How to quiet cranky auto plant receiving people

Weave · Jan 25, 2002

I know you have ran into them- those pesky overpaid auto plant receiving workers who just live to ruin your day. I know many who are decent and nice the way I always am to them, but when you run into that special little arrogant one (you will) here's what you do without getting yourself into trouble. You will silence them without having to hit them:
Tell them-- "I know you are probably getting paid good money to do this job, and it would be a hard one to leave. But if you hate it as much as you are expressing so to me you better quit before you give yourself a heart attack or stroke at the very least. You are not doing your company, me, or your body any good."
It's just like hitting them without actually hitting them. And if you can say it while looking like you are going to hit them the point will be well taken!
-Weave-

BOBBYSGIRL · Jan 25, 2002

RE: How to quiet cranky auto plant receiving

I LIKE YOUR IDEA BUT WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO STOOP TO THERE LEVEL. I AM SO NICE TO THEM IT MAKES ME SICK. IF THEY WANT ME TO WAIT THEN I WAIT AND LET EVERYONE ELSE GET INFRONT OF ME. THEN LATER ON WHEN THE PLANT HAD BEEN SHUT DOWN THE SUPPERVISER COMES AND TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHATS GOING ON. THEN YOU JUST EXPLAIN TO THEM NICELY WHAT HAPPENED. THEN THEY CAN TAKE CARE OF IT FROM THEM.I DON'T HAVE VERY MANY PROBLEMS BEING A WOMEN HELPS A LOT. SO MY ADVISE WOULD BE SEND YOUR WIFE IN IF SHE WITH YOU.

RichM · Jan 25, 2002

RE: How to quiet cranky auto plant receiving

Pulled into one of the GM plants in Pontiac MI one friday night at about 930 PM.Place was very quiet with no activity going on.I finally found 4 guys playing cards who totally ignored me.After a few minutes I said "Excuse me but I have a delivery for you".One guy exploded and said "GD it don!t you know what time it is". I said "Sure it!s 930 and I was due in here now".He said Expletives deleted We will get to you later". So I pretended to make a phone call ,and came back to the SOB and said very nicely "Can I have your name?My dispatchers have to log it in when there will be a late delivery" He jumped up and said "OK this time I will do it".
I have done this again,just ask for the guy!s name and they will usually react.You may have a Fork Lift truck come through the box but GM has good insurance.One driver told me "I bet you could die and 3 days later your body would still be there as there is no way these overpaid clowns would do anything not sanctioned by the UAW"..

gump · Jan 25, 2002

RE: stupid is as stupid does

You know I found that going in to my forrest gump voice or giving them a lollipop works wonders....laughter is the best medicine...
I was once told when i drove volunteer ambulance that if u cant walk away from every call with out finding something to laugh about your taking your job to serious and it will kill you...25 years later I find that to be the best advise i was ever given

Weave · Jan 25, 2002

RE: How to quiet cranky auto plant receiving

I would venture to guess being a woman DEFINITELY helps:7
Except I run solo so I guess I'll need to bring a wig

Just be sure not to break up Lil' Cowboy's chess game at Ford Oakville assembly ever- he likes games better than women!

Weave · Jan 25, 2002

RE: stupid is as stupid does

Advice well taken. It's just when you get that one out of however many thousand auto plant workers who doesn't take their job seriously at all that irks me. (Mr. Cowboy who loves chess more than his job)Not exactly the kind of people I would want to buy a car from. New ISO 9xxx standards that are taking place at many plants are helping put an end to some of the nonsense that takes place at these auto facilities.
-Weave-

Christyrose · Jan 27, 2002

RE: How to quiet cranky auto plant receiving

You did very well. Main issue here is to be as professional and polite as possible. If I have any problems at any of the big 3, my first contact is with our dispatcher. Within all contract written, usually is a clause that will cost them money (big 3)for us sitting there waiting to be loaded or unloaded. There is also a clause written some where in the contracts stating about early or late arrivals. This allows the big 3 to charge our companies money for this as well. What a huge mess!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Have you ever been asked to raise the door or lower the dock plate, as the company worker stands there? I have many times. Not necessary the big 3 but any company. I first tell the dock worker I need to call dispatch. Dock worker says why? I politely explain to them, I do not work for their company so I need to get an approval for working on their dock at the rate of $50.00 an hour charged to their company. It usually works about 99% of the time. }>

Christyrose · Jan 27, 2002

RE: stupid is as stupid does

Weave it would be nice to see if ISO9XXX would work with some of the big rigs out there as well. }>

RobA · Jan 27, 2002

RE: FORD OAKVILLE

>>Just be sure not to break up Lil' Cowboy's chess game at
>Ford Oakville assembly ever- he likes games better than
>women!

What ?? Delays at Ford Oakville??
Buzz Hargrove the leader of the CANADIAN AUTO WORKERS union says the workers at Oakville are the most productive in the entire Ford Organization and he can't understand why ONTARIO TRUCK PLANT is being closed.
It's sad, but Lil Cowboy will be able to work there for 30 years and then retire on a $3000.00 per month pension.

What you should say to a UAW or CAW type is : "Toyota"or "Honda" but they proably wouldn't get it.

LittleBigTruck · Jan 29, 2002

RE: How to quiet cranky auto plant receiving

ROFL! A woman really does seem to get better results. Even better if she's wearing anything Harley! We quickly learned that if I went in and hubby stayed in the truck we got unloaded much faster. Bring a 2-way radio and he can get it backed in while you're still chatting up the dock workers. Before they realize what they're doing, you'll be unloaded.
Drive Happy! Chris

BOBBYSGIRL · Feb 2, 2002

RE: How to quiet cranky auto plant receiving

I THINK A WIG WOULD HELP. BUT YOU ALSO NEED TO WHERE A DRESS. CUS THEY'D BE LAUGHING SO HARD. AND THEY'D BE SO SCARED THEY'D GET YOU OUT OF THERE AS FAST AS THEY COULD. JUST GO UP TO THEM AND SAY HELLO BIG BOY WHAT DO I NEED TO DO TO GET UNLOADED HERE. LOL!!!
I'M SORRY THATS TO FUNNY. I HOPE I DIDN'T AFFEND YOU!!! BUT THAT WOULD BE SO FUNNY TO SEE THE LOOK ON THERE FACES WHEN YOU WALKED IN THERE DRESSED LIKE A WOMEN, OK A MAN IN A WIG AND DRESS. HAVE A GOOD DAY. I HOPE I DIDN'T MAKE YOU MAD.

geo · Feb 2, 2002

RE: stupid is as stupid does

what i do sometimes is hand out marykay samples to dock workers and
there so surprize that someone gave them some and say get you off loaded right a, and then they as why are you doing this

Weave · Feb 3, 2002

RE: stupid is as stupid does

Here's one that cracked me up today at Daimler/Chrysler's Detroit axle plant in Hamtramck, MI. Little instruction sign for drivers next to reception window telling drivers to chock wheels, etc. Some driver jotted in "If pissed off, bang head here." Typical, I thought. On the bottom he said, "Then punch receptionist through window."
If that didn't make me smile, I don't know what could

-Weave-

DooWop · Feb 4, 2002

How to quiet cranky auto plant people

Reminds me when I hauled into US Steel Homestead Works in the early 1970's to pick up 2 slabs. The nite crew at this particular part of the plant paid me absolutely no mind. From 4pm to 11:30 pm they sat, played cards, slept, leafed through porno mags etc. Around 6pm when I asked if they could please load me, they said they would get to me. Knowing better than to raise a fuss, I complied. About 11:30 two "workers" found the salbs in question, and another crew of 3 men loaded them onto the flatbed. This must have taken all of 10 minutes. I chained and tarpped it and left. The O/O in the bay next to me said that once he waited 2 days at USS South Works for his load. BS? I don't know. Now nearly 30 years later there is no more Homestead Works, and a lot of good paying, living wage, family supporting jobs are gone from that area. Of course the USW had absolutely nothing to do with the collapse of the steel industry, just like the UAW will have nothing to do with the last UAW plant being shuttered in the next ten years.

Regards

Doowop

Wild Bill · Feb 5, 2002

Things Ive learned not to do.......

WOW! Great ideas! I may try some of these. The way I have been doing it over the years doesn't do the trick. I have never been known for tact and diplomacy. I think I was the first driver that delivered to GM in Baltimore to almost get into a fist fight on the dock. (Seems when they make smart remarks you aren't supposed to match them with remarks of your own. And they don't like it when you say UAW stands for "Useless a**____ whiners)

Other things I have discovered not to say at auto plants:

NEVER Question whether their parents were married at the time of the autoworkers birth.

NEVER accuse them of lying awake at night thinking of things to whine about.

NEVER ask one if the place catches fire would they put their newspaper down long enough to leave the buring building.

NEVER ask them if they get a bonus from the union for inactivity

NEVER EVER tell one you bought a Japanese car because you are treated like a human being when you go to one of their plants .

Maybe if I can learn to be nice and learn to keep my mouth shut I might give marriage another try! :+

Lawrence · Feb 5, 2002

RE: How to quiet cranky auto plant people

Doowop,

Incredible story...and prediction. Most people have no clue what Drivers have to put up with at some docks.

Thanks,
Lawrence
Expediters Online.com

Weave · Feb 6, 2002

RE: Things Ive learned not to do.......

For what to do now..
You are more than likely tired and fatigued when you drop off your auto load. These receivers know that. Some are very nice and understand that- New guy at Ford tranny plant in Indy was very fair and much faster than old guy there- he was even concerned about safety as I am. Truthfully, I have few problems in general at Ford plants. This man enjoys his job as I do.
Good Ol' Golden rule applies here- and also when....
You get MR PRICK. And if you haven't yet, you will. In the hundreds of auto loads I have delivered, I have met with only two I have directly confronted due to them treating me TOTALLY unfairly. (If you haven't figured it out, I have been doing this for a while and can take an awful lot of punishment!)
#1 was Dennis at GM Ypsilanti. He whistled at me like a dog and started to attempt to tell me how to drive my truck, and accused me of wasting his time. I was new to expediting at the time and threw a piece of wood at his forklift. I was banned from that plant.
#2 is Mr. Cowboy @ Ford Oakville. If you deliver there, you know him, he is the foreman. He wears a black Auzzie hat, and likes to play chess, and "games" with drivers. The next time he attempts to play with me, he will loose. So if you deliver there, tell him that Weave is gonna get him. I won't even get into what he did to me, but he wasn't only messing with me but also some new people who were working the yard at that plant at the time (I'll gather Ford workers who belong to a different union.) CHECKMATE, Cowboy, you get but one more chance..Lets do our jobs right without the games, or CAW and UAW will be terms of the past.
-Weave-

JJ · Feb 7, 2002

RE: Things Ive learned not to do.......

Thank You Wild Bill!!!!!!! Got to love it when I read your post!

Let's start a post about things not to say......or do

Kinda went like this.......

Fax in paper... got to channel what ever and wait for us to call

!@$@^&*)_) <--- cb static

Plant: Hey Unit xxxx

Unit XXXX: Yes,this is unit xxxx

Plant: What you got out there????

Unit XXXX: Part number 12345678 and fresh dozen Dunkin-Donuts mixed
You got coffee on????

Plant: Unit XXXX bring it back to dock XXX.

Unit XXXX: OK Thanks,coming back.

He couldn't find a dough-nut he liked :9 :9 :9