Dispatch Supervisor Offer

Here's the deal: I've been working in primary for a couple of months and going to school full time during the afternoons and evenings. There are no problems, everything is going great, but there is an opening for the Dispatch Sup and I was approached by HR to see if I'd be interested, which I am.

My concerns are that the last two people to hold the position quit, but the one before them did it for four years and was promoted out of it. I'm not familiar with the position of Dispatch Sup, but can anyone tell me if it's a job that can be done "right." And by that I mean, is it possible for the Dispatch Sup to make all sides happy, or is it a job that's just set up for failure? I know what kind of grief management gets from all sides, and that's not too much of a concern, but I don't want to jump into something that's broken from the start with no hope of fixing it.

Any opinions are greatly appreciated or stories about the P/T Dispatch Sup in your center. Thanks.
 

BlackCat

Well-Known Member
That is probably one of the most thankless jobs in UPS (as a salaried employee) You will NEVER be able to appease everybody. EXPECT to make many difficult and unpopular decisions. Grow some very thick skin because you are going to have a turnstile of some very angry drivers in your ear daily.

You couldnt pay me enough to take that crap job.
 

jaker

trolling
But if you like playing and talking on your cell phone and can deal with drivers yelling at you then go for it

I had to do it when I was on light duty and I know where drivers come from and still got the stink eye from some , the jest of the job is to tell the drivers to go help other drivers or get some pickups , but you are telling them this right when we are trying to go home so we get pissed
 

Johney

Well-Known Member
But if you like playing and talking on your cell phone and can deal with drivers yelling at you then go for it

I had to do it when I was on light duty and I know where drivers come from and still got the stink eye from some , the jest of the job is to tell the drivers to go help other drivers or get some pickups , but you are telling them this right when we are trying to go home so we get pissed
I think there may be some confusion. What you are talking about is called ODS dispatch(during the day). The OP I think is talking about driver dispatch in the a.m.. I could be wrong though.
 

Brownslave688

You want a toe? I can get you a toe.
I've been waiting 4 years for our dispatcher to retire. He is on vacation this week and the center manager took over dispatch. Now I can't wait for him to get back.
 
The position I'm talking about is early a.m., I think the hours are from 2-7. From what I've been told it's the guy that looks at the numbers to figure out how many routes are going out, and then moves packages around to different cars to keep drivers from being to heavy or light.
 

Brownslave688

You want a toe? I can get you a toe.
The position I'm talking about is early a.m., I think the hours are from 2-7. From what I've been told it's the guy that looks at the numbers to figure out how many routes are going out, and then moves packages around to different cars to keep drivers from being to heavy or light.



Close but what u really do is see how many routes you can cut then move packages around to make drivers just heavy instead of really heavy.
 

curiousbrain

Well-Known Member
Here's the deal: I've been working in primary for a couple of months and going to school full time during the afternoons and evenings. There are no problems, everything is going great, but there is an opening for the Dispatch Sup and I was approached by HR to see if I'd be interested, which I am.

My concerns are that the last two people to hold the position quit, but the one before them did it for four years and was promoted out of it. I'm not familiar with the position of Dispatch Sup, but can anyone tell me if it's a job that can be done "right." And by that I mean, is it possible for the Dispatch Sup to make all sides happy, or is it a job that's just set up for failure? I know what kind of grief management gets from all sides, and that's not too much of a concern, but I don't want to jump into something that's broken from the start with no hope of fixing it.

Any opinions are greatly appreciated or stories about the P/T Dispatch Sup in your center. Thanks.

No.
 

UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)

Well-Known Member
I've been waiting 4 years for our dispatcher to retire. He is on vacation this week and the center manager took over dispatch. Now I can't wait for him to get back.

We had an on-car retire two weeks ago and our PDS was on vacation this week so our center manager took over the dispatch.

We can't wait for the PDS to come back to work on Monday.

The funny part is the PDS told me at the retirement party that he was going on vacation and that it would be the week from hell for us. It was.
 

brownedout

Well-Known Member
To answer your questions, no it is not possible to make all sides happy, yes the job is set up to fail. As someone fixed for you, you have no say in the number of routes that get sent out. Hell your center manager (or most center manager's) in my experience have no say in the number of routes that get sent out. You just get to live with the dirty glares that get sent in your direction for yesterdays poor dispatch. It's been a bone of contention of mine and many of my fellow drivers for quite a few years, the cavalier attitude upper management has in assigning the PDS job. The most successful PDS's I have come across are On Cars who really took the effort as OC's to get out there and learn the areas, who actually listened to their drivers to try to make the job less miserable for all concerned. In short the one's who came to realize sometimes the best move is not to cut the 8000 section from truck A to the 8000 in truck B because that's what's best/easiest/quickest for the preload.
 
Thanks for the responses, they echo what everyone around here (with the exception of 2 people) has been telling me. I'm still not in the union because of the Summer temp thing so I'm thinking that set hours and pay might be a nice thing. I'm not guaranteed a job come September, although I think they'd try to keep me around. However, since this PTPDS is kind of new, does anyone think that technology will make this position obsolete in a few years? In which case I'd be out too.
 

UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)

Well-Known Member
We had a retirement party for an on-car sup a few weeks ago. Our PDS and center manager were among others in attendance. I asked the PDS if he felt that dispatching would be taken away from the centers and handled in a central location and he said that there were too many variables for this to be feasible. I also asked him how he felt about stops per car (hates it) and whether he dispatches based on the driver (99% of the time he doesn't).

I would take the PTPDS position if nothing else for the experience and as a resume builder.
 

Johney

Well-Known Member
Take the job what have you got to lose? Technology at UPS doesn't really become obsolete,it's called "upgrading". I too have heard rumors of dispatching being done off-site in a central location,but I just can't see that really working out unless the center can still do the minor last minute changes they always seem to do at our center for 8 hr request's the dispatcher forgot or just gave the driver too much work to complete in 8.
 

rocket man

Well-Known Member
Here's the deal: I've been working in primary for a couple of months and going to school full time during the afternoons and evenings. There are no problems, everything is going great, but there is an opening for the Dispatch Sup and I was approached by HR to see if I'd be interested, which I am.

My concerns are that the last two people to hold the position quit, but the one before them did it for four years and was promoted out of it. I'm not familiar with the position of Dispatch Sup, but can anyone tell me if it's a job that can be done "right." And by that I mean, is it possible for the Dispatch Sup to make all sides happy, or is it a job that's just set up for failure? I know what kind of grief management gets from all sides, and that's not too much of a concern, but I don't want to jump into something that's broken from the start with no hope of fixing it.

Any opinions are greatly appreciated or stories about the P/T Dispatch Sup in your center. Thanks.
HI I did not read any other answers on your post you are the only one who can answer YOURquestion.But if you are any good at dispatch?i hope they transfer you to our center,. GOOD LUCK IN YOUR CHOICE.
 
Top