A step in the right direction
- Thread starter scottm4211
- Start date
guido4475
Not a Member
If there are really 9.9 loads per truck, I have 2 questions.
Why aren’t people screaming as uncovered freight is sitting all over the place?
Why aren’t people getting $5 per mile, routinely to pull that hot load ?
Why aren’t people screaming as uncovered freight is sitting all over the place?
Why aren’t people getting $5 per mile, routinely to pull that hot load ?
guido4475
Not a Member
I remember when I had my big trucks sitting at Budweiser for over 24 hrs waiting on loads. Driver would call and say I’m leaving with the load not waiting any longer. The keg line was the worst. Drivers pulled out empty everyday after waiting 10-12 hrs. Had no affect. Guy dumped his empty kegs on the ground once. Cops got called, turned ugly for awhile. He sat over 20hrs waiting to unload. I pulled out of MTD in Tennessee same thing 10-20 hrs to get loaded. When I ran local union job I always took the grocery loads. I knew where I would be all day. This is a good thing making shippers understand the tables are turning. They may find it harder to get or ship loads. AND that is a game changer. Been in the trucking industry for over 40 years. This is a leverage drivers have never had.
guido4475
Not a Member
I just want to know. How do the customers get away without paying detention? Does the contract mean nothing? (Not that it solves the drivers lost time and revenue but it beats a kick in the ass)
Once you have been to one grocery house you will know what to expect from all the others. Sure there are some minor differences like pallet codes, block layout, break times, etc. Just expect to get jacked around and waste a day and you will do just fine. Grocery house dock workers are like wolves or other wild predators. If they get a scent that you are in a hurry or show any sign of impatiences, you are screwed. Go with the flow. Smile and act as if their dock is the only place in the whole wide world you want to be.
When I was doing LTL city P & D I loved grocery houses, especially SuperValu general merchandise dock. I got paid by the hour and conscientiously adhered to my carrier's strict lunch break policy. A ½ hour, unpaid lunch break was required. The break had to be completed between one's 4th and 6th hour on duty. I had a 06:00 start time which meant I had to take my break no later than 11:30. SuperValu general merchandise dock workers took lunch at 12:00. I took my lunch at 11:30 and at noon either joined the dock guys in the cafeteria or took a nap on the clock.
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I got stiffed on detention twice in all the years driving. I never ran a load for those shippers again.
At grocery houses it is more than not getting paid detention time. You do their work. You can have a trailer load of one item, wrapped, on 4-way pallets and have to knock off two or more layers. Or knock it all down and put it on small wood. That's just for a load all one item. Most loads are made up of several different items and sizes. Sort and segregate to their block patterns and pallet sizes.
I used to slag an average of 1500# of turbine blades on and off my van every weekday. Others would show up and demand to be loaded. Funny enough, they'd ask for me to pick up lol
Translated to guaranteed all miles income for 9 years. But if I showed up and there wasn't freight: full pay is what I received. We had a contract
Translated to guaranteed all miles income for 9 years. But if I showed up and there wasn't freight: full pay is what I received. We had a contract
Companies don’t go after detention time in most cases for fear of losing the customer.
Yeah if memory serves, you're right I think we had one of those back in the day.
Apparently you do, since they aren't all that way.
One of them changed ???
Tennesseahawk
Veteran Expediter
Nah, I thought he was talking about something else.Apparently you do, since they aren't all that way.
One of them changed ???
Tennesseahawk
Veteran Expediter
When I first read that click-bait style title, I was thinking that they finally started paying their drivers a decent wage. No such luck.