James Gibson, 52, Louisville, KY   
Professional driving experience: 3 years  
“You’ve got some good dispatchers and you’ve got some bad ones. The good ones really care about their drivers. The bad ones just sit in front of their computer screens. If you have a question, they might answer you, they might not, whatever. The good ones will help you out. If you get lost, they’ll call the customer, do the legwork for you and get back to you with the right directions.”

Derek Kroninger, 31, Shepherdsville, KY 
Professional driving experience: 11 years    
“Communication. In my years of driving over-the-road, my biggest problem with dispatch is that everything is a secret. Dispatchers don’t want to tell you what they’re doing, and they don’t want to tell you where you’re going, because you may not want to do it. That could screw up their plans. But if you communicate with them and build a good relationship with them, everything should be good. They’re out to do a job. You’re out to do a job and make money. Everyone has their role.”

Ken Sargent, 55, Owensboro, KY  
Professional driving experience: 33 years  
“Try putting yourself in their position. On one hand, they have all these demanding customers and on the other hand, they’re dealing with some drivers   who shouldn’t even be on the road. I don’t think they want to lie to you, but they’ll tell you a great big one if they have to. I’m not sure ex-drivers make good dispatchers, though. At some companies, if they have a driver who’s been involved in several wrecks, they make him the safety director. If they have a driver who messes up loads and gets lost, they make him the dispatcher.”