Say What?

Question: How do you get along with dispatch?

Doug Vanatta, 55, Findlay, OH

Professional driving experience: 30 years

“I get along great with my dispatcher. In fact, I love her. She’s my daughter. I’ve got my own authority and my own trucks. I taught her to drive, and now she’s our dispatcher. She does a great job.”

Michael Cimbalo, 34, Louisville, KY

Professional driving experience: 4 years

“I guess I get along with dispatch OK. If I want a load, I pretty much get it for the most part. That’s all I can ask.”

Robert Miller, 56, Mount Pleasant, IA

Professional driving experience: 33 years

“I’ve got a good dispatcher. What makes a good dispatcher? One who doesn’t lie to you. That’s the worst thing about dispatchers. They lie to you; they lie through their teeth. They will tell you this, that and the other thing just so you’ll take the load and not argue with them, and then you find out that they have lied to you. Fortunately, I don’t have that problem where I am working now.”

Larry Harris, 49, Houston, TX

Professional driving experience: 2 months

“I’ve only been out here a few months, but so far, I have no problem with our dispatcher. I have a lot more problems with the loading docks than dispatchers. The docks seem really tight. The fact is, I haven’t been out here long enough to make an honest opinion about dispatch or docks.”

Bob Burky, 42, Shelby, IA

Professional driving experience: 22 years

“I like to think I get along with dispatch pretty well. I believe they should have to have been a driver before they get into dispatch, however. That’s where a lot of the problems come from. They’ve never been in a truck, yet they think they can tell you how fast you should be able to get to the next point. They’re not aware of what we’re up against out here.”