This completely explains your lack of understanding on many topics...
Actually it doesn't. She's spot on. Your views on it being a simple customer service aspect are extremely short-sighted, and while it doesn't necessarily indicate a complete lack of understanding, it indicates a significant lack of understanding of what a Bill of Lading is, what is to be on it, and what it is for. A BOL is far more than just pieces and weight and addresses.
Not only does a BOL have to have pieces and weight and addresses, but service times, whether the times are guaranteed or not, carrier name(s) and phone numbers, tariff rates, form of payment accepted, the order for service (accessorials), value of the freight, lots of stuff. Granted, these days, most of these things are stated on the electronic House Bill of Lading that we as drivers do not see, but they are there just the same.
"have done it many times without dispatch approval and being paid... it is called customer service
No, it's called doing things outside the scope of the load contract, doing things you are not authorized to do. Customers contract the carriers, and thereby us, to do specific things. Things like inside delivery, liftgate service, hand load/unload, debris removal, these are all accessorial services that are to be noted and chargeable on the Bill of Lading as part of the
order for service (which is a specific type of document). When we go outside of the scope of load contract, we open ourselves up to not only uninsured injury, but any number of liability issues, not the least of which are freight damage and breach of contract. Expedite is 99% no-touch freight for a reason, it's because 99% of it is contracted specifically to not be touched.
According to the FMCSA, in part § 375.505:
(a) You must issue a bill of lading. The bill of lading must contain the
terms and conditions of the contract. A bill of lading may be combined with an
order for service to include all the items required by § 375.501 of this subpart. You must furnish a partially complete copy of the bill of lading to the individual shipper before the vehicle leaves the residence at origin. The partially complete bill of lading must contain all relevant shipment information, except the actual shipment weight and any other information necessary to determine
the final charges for all services performed.
The
order for service found in § 375.501 includes "
A complete description of any special or accessorial services ordered and minimum weight or volume charges applicable to the shipment".
and it is just easier to do it than go through the hassle.. besides the i can get back on the board, the sooner I am rolling on another job.. making alot more than I would being paid through dispatch see once again making decisions and taking personal responsibility..
You see that as making decisions and taking personal responsibility, but the simple fact is you are doing something you are not authorized to do and have no right or authority to make those kinds of decisions with someone else's freight and load contract. You are quite literally in breach of contract when you make those kinds of decisions. If something goes wrong, even if you had nothing to do with it, you're on the hook for it, because you took personal responsibility for it.
