around on my fleet. The longest I’ve ever sat was like 6 hours when we had a terrible windstorm and Home Depot refused to unload me until the wind died down some. I don’t always run as hard as I want but like G Town said building relationships is crucial to running more efficiently and consistently.

I think the best advice I can give is you gotta find your niche. The fleet you’re on may not be the best fit for you. That doesn’t necessarily mean switching companies especially working for a larger carrier like Knight. IMO one of the greatest advantages of working for a larger carrier is the ability to try different options without jumping ship. Not saying don’t jump ship but I want to make it clear that jumping ship is also kinda a last resort especially this early in the game. I also suspect that inexperience could potentially be a factor here as well. There have indeed been very high winds all around lately and if you can’t run you can’t run. But just throwing it out there (no assumptions here, just recognizing it’s a possibility), I wonder if there might have been smaller pockets of lower wind conditions when you could have advanced the load more quickly than sitting for four whole days. Oftentimes the winds die down at night giving you a window to get moving. Again, I don’t know and I imagine you already thought of this but I’m just thinking out loud.

Hopefully at least some of that is helpful

I dont know if this is just how the industry is or if my terminal is just very dysfunctional? When I run out of other terminals, the problem doesnt seem to occur nearly as much, but its definitely building up to me looking elsewhere for employment.

To answer your question really directly…the answer really is both. Sometimes that’s just how it is. Something I had to remind Truckin Mama while I was training her is that their priority is to move the freight not the driver and there are usually things going on behind the scenes that we’re not aware of.

That said, yeah I’m sorry but that’s inefficient as hell and I’d be very frustrated as well. Like you mentioned in a later comment there was obviously a lack of proper communication between the various people involved in the process. Things like this happen from time to time and it’s part of trucking but if it were happening frequently personally I’d be looking around too. Sometimes the answer is getting on a different fleet in your company, different dispatcher , etc. When I worked at Swift my productivity when OTR had a lot to do with who my dispatcher was. When I switched to certain dedicated fleets I tended to have more consistent work and scheduling.

Not to tote my own company but to give some perspective I never sit around on my fleet. The longest I’ve ever sat was like 6 hours when we had a terrible windstorm and Home Depot refused to unload me until the wind died down some. I don’t always run as hard as I want but like G Town said building relationships is crucial to running more efficiently and consistently.

I think the best advice I can give is you gotta find your niche. The fleet you’re on may not be the best fit for you. That doesn’t necessarily mean switching companies especially working for a larger carrier like Knight. IMO one of the greatest advantages of working for a larger carrier is the ability to try different options without jumping ship. Not saying don’t jump ship but I want to make it clear that jumping ship is also kinda a last resort especially this early in the game. I also suspect that inexperience could potentially be a factor here as well. There have indeed been very high winds all around lately and if you can’t run you can’t run. But just throwing it out there (no assumptions here, just recognizing it’s a possibility), I wonder if there might have been smaller pockets of lower wind conditions when you could have advanced the load more quickly than sitting for four whole days. Oftentimes the winds die down at night giving you a window to get moving. Again, I don’t know and I imagine you already thought of this but I’m just thinking out loud.

Hopefully at least some of that is helpful

I do usually run the pockets for wind at night. I didnt in this case because I was cranky about the load and the wind wasnt following that pattern, it was staying gusty at night. Ive for sure thought about switching it up within Knight. I keep my mouth shut with them though, especially when Im frustrated. Im developing a good relationship with my new DM , and through him the planners to the extent that I can. Even with shutting down, my numbers are still good and I continue to bank favors. Some days are better than others as with most of life. My DM has repeatedly told me that Im his only driver that he can leave unattended and not have to worry about anything. I typically solve whatever issues come up and or bring them to his attention promptly. Hes a good kid and I hope he sticks around. I dont know if its the norm or not, but him and I will bs and talk on the phone for extended periods of time, not about work, just life in general, I didnt have that with my other DMs.

I often wonder if dry van isnt my niche. Its all Ive done, and I tremendously enjoy it so far, I like the open road and going to new places but I also enjoy running through areas that I know each little idiosyncrasy and nook and cranny of. Im definitely not fond of live loads/unloads, and I hate early mornings. I do however love the sound of a reefer running all night, puts me right too sleep. Im still fascinated by flatbeds. I figure Ill keep doing dry van and building my reputation for now but keep an open mind to other stuff. Im just now getting to the point where Im really comfortable backing and can do it by instinct and feel a lot of the time. Where you just know its going where you intended, how you intended. I feel like Im not fighting the trailer anymore and I enjoy it, but that may mean its time to grow again.

Anne I would settle for mandatory parking at customers or at least in industrial parks

Anne I would settle for mandatory parking at customers or at least in industrial parks

Agreed! I see so much wasted space at some of these locations, that by doing away with certain decorative landscaping, they could wrap a two lane around the building. Make it a one way private street, two lanes. One for parking, one for actively driving into the facility.

I hear you, gals. I do. How DOES one start and/or support such legislation that's been overlooked for so long, anyway?

Heck, the being able to use the restroom at the shippers/receivers is just NOW catching steam, .. and only in a 'few' states!

~ Anne ~

ps: send me a link to the parking one; it'll be at the top of my list, and I dang sure promise!

pps: NaeNae ... I always wonder 'why' there are t/t tracks in the 'pretty pretty' stuff at some of these places.....and in the back of my mind, the Italian part of me speaks up, and says, "hehehehehe...should've been mine!" ;)