Confessions of a dockworker... long...

[shakeytails]

I was browsing some of your old posts and saw several complaints about dock workers. I work the shipping dock of an auto parts manufacturer. We're non-union, so we're a bit easier to deal with than the union guys- at least that's what I hear from the truck drivers.

I deal with a lot of expediters, mostly incoming, but some outgoing freight also.

In case you haven't noticed, fork truck drivers are incredibly lazy! We hate to get off our lifts. At our plant, you are more than welcome to open the dock door, put down the dock plate, and lock your truck in. (I realize, though, that at some plants they'll take your head off for doing just that!) That way I don't have to do all that, then wait for you to take off all your load securing devices before I can unload your truck. Usually I'm pretty busy and could be using that time for something else. I love it when all I have to do is unload the truck and sign the paperwork. And if you're driving a cargo van, please have some method of pulling that pallet that slid forward to the back. I really don't have time to hunt down a chain or straps to pull the load to where I can get under it with my forks. This doesn't happen real often, but enough to make me gripe about it.

Please don't gripe about waiting to be unloaded. Fifteen minutes or a half hour really isn't that long. I had one guy, that must have showed up just as I was going to break, get all pissy because he'd been waiting 15 whole minutes. Also, in most cases I'm going to finish loading/unloading the truck I'm working on before I get to yours. And outgoing shipments (with window times) ALWAYS get priority. And, most of the time your load isn't truly "hot". Yeah, we may need the parts, but we've got enough to run for several hours or more. Sometimes, too, it's just that the manufacturer didn't have all the parts ready for the scheduled pickup, so rather than hold up the truck, they just expedite what they didn't have ready.

On a weekend expect to wait a bit longer if the dock looks busy(or empty) We are not fully staffed on weekends. Most of the time I'm the only person working the dock on the weekend, and I just might be at break or lunch when you show up.

I've found that expediters are quite an interesting lot, especially the guy in the "alien" van (I think he was from Michigan). I'm actually even starting to research the business to see if it's something I might want to pursue.

 

[Larry]

I find your comments interesting and informative. However, it is not easy for someone that is paid by the mile to be held up for an unreasonable amount of time by hourly workers that are perceived as being rude or lazy. There are some great guys on the docks, but not very many. While at the Wixom Plant (Ford), I went on the dock area to find out the procedures. The dock supervisor screamed at me at the top of his lungs, letting everyone know that truck drivers were not allowed on the dock. (I was only standing in the doorway!!). I informed the young man that for a college graduate he seemed to have a very limited grasp of the english language. You can go to one place and almost loose your arm if you try to do anything (open doors, put out dock plate, etc.)and then at the next place, if you don't do all of these things, plus give the fork lift driver a baseball cap, you will sit there for a long time. It would be appreciated if someone would post the procedures for drivers to follow and then make sure that the dock workers also followed them. It is always appreciated when there is a time clock there for the driver to punch in the paper work. It makes it a lot easier to get detention pay plus support your arguement about how long you waited.

 

[shakeytails]

Interesting idea, Larry, posting dock procedures. I think I'll mention that to my supervisor, I might even garner some brownie points.

As for a time clock, heck we don't even punch one! But, at our place you generally won't wait more than 15-20 minutes, tops, with an expedite load, except on very rare occasions- like the weekend I was alone on the dock, paperwork for an outgoing Canadian load was screwed up(and it was already past his window time) and I had 3 or 4 trucks waiting to be unloaded. I had a bunch of grouchy truck drivers that day!


And, hey, I never got a ball cap!!!!

 

[Weave]

I've only ever had one incident with a dockworker in the past few years, that one being that jerk at GM Ypsilanti who's name has come up here a lot. He's friendless.
I always treat all dockworkers the way I want them to treat me, and can be very understanding at places that are busy. The places I do not like are the ones that don't allow drivers on the dock to watch their truck being loaded or unloaded. Most drivers know where to stand where they are out of harm's way, and we owner/op's don't like rough-housers scratching up our "babies."
Drivers really appreciate it when dock workers ask how they would like the freight placed on the truck.
Thanks for listening!
-Weave-