P&D Rookie Advice (Post yours)

So where to start. I've been doing P&D for three years now. Had about 9 years of previous driving experience. Most was all linehaul of some sort. Turns out P&D lets you be home during the daytime, so I switched to it. I am not gonna talk to much about that since I have enough threads going on that subject. What I will talk about is some stuff I wish I would have known when I first started.

For those that don't know what P&D is, it stands for "Pickup and Delivery". In the world of LTL, you are the CDL equivalent of the UPS or FedEx Ground guy going door to door delivering stuff. Difference is, you will drive a tractor trailer, you will deliver freight that is almost always more than 50 lbs, and you will have to think on your feet on how to get it off your trailer and into the custody of your customer. Speaking of customers, most of your freight will be B2B while probably less than 10% will be B2C. You will usually pick-up or deliver a combined total of 15-28 bills on an average day. Our parcel counterparts run over 150 stops on average. Even at less than 20% of the workload, your day will probably still be as hectic and stressful due to the nature of the freight.

One thing I had going for me was I knew how to back. Jacknife backing a 9 ft wide liftgate to line up with a 10 ft wide double door? - No problem. Blindside it off of a 4 lane busy roadway while blocking two lanes? - Piece of cake. If you are good at backing, you will do OK with this job. If you are an expert confident backer, you will do really well. Anything less than that, you will have a crap time doing P&D until you get your backing skills down. Keep that in mind.

So here is some stuff that I wish I knew before hand:

1. Use Google maps.

You will probably burn a bunch of data on your phone if you are not familiar with the area. But running a quick sat image can provide vital info that can prepare you on how to get in... and more importantly, how to get back out. You will also see how things are situated in terms of space. Using cars, trees, fences as reference points will give you an idea if this delivery or pickup is manageable with a 48 ft trailer... or only a pup. (On a side note, my carrier Verizon offers a 17% discount for working for YRC. Check with your carrier to see if your company qualifies for a employer discount).

2. Call ahead.

This should be #1 but many people prepare themselves for a new delivery just by looking up the business/home on maps. Seriously though.. Check your Delivery Receipt (DR) for a phone number. Your best source is to call up your coworkers and ask them for advice... but sometimes they are too busy with their own deliveries and pickups, so you have to rely on your customers. Nothing wrong with a quick mobile shoutout: "Hey, this is Jimmy from Yellow Freight, I got this engine for your address, can you please give me more information so I can complete my delivery?".

You can then follow up with these basic questions:
A. Where exactly are you guys located? I've never been there before/my gps is throwing your address into a empty field.
B. Where is your loading dock located? What is the easiest way in and out? Or... how do other carriers usually deliver/pick up your freight?
C. GPS shows a tight turn... can I get in with a XX ft trailer? If not, would you be willing to meet closeby and have your forklift guy shuttle it a extra few feet?
D. Will you be available to receive it? ... this is kinda a big deal. Some places will close for lunch... or just shut down early. Residentials you gotta call regardless for this question. I once backed down a 300 yard driveway with nobody home.

Customers will almost always be happy to hear from you so they can get their freight faster. Don't be shy to use your phone

3. Get Out And Look

Seriously, don't get yourself in a bind. I've been doing this job for thirteen years. Today I got out four times due to questionable space while backing in between cars. Trust me... having bigger balls to take on bigger risks when backing doesn't make you a better driver. You are just a bigger idiot when you back into something cause you thought you were a super trucker. Put down your pride, all the professionals do it.

4. The easy way in.

I once spent 15 minutes backing 20 yards. The entry way was so tight and the curves so complex, it was time costly. Once I got in, I was told that most carriers stop on the side of the road. Seriously... two words of advice. Sometimes the easiest way in is to stay where you are (outside the gate). The other, before you try your super trucker skillz... get out and look... then ask your shipper/receiver where they want you. If other carriers can get in, so can you. This goes back to having a solid foundation on backing skills.

5. Don't be a doormat

When picking up or dropping off a shipment, keep in mind what part of the process each person plays. While some deliveries are more time consuming than others, there are customers that may expect you to do more than you are required to do.

Inside deliveries means you bring it inside. Sometimes with hotels, you break down a pallet and hand truck it into their laundry room. If you are running something similar for a retail store, you are not required or expected to sort and segregate their freight. Quick example is a friend of mine who had to deliver a pallet of shoes. The manager asked him to break down the pallet and sort all shoes based on style and size onto their product shelf. NOPE. Not your responsibility. If you expect to stay longer than you have to, call up your dispatcher and keep them in the loop.

Same thing with pickups. When you get to a pickup, their freight needs to be boxed up, and in most cases banded to a pallet. then shrink wrapped with a proper shipping label. The Bill of Lading (BoL) has to be completed. The To, From, Product Description, Weight, Class, and Signature block have to filled out.

I've had customers ask me to shrink wrap their freight. Just say NO. Anything you accept that is not par with shipping requirements falls back on you. I occasionally will make a copy of a BoL and use that as a shipping label for the customer when I get back to the barn. Do not pick up anything without a BoL... especially Hazmat.

6. Be honest.

If you see something wrong or damaged with the freight, don't just pawn it off. Let your customer know the issue before it gets off your trailer. For one, it is the right thing to do. Second, it may save you time in case they want to refuse it. And finally, it builds trust between you and the person receiving the freight. Cause the next time you are in a hurry and the customer asks you if everything looks alright, he will take your word for it.

7. Empathy

No carrier is perfect and freight will get damaged or downright destroyed. I once delivered what was supposed to be a 2K lbs pallet of tiles... except it was three pieces of tile and some shrink wrap on a pallet. The consignee was PISSED. There are instances of drivers getting fired cause they lost their cool and got into a shouting match with a customer where neither one had control of the actual freight.

"Sir/ma'am, I am sorry about your freight. I totally agree, this is completely unacceptable. I know you need this freight to complete your job, and had I been in your position, I would be upset too. Just know I had nothing to do with how your freight showed up, but I am required to make a delivery attempt regardless" You will be surprised how quickly that paragraph will defuse situations that appear unmanageable. Be sincere and genuine. If you treat their freight like it was yours, it is easy to emphasize with your customers

8. Be friendly

I have customers that see me back in, and view me as the grim reaper. I am here to provide you with a trailer load of work ...on a Friday afternoon when you just want to get home. Trust me. People may not be thrilled to see you pull in. But being social helps break down this work barrier. Just asking how their day is or what their plans for the weekend is can help the delivery go by smoother. Don't be that guy that pulls into a stop where employees have to draw straws to deal with you. We actually lost freight over drivers that were jackholes (they eventually got fired though).

Thanks for reading. Please add more advice if you have any.