Latest news with #dispatchers
CBS News
a day ago
- CBS News
Massive fire breaks out overnight in Midland Borough
A massive fire broke out overnight in Midland Borough. The fire broke out along Midland Avenue around 3 a.m. on Tuesday, dispatchers said. Hours later, flames were still ripping through the building. Dispatchers said that three people were initially trapped inside the building but were able to be rescued by firefighters. It's unclear what sparked the flames at this time.
CBS News
a day ago
- CBS News
One person injured in overnight shooting in Washington, Pa.
One person was injured overnight in a shooting in the city of Washington. The shooting happened near the area of East Hallam Avenue and Ridge Avenue around 1:30 a.m. on Tuesday, dispatchers told KDKA. One person was taken to the hospital, according to dispatchers. Their condition is unknown at this time. Details about the shooting are limited at this time. Dispatchers said that the City of Washington Police Department is handling the investigation into the shooting.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Stacking Margins, Not Miles – The Growth Mindset Most Fleets Miss
Too many carriers are chasing the wrong scoreboard. They measure success by the number of miles they run, the number of loads they book, or how many trucks they have on the road. But here's the truth: more miles don't mean more money—and more loads can sometimes mean more losses. Real growth in this business doesn't come from working harder. It comes from working smarter. From stacking margins, not miles. If your strategy is built on chasing volume, you're on a hamster wheel. You might be busy. You might even look successful from the outside. But your profit and loss statement will eventually expose the truth. You're not building a business—you're burning fuel, time, and energy just to stay afloat. This article is about rewiring your mindset. It's about getting off the volume treadmill and focusing on the one thing that actually builds wealth in trucking: profit per mile. Not gross. Not rate per mile alone. Not how many loads you touch. Margin. That's the game. Why Most Fleets Get It Wrong from the Start Let's be real—most carriers start their business with a hustle mentality. They get a truck, find a dispatcher or hit the load boards, and try to keep that truck moving 6 or 7 days a week. They think the more they move, the more they'll make. And for a little while, that seems true. But here's what happens next: The fuel bill eats up half the revenue The driver gets burned out The maintenance costs pile up One bad load puts you in the red You're cash-flow negative, even though you're 'busy' Why? Because the model was never built to scale. It was built to run. But running without margin is running toward a cliff. Let's Talk About What Margin Really Means Margin isn't just what's left over. It's the purpose behind every mile you run. And it comes down to three things: 1. What You Book It ForAre you just accepting loads because they're available? Or are you choosing freight that fits your lane strategy, customer base, and pricing power? 2. What It Costs to MoveMost carriers don't know their cost per mile down to the penny. If you don't know your baseline, you can't improve your margin. You're negotiating blind. 3. How Efficiently You OperateDeadhead, dwell time, driver turnover, empty miles between loads—all of that cuts into your margin. Tight systems build profit. Loose ones bleed cash. Here's the kicker: you can make more profit moving 1,200 miles a week with strong margins than someone moving 3,000 miles with weak ones. But you've got to change how you think. The Dangerous Trap of Volume Thinking Let me show you how volume thinking hurts growing carriers: You Take Any LoadYour dispatcher sees a $3,000 load and jumps on it. It looks good. But it's 1,500 miles. It burns 250 gallons of fuel. The rate looks high, but after fuel, driver pay, tolls, and lost repositioning miles, your profit margin is paper thin. You Don't Control the LaneWhen you chase spot freight in random markets, you lose all leverage. Now you're not just chasing a load—you're chasing a way out of that load's destination. You lose margin on both ends. You Grow Without SystemsYou add trucks because your revenue looks big, but you don't have a process to monitor each unit's margin. Now you've multiplied your overhead and made your problems bigger—not better. You Burn Out Your TeamLong miles, inefficient planning, poor rest cycles—your drivers leave or disengage. And turnover kills margin more than anything else. The Power of Stacking Margins Now let's flip the script. Let's talk about what stacking margins looks like: Intentional Lane PlanningYou focus on short to mid-haul freight in repeatable lanes. You know your top customers and top regions. You can forecast fuel, time, and detention risk. That allows you to price with purpose. Profitable Load CombinationsInstead of just looking at a load in isolation, you think like a chess player. You ask: What's my next move after this? Maybe a $900 short haul tees you up for a $1,700 local move that gets you home early. Together, they create a $2.60 per mile average and minimize deadhead. That's margin stacking. Driver-Centric PlanningYou design schedules around efficiency, rest, and repeatability. The driver stays engaged, your turnover stays low, and your cost per mile stays consistent. Margin isn't just financial—it's operational. Customer-Focused StrategyYou shift from 'how do I fill the truck?' to 'how do I solve a shipper's problem?' That shift opens the door to higher rates, less competition, and consistent volume. Margin follows value. Real-World Margin Play: Two Fleets, Two Outcomes Fleet A runs 5 trucks, 3,000 miles per week each. Their rate per mile averages $2.10. Their operating cost is $1.80 per mile. Revenue per truck: $6,300 Cost: $5,400 Profit per truck: $900 Fleet B runs 5 trucks, but only 2,000 miles per week. Their rate per mile averages $2.60. Their cost per mile is $1.70 because of fewer miles, better lanes, and tighter planning. Revenue per truck: $5,200 Cost: $3,400 Profit per truck: $1,800 Same size fleet. Lower miles. Double the profit. Which fleet would you rather run? How to Shift Your Strategy Toward Margin 1. Know Your True Cost Per MileNot just fuel. Include insurance, maintenance, payroll, IFTA, subscriptions, everything. Break it down monthly, then weekly. Then compare it to what you're booking. 2. Evaluate Every Load by Margin, Not Just GrossBefore you accept a load, ask: What's my estimated profit after costs? If you're just looking at top-line revenue, you're playing a losing game. 3. Use Tools to See the Full PictureTrack lane profitability. Monitor deadhead. Build dashboards that show your average loaded vs empty miles, gross revenue vs margin, profit per hour. The data tells the truth—if you know how to read it. 4. Train Your Team to Think Like You DoIf your dispatcher only thinks about 'what pays the most,' you've already lost. Train them to plan ahead, look for backhauls, and evaluate full-trip margin. Incentivize margin, not miles. 5. Build Long-Term Shipper RelationshipsWhen you serve a consistent customer, you reduce risk, improve planning, and stabilize your revenue. That gives you leverage and lets you focus on efficiency instead of scrambling. Final Word The mindset that built your business—grind, hustle, stay moving—is not the mindset that will grow your business. Scaling in trucking isn't about booking more loads. It's about booking smarter loads. Loads that protect your bottom line, maximize your assets, and let you breathe. Stacking miles keeps you busy. Stacking margins builds wealth. So stop asking how many loads you can run this week. Start asking how much profit you can generate per load. That shift alone will take your fleet from surviving to scaling—without burning out your trucks, your drivers, or yourself. Let's get to work. The post Stacking Margins, Not Miles – The Growth Mindset Most Fleets Miss appeared first on FreightWaves. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
CBS News
22-07-2025
- CBS News
One person killed, another injured in head-on crash in North Bethlehem Township
One person was killed and another was injured in an early-morning head-on crash in Washington County. The crash happened just after 5:15 a.m. on Tuesday along Rt. 40 near the intersection with Valleyview Road in North Bethlehem Township, according to dispatchers. One person has died in the crash and another is being flown by medical helicopter from the scene. The extent of their injuries wasn't immediately known, dispatchers said. The road is being closed in both directions as first responders are on the scene and is expected to be shut down for a significant amount of time. Pennsylvania State Police out of the Washington barracks will be leading the investigation into the deadly crash.
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- General
- Yahoo
The One-Page SOP Every Owner Operator Should Be Using
Let's say this upfront: if your dispatcher doesn't have a one-page SOP taped to the wall, you're already behind. I've walked into hundreds of dispatch offices—some as clean as a cockpit, others looking like a paperwork tornado touched down. But there's one thing that separates a dispatcher who owns the day from one who reacts to it: a crystal-clear, one-page standard operating procedure. Not a novel. Not a flowchart only IT can read. One page. Clear steps. Non-negotiables. No fluff. You don't need more software. You don't need another dispatch meeting. You need structure. And this SOP is the playbook for running your dispatch like a machine. Most dispatchers are juggling a thousand things—load boards, driver calls, check calls, broker follow-ups, detention fights, fuel stops, the list goes on. Without a system, things fall through the cracks. Loads get double-booked. Drivers sit too long. Communication gets sloppy. And when that happens, profit walks out the door. The SOP isn't about control—it's about clarity. When the phones ring and the ELD pings, your dispatcher can't guess. They need a guide that says: 'Here's how we handle it. Every time.' This one-page SOP keeps your team aligned, focused, and fast. And when you're trying to scale, that's everything. What Goes in the One-Page Dispatcher SOP Here's the exact structure I recommend. Keep it simple. Print it. Post it. Live it. Before they take a call or assign a load, your dispatcher should run through this every single day: Review all driver ELD statuses and Hours of Service Verify truck locations using the live GPS map and driver confirmations Check upcoming scheduled loads for the day and next 48 hours Confirm equipment readiness (reefer temps, securement tools, etc.) Send check-in messages to all active drivers Monitor weather or lane-specific alerts that could impact loads Starting the day with full visibility avoids mistakes, reduces surprises, and puts your dispatcher in control from the jump. Whether you're going direct or brokering through a load board, the SOP must lay out a repeatable process: Step 1: Check your priority lanes and repeat shipper networkStep 2: Evaluate the rate per mile and rate per hourStep 3: Confirm accurate shipper and consignee locationsStep 4: Verify driver availability, HOS, and equipment typeStep 5: Dispatch with full instructions—written, not verbal onlyStep 6: Log appointments and delivery time windows in the TMS Too many dispatchers skip steps to save time—and it always costs more later. This SOP removes the guesswork and cuts down on errors that wreck your margins. This section sets the tone for your dispatch professionalism. Your team isn't just managing trucks—they're managing trust. Your SOP should include: The preferred method of driver communication (call, text, or app-based) Expected response times (no longer than 15 minutes for check-ins) Load update expectations (pickup, en route, delivered) When to document, when to escalate Example:All check-in messages must be logged in the TMS within 5 minutes. If a driver is unresponsive for 30 minutes during a load, escalate to Operations Manager. A dispatcher without communication standards is just winging it—and that leads to driver turnover, missed updates, and operational chaos. Profit disappears when delays get ignored or handled reactively. This section of the SOP is your line of defense. Here's what it should include: Time threshold for detention eligibility (usually 2 hours) Broker or shipper contact info for escalation What documentation is required—time-stamped texts, BOL, driver notes Who submits the detention invoice and within what timeframe Example:If detention exceeds 2 hours, the dispatcher must alert the broker via email and phone, document timestamps in TMS, and submit the claim within 24 hours. Don't wait until Friday to chase detention from Tuesday. You either run a business or you chase scraps. This SOP makes sure you protect your time and your money. The job isn't done at delivery—it's done when the loop is closed clean. Your dispatcher should: Confirm POD is uploaded to TMS and billing platform Verify all accessorials are documented (lumpers, scale tickets, etc.) Mark actual delivery time and any delays in the system Notify billing team that load is ready for invoicing Schedule the driver's next load or reset A single missed POD can delay payment for days. A sloppy post-load process delays growth. You can't scale chaos. You scale what's clear and repeatable. Build it with your team Sit down with your dispatcher and build the SOP together. Don't surprise them with it—collaborate on it. The goal is ownership, not just compliance. Print it and post it One page. Big font. Laminated. Hang it up where they see it every day. This isn't a PDF that collects dust—this is a playbook that runs the day. Review it weekly Every week, take five minutes and review one part of the SOP in your check-ins. Are we sticking to it? Are we skipping steps? This keeps the SOP alive and evolving. Use it to train new dispatchers Your SOP becomes your onboarding tool. Instead of explaining everything from scratch, you now have a baseline system that sets expectations from day one. Dispatch stops being reactive and starts being strategic Drivers stay longer because communication is clear Loads get booked and delivered with fewer issues Cash flow improves because billing doesn't get delayed You stop firefighting and start scaling All from one page. Simple doesn't mean small—it means smart. Too many small carriers think dispatch is just about putting freight on trucks. It's not. Dispatch is the heartbeat of your operation—and if that beat skips, your business suffers. This SOP isn't just a document. It's how you create discipline. It's how you get your time back. It's how you build a business that doesn't fall apart when you add trucks, drivers, or freight. And if you don't have one yet? You already know what to do. If you want help building your dispatch system the right way, we teach this step-by-step inside the Playbook. Let's build the foundation that actually scales. The post The One-Page SOP Every Owner Operator Should Be Using appeared first on FreightWaves. Sign in to access your portfolio
