ODFL | Forced Dispatch

Nappen

TB Lurker
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In the past if my assigned bid run got canceled I'm done for the night. Now I'm being forced onto another run without my consent. My relay guy is still working but they have him doing a straight run to another terminal in his Usual direction. I'm not the bottom driver. I have 3 drivers under me and 1 under me on this destination. Not sure why I'm being picked on but I'm being informed: "Refusal to take this run is subject to termination".

For all you workaholic andy's out there that can't comprehend this please don't comment. This alternate run puts me out 14 hrs and the gate time is 3 hrs after mine. It screws up my sleep schedule and my 10 hr reset for my next scheduled run. Takes away from precious hometime I cherish.

Yes I'd rather stay at home without pay than do a BS run that jeopardizes everything. It goes from a 9pm gate time to a midnight. Somehow they try to fudge the gate time numbers and make the midnight a 9pm but you end up waiting 3 hrs to get loaded at the destination.

I have gone to both my manager and HR. They told me "As long as it's a lawful and safe assignment you are required to work or are subject to disciplinary action up to and including termination."
I asked my manager if they can send me to Florida, Washington, Chicago or California? He said yes, we can send you anywhere. HR confirmed he can do that.

So basically it's Forced Dispatch unless you can find a unlawful or unsafe reason not to do it but your manager or Dispatch may not be of the opinion it isn't lawful or safe.

Man has this company fallen into the cesspool. At this point senority and assigned bid runs on linehaul don't mean jack. After working here 6 years and accruing senority in my position I dont deserve this. It's a deal breaker. They changed the rules without telling us. Time to jump ship.
 
In the past if my assigned bid run got canceled I'm done for the night. Now I'm being forced onto another run without my consent. My relay guy is still working but they have him doing a straight run to another terminal in his Usual direction. I'm not the bottom driver. I have 3 drivers under me and 1 under me on this destination. Not sure why I'm being picked on but I'm being informed: "Refusal to take this run is subject to termination".

For all you workaholic andy's out there that can't comprehend this please don't comment. This alternate run puts me out 14 hrs and the gate time is 3 hrs after mine. It screws up my sleep schedule and my 10 hr reset for my next scheduled run. Takes away from precious hometime I cherish.

Yes I'd rather stay at home without pay than do a BS run that jeopardizes everything. It goes from a 9pm gate time to a midnight. Somehow they try to fudge the gate time numbers and make the midnight a 9pm but you end up waiting 3 hrs to get loaded at the destination.

I have gone to both my manager and HR. They told me "As long as it's a lawful and safe assignment you are required to work or are subject to disciplinary action up to and including termination."
I asked my manager if they can send me to Florida, Washington, Chicago or California? He said yes, we can send you anywhere. HR confirmed he can do that.

So basically it's Forced Dispatch unless you can find a unlawful or unsafe reason not to do it but your manager or Dispatch may not be of the opinion it isn't lawful or safe.

Man has this company fallen into the cesspool. At this point senority and assigned bid runs on linehaul don't mean jack. After working here 6 years and accruing senority in my position I dont deserve this. It's a deal breaker. They changed the rules without telling us. Time to jump ship.
I spent many years with CFCC, CF, and R&L. I can assure you there is life outside LTL. It used to be that LTL was the goose that laid the golden egg. That is No longer the case. There ardd we many opportunities out there to balance home cs work and many are smaller companies. Start looking around your area. They do exist
 
In the past if my assigned bid run got canceled I'm done for the night. Now I'm being forced onto another run without my consent. My relay guy is still working but they have him doing a straight run to another terminal in his Usual direction. I'm not the bottom driver. I have 3 drivers under me and 1 under me on this destination. Not sure why I'm being picked on but I'm being informed: "Refusal to take this run is subject to termination".

For all you workaholic andy's out there that can't comprehend this please don't comment. This alternate run puts me out 14 hrs and the gate time is 3 hrs after mine. It screws up my sleep schedule and my 10 hr reset for my next scheduled run. Takes away from precious hometime I cherish.

Yes I'd rather stay at home without pay than do a BS run that jeopardizes everything. It goes from a 9pm gate time to a midnight. Somehow they try to fudge the gate time numbers and make the midnight a 9pm but you end up waiting 3 hrs to get loaded at the destination.

I have gone to both my manager and HR. They told me "As long as it's a lawful and safe assignment you are required to work or are subject to disciplinary action up to and including termination."
I asked my manager if they can send me to Florida, Washington, Chicago or California? He said yes, we can send you anywhere. HR confirmed he can do that.

So basically it's Forced Dispatch unless you can find a unlawful or unsafe reason not to do it but your manager or Dispatch may not be of the opinion it isn't lawful or safe.

Man has this company fallen into the cesspool. At this point senority and assigned bid runs on linehaul don't mean jack. After working here 6 years and accruing senority in my position I dont deserve this. It's a deal breaker. They changed the rules without telling us. Time to jump ship.
Welcome to the new reality. I have 12 more years on you and I have seen the change. Here’s the reality, we’re all just number’s. Us Old School driver’s are slowly going to the wayside. It’s a new, progressive attitude from management. I have heard and seen this happening to driver’s. Personally it’s never happened to me. I understand your frustration. I’m line also and when you get done for the day the home time is important. Forcing you to take a later run that screws up your normal gate the next day isn’t right. Do what I’ve done, fly under the radar.
 
Did the manager that said refusing work assignments come from UPS or something? I was under the impression we did not have forced dispatch. Also under the impression that when you turned down a b.s. night they would always “pay you back”. By under the impression I mean that’s what they did to me last winter… via’d me every b.s. terminal they could come up with for like 2 weeks straight.
 
Never heard of that before. You get cancelled you’re done, unless YOU volunteer for extra board. Why even have a central dispatch if the terminal manager can send you wherever he wants? Didn’t know terminal managers had so much pull with line haul. Sounds shady to me.
 
As for forced dispatch, I guess it depends on where you are. I was a city driver and 1 day the afternoon dispatcher told a driver he needed him to make a drop and hook run because we were really busy. The driver told him he'd do it when h*ll freezes over. He then punched out on the time clock and went home. He still works there. 2 other drivers and the office clerk heard it all. I left in March, just shy of my 10 year anniversary. I haul potato chips now. I make more money and there's so much less stress. It's amazing how much crap you deal with in LTL. I go to the same 5 stores each day. I pull carts off and pickup the empty carts from the day before.
 
A little off the original topic but sort of related.I used to come in at 7am. One day I got back to the yard about 430, I was told I needed to go back out for a drop and hook that took about 2 hours round trip. I asked if anyone else was available. They said no one is even close. I turned to go out the door and hook up but I saw a guy with much less seniority coming in the gate. He started at 9 am. I said what about him? Dispatcher said "can't you just go, I don't want to hear him b*itch about going". I could fill pages of this forum with these kinds of stories.
 
A little off the original topic but sort of related.I used to come in at 7am. One day I got back to the yard about 430, I was told I needed to go back out for a drop and hook that took about 2 hours round trip. I asked if anyone else was available. They said no one is even close. I turned to go out the door and hook up but I saw a guy with much less seniority coming in the gate. He started at 9 am. I said what about him? Dispatcher said "can't you just go, I don't want to hear him b*itch about going". I could fill pages of this forum with these kinds of stories.
We have tons of those type people. My favorite is the ones that regardless of work, they simply will be off everyday by 4-430. And then there is the ones that come in at 4am and work until 6pm. Work the dock for 8 hours and get a 4 stop route and get another 6 hours….when clearly they shouldn’t be in a truck because freight is slow, very slow. Then you have office people-you need a copy?
We have 6 people to do it for you. Don’t want to make at least 15 stops a day? Don’t worry, we will give you 3 stops, and let you milk the clock for 8 hours.
 
Not to throw gas on the fire here, but anytime freight slows down, the norm, is not the norm anymore. It’s coming straight from the top down to move the freight you have as efficient as possible, and control costs. Management would rather step on guys who normally do their job, than argue with the whiners. Least path of resistance.
 
Not to throw gas on the fire here, but anytime freight slows down, the norm, is not the norm anymore. It’s coming straight from the top down to move the freight you have as efficient as possible, and control costs. Management would rather step on guys who normally do their job, than argue with the whiners. Least path of resistance.
It goes back to the old saying (You can't have your cake and eat it too)
Big money or a contract?
Without a contract, you are an At-Will Employee.
 
It goes back to the old saying (You can't have your cake and eat it too)
Big money or a contract?
Without a contract, you are an At-Will Employee.
You’d be surprised at how many former Teamsters are actually working here at O.D.

ABF, UPS or T-Force couldn‘t take them all. Most of them have mortgages and couldn’t make their $60k pickup payment at Yellow. Standard Forwarding in the Midwest doesn’t even pay what most of us were making back in 2010 yet. The teamster driven cement mixers and dump trucks only make good money 6-9 months a year. They aren’t in the pension funds though. The Teamsters food and bakery guys aren’t making near the amount of money they should be either. No union gas tankers around here anymore.

Kind of an option limited deal.

Organize OD?

They would literally shut terminal down and cover it from 1-3 other terminals by the next day and not even bat an eye.

So it kind of pointless to even remind us we’re at will. We know.

Also most people who are working currently with OD weren’t even in the workforce yet when the LTL freight industry started the move to majority non-union. One could argue the majority of previous generation had it too good for too long and didn’t even realize or even feel they would have needed to fight for the future generations. Not meaning as an insult. Please don’t take it that way.
 
You’d be surprised at how many former Teamsters are actually working here at O.D.

ABF, UPS or T-Force couldn‘t take them all. Most of them have mortgages and couldn’t make their $60k pickup payment at Yellow. Standard Forwarding in the Midwest doesn’t even pay what most of us were making back in 2010 yet. The teamster driven cement mixers and dump trucks only make good money 6-9 months a year. They aren’t in the pension funds though. The Teamsters food and bakery guys aren’t making near the amount of money they should be either. No union gas tankers around here anymore.

Kind of an option limited deal.

Organize OD?

They would literally shut terminal down and cover it from 1-3 other terminals by the next day and not even bat an eye.

So it kind of pointless to even remind us we’re at will. We know.

Also most people who are working currently with OD weren’t even in the workforce yet when the LTL freight industry started the move to majority non-union. One could argue the majority of previous generation had it too good for too long and didn’t even realize or even feel they would have needed to fight for the future generations. Not meaning as an insult. Please don’t take it that way.
I certainly didn't mean it as an insult.
I'm stating, back when LTL was 70 plus % union, people were begging for union jobs.
You couldn't compare benefits and wages.
I doubt many of you were around in the fifties to see how employees were treated with no contracts.
Some still fail to see, the big bucks they're making are because of unions.
I'm just stating facts, a promise will never be as good as a contract.
You mention our generation had it too good, we paid our dues but I probably would have worked for half price just to drive that big ole truck.
And no, I'm not trying to organize you, I'm just proud to be a Teamster for 65 yrs, they've done quite well for me.
PS PIE tried to but O D years ago, wonder where you would be today if they had succeeded?
 
I wasn’t trying to insult either by any means. I’m referring to the guys who were around for the good times and only had to strike a handful of times or maybe only in 1994? You were working as a Teamster already when the first NMFA came to fruition if I’m not mistaken. The guys who got a Teamsters job in the mid to late 70’s or very early 80’s and were able to retire before YRCW came along and bought all the regionals and Roadway and destroyed the NMFA.

Those were the guys who would stand on a customers dock and tell me when I was fresh to LTL and didn‘t even have enough experience to have bought a Teamster job -that I was a scab or an idiot for working at CCX (Conway Central Express) and how much better they were then me. That left a pretty bad impression on me. Milwaukee, WI when I first started out was a pretty strong Teamsters area.

I have chosen to work non-union and ran my own truck for a while. I’ve always had fun in this industry and I always have gotten out what I put in. There are plenty of bad apples union or non. At every employer too for that matter.

Regardless of all of that, Old Dominion has provided me a good living. I understand the frustration from some of the guys. I’ve been fortunate in my life as my wife has always had a good job and we’ve always lived within our means and if I sit home a night it means I can get some projects wrapped up at home. If my run gets canceled and they put me on something else that takes longer I just grin and bear it. I took an attitude early on in my career that the second my alarm clock goes off on a workday/night my whole day is shot. If I get anything done when I get home it is a bonus, if I don’t oh well.
 
Yep, you're so right about the bad-mouthing and name-calling.
When we tried to organize Overnite years ago, I think that helped cause the lost election.
We had guys who would not stop where Overnite did, I made it a point to stop and had many friends who drove for them.
I was one of the lucky ones who retired at 30 and out at 54 yrs old.
Still today you hear people use the word scab and don't know the definition.
 
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