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Voice Dispatching ?!


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We all are aware of the digital dispatching options and the push by the motor clubs for providers to go digital... Why, because it allows them to cut THEIR costs! They don;t have to have call center reps calling providers, instead the computer does the work and sends the dispatches out...

 

That said, on the towing/roadside assistance company side, I'm curious how others are either embracing the change and options of technology vs staying with the long standing dispatching methods. 

 

The old method goes with the pen/paper and calling the drivers to give them the dispatch info for a job. So you're drivers have to pull over each time to get the job details, as it's not permitted to text or be on the phone and drive a CMV.

 

Next option is to email/text the job to their phone, but there's problems with that, as it's not permitted to "text or be on a cell phone while driving a CMV" Link here:-> https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/regulations/rulemaking/2010-23861

 

Third option is to use radios and do dispatching via voice over a two-way radio system that you either own or lease access to. Problem is that it has a limited coverage area, so if your driver/truck goes outside your service area of coverage, the radio stops working..

 

Fourth option is the newer digital dispatch and App based platforms, but still again, the drivers and the dispatcher in your office still need to communicate, so you're either back to calling them on the phone or radio or pulling over to text the office...  

 

I've seen a few options where it "looks" like a two-way radio for your truck, but it's actually a cell-phone with a Push-to-Talk feature, so you could be based in Florida, and drive to Texas and still be able to use the truck "radio (which is a cell phone with Push-to-talk) and communicate with all of your drivers/dispatch and office while you were long haul trucking to Texas... While this sounds good initially, I do see some inherent flaws in the implementation with this approach. First, it REQUIRES that you have a cellular service connection for it to work! So if you drive thru an area with limited/spotty coverage or lose service, then it stops working..because it's not a real radio, but instead it uses the LTE cellular network.. Secondly, it's an additional cell line of service for each and every unit you have one mounted in to use it, so if you have 9 trucks, 7 service vehicles, 3 support units, plus supervisors/owners and your dispatch offices, then that can VERY quickly add up for having A LOT of cellular lines of service, just to be able to that option...Third, although it's a "cellular radio" that's ALL it can do is the Push-to-Talk, it can't download or run ANY apps! So why pay for all those lines of cellular service if it's not even a real and full functional smart phone?! and on the flip side compared to real two-way radios, those have their limitations, as I already pointed out above!

 

Is anyone using any other solution? That allows VOICE dispatching..... I don't think there are many companies that still use two-way radios for dispatching and I see that trend continuing to go down, so with technology, what are others doing, besides just calling on the phone?

 

So, what are others thoughts and what are others doing to dispatch?

 

I believe that real-time VOICE dispatch is NEEDED and I'm curious what others are doing. Thanks in advance for your responses!

Edited by DodgeTowGuy134

 

 

~ I'm not an attorney, nor do I represent to be one. I provide my personal opinion and that on behalf of myself, my company and our operations.

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We started out with AM 2-way radios in the 60's for dispatching; they were barely marginal; on a clear night we could talk to other countries but not across town. We went to FM radios and that was much better in the 80's and 90's. We also used voice pagers during this time and they worked fairly well. I remember when the phone company came out with call forwarding. Mom and Dad were no longer chained to the house after the shop closed at night and weekends. (the phone rang in both places so it was always answered.)

 

When the digital message pagers came out we thought we had the tiger by the tail but were still writing down all the calls on 2 parts paper books. Then along came cell phones and text messaging. They worked better and in more areas than the 2 way radios ever did; they were much more private (our competition was more interested in what we were doing than what they were doing- they scanned our 2 way frequency like russian spies).

 

The real game changer has been Towbook and i-pads. We now handle triple the volume of calls with ease. We issue every driver a company i-pad and also allow them to use their cell phones with Towbook. Our thought behind that is there is no excuse for not responding, replying taking photos etc, with our company owned equipment but they are allowed to use the cell phones as a convenience. We track every truck with Webfleet so the dispatchers can route the appropriate equipment from the closest available cutting down on wait time for the customers andless miles on our fleet.

 

We have seen the need for 2-way radios maybe 5-6 times in the past 3 years but thats not enough for the$10k outlay to get back in the radios. 

Edited by ProTower
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Mark

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Agero actually has an automated call for dispatching over the phone interestingly, So whether or not your digital you still won't get dispatched their club calls from an actual human being.

Our company has actually just recently switched from traditional pen and paper methods to towbook, a few years back we were still doing post it notes and text messages, now we use towbooks digital dispatching, We are working on switching phone providers to a company which offers a push to talk feature that we will have to look into as well, but that likely wouldn't be used as a dispatching feature and would more likely be used to check up on drivers, make sure they saw the dispatched calls on their phone if they are not marked en route, etc. 

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We still dispatch mostly by voice unless the driver's are at the shop when the call comes in. Usually if they're out we shoot them a text to say call when you're clear, meaning either when you're at the drop location of your current call or when you stop somewhere. When they call in we give them the basics of the next run then follow up with a text with all the details. It's worked for us for many years and I don't see us changing to all digital unless we add more drivers. 

 

 

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Do most tow companies prefer DIGITAL dispatching or traditional Voice dispatching (via telephone, radio,etc) ??

 

I'm curious to know if many companies are making the transition into the digital age to embrace technology or if they are long clinging to the ways of the past. 

 

 

~ I'm not an attorney, nor do I represent to be one. I provide my personal opinion and that on behalf of myself, my company and our operations.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Most companies with any call volume prefer digital dispatching. When I say that I mean using gps and a platform like towbook. I don't think very many of them allow the motor clubs to track their trucks and dispatch the "closest one" to their call. I doubt that will ever catch on although the clubs all have a pipe dream that it will someday.

Mark

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  • 2 months later...

I'm still trying to get going again with Digital Dispatch. $100 a month is too much for me. I went with TM and in a week it still wasn't working right, and they want to charge me for  that week. 

I would think about not using any but I do Allstate and I can't understand what any of the dispatchers say because they aren't in the US. Also there e-mail can take up to an hr to show up. 

Swoop now requires me to sign up with Agero and I will not work for there rate. 

What's left.

 

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George, 

Towbook has a free trial of a month I think. (Then $49 a month.) My son set it all up in a couple of days and the Towbook people have been very attentive to any problems we had.

 

Holly's Towing Dispatch might be an alternative for you although I have no idea what she charges. http://hollystowingdispatch.com/

That way you can concentrate on towing and let the dispatch service talk to the overseas dispatchers lining up work for you.

 

Mark

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