Outline of My Third Oral Presentation
Dispatchers and Drivers
This is a Presentation of Driving Lessons
(The University of Alberta Press, 2002) edited by J. Peter Rothe
(p. 143-159)
By Lynda Hoang
Instructions for this oral presentation are
found at:
www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/leonpsy21/g21-oral.htm
I.
Informal power of Dispatchers
A.
Dispatchers bridge management and drivers. They tell truckers where to drive, when to
arrive, and how much they will be paid for it.
They have a great amount of informal power over truckers. Informal
power is the control dispatchers have over drivers outside of the rules and
policies. It is commonly used and
accepted by management, and may sometimes be unsafe or illegal.
1.
Dispatchers
can assign loads, equipment, and hours according to which drivers they
prefer. They may force drivers to drive
longer and faster than regulations allow or may emphasize road safety. Example: One driver refused to take a new
load because he fulfilled his legal number of hours. In retaliation, the dispatcher assigned the
trucker a low-profit load: a full-day
trip with a four-hour ferry ride. The
driver was not able to earn money while parked on the ferry.
2.
Although
dispatchers commonly encourage truckers to compromise traffic laws and safety
regulations, they are hardly ever held responsible for it.
B.
I chose
to talk about informal power because it doesn’t only exist in the
dispatcher-driver world, but everywhere.
I think it’s unfortunate that it can be used way that makes workers feel
helpless because if they do not comply with even outrageous demands, they may
face hardship.
C.
In our
culture, informal power exists everywhere.
1.
A teacher is using informal power if he or she
gives treats to students who do well.
2.
Sexual
harassment occurs when one person has formal or informal power over the other.
(Those who have less power than their harasser, such as women and children, may
be too afraid to indicate that a behavior is unwanted.)
D.
http://www.uwec.edu/affirm/Affirmative/harrassment.htm
II.
Breaking Laws as Routine Practice
A.
Truckers
and dispatchers often see laws as elastic and stretch them according to
business circumstances (maximizing profit).
1.
Logbooks
and hours of service – Truckers cheat on logbooks so they can drive more hours
than legally allowed. Many have problems
making ends meet within the legal framework.
1.
Techniques: Back-filling, multiple logbooks, butterfly
logs. Fixed logbooks relate to
drugs. A tampered logbook suggests the
trucker has been driving more hours than legally allowed. The driver must find ways to stay alert. Solution:
Amphetamines.
2.
Weight
– Shippers give dispatchers a load weight over the phone. When the trucker arrives, the load is heavier
than quoted. Cutting the load takes
valuable time and the driver may have to pay another trucker to take some of
the load. Being caught at a weigh scale
means the driver pays a fine.
Dispatchers may encourage drivers to drive around scales. Changing to lighter tractors means the
original driver loses his trip. Therefore,
drivers accept the overweight load. The
stressful experience = compromised safety.
3.
Time
pressure and speeding – If the load is late, they lose money.
1.
Example: Load must arrive at
2.
Sometimes
arrival times aren’t that important, but part of business. Shippers establish arrival times and get
their goods for cheaper if the trucker is late.
B.
Personally,
I disagree with breaking laws as routine practice. Although we all break them at one time or
another, they shouldn’t be taken lightly.
They were put in place for the safety and order of society.
C.
In our
society, many people drive everyday and forget that it is a big
responsibility. Example: At some intersections, although there is a
sign that says “no left turn,” I often see car after car making that turn.
D.
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&oi=defmore&q=define:law
I.
Dispatchers’ Effect on Driving
A.
Dispatchers
have power, and truckers fear losing their jobs. Bad-mouthing, unreasonable loads, and tasks
that are impossible for truckers to do without breaking laws make them
emotional. Truckers are not robots.
1.
These
emotions affect truckers’ attention span, aggression, and fatigue level.
2.
Angry
drivers are dangerous drivers. They are
distracted by feelings of resentment instead of paying attention to the
road.
3.
Example: A driver was on his way from
B.
I chose
this topic because I agree that others can have a big impact on your driving
behavior, especially when they put you in a bad mood. I know that when one of my passengers makes
me angry, I drive more recklessly because I’m angry and distracted.
C.
I feel
society should be more aware of how drivers are affected by the behavior of
those around them. Not only do drivers
need to practice good driving behavior, but dispatchers need to be supportive
and passengers need to practice good passenger behavior. Although dispatchers influence safety on the
roads through drivers, shippers put pressure on dispatchers. Therefore, there should be research on all of
these groups in order to increase safety on our roads.
D.
http://www.heavydutytrucking.com/2003/08/038a0308.asp
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