How many of you drivers have a similar past?

My first driving job we had to unload, by hand, 1300 boxes of products at various warehouses. That job taught me to go after a job where I didn't have to touch the frieght. Gasoline worked out perfect.

 

I am currently working in a Distribution center and have for a little over 2 years, and will be OTR in September.

There are some things that I think will help a little bit:

1) Forklift Experience
2) Knowledge of how to properly build, rap, and load a pallets into a truck
3) And how to be more understanding of the C**p that shippers and receivers have to deal with all day, and that its not always the people loading and unloading the trucks fault that everything is backed up



American Trucker

 

i started working on docks in high school, then moved up to yard hostler, then started driving

 

I actually started on the other side of that equation. Management, trying to get warehouse/shipping personnel to work more effectively with incoming drivers.

What exactly is the point of loading 15 pieces on a truck at 7am that has 5 days to deliver, yet waiting until 5pm to load 160 pieces on a truck who must cover 600 miles by 7am ??

Thankfully, logistics has come a long way. But it still has further to come.

I still find that there are ONLY 2 time frames that are important to any warehouse personnel, payday and quitting time.

 

Now that is funny

Quote of the day in my book!

 

1) First off, certificate or degree in transportation? If certificate( certificate always sounds hokey to me) get the 4yr degree and start making BIG MONEY.

2) No, i didn't start working the docks and when it came time to work the docks i really didn't take to it-----couldn't handle it mentally---wasn't interested.
These days i could probably do it---for a while anyways especially if there are girls working on the docks as well which is something i'm seeing more of.

3) i think if a person has driven and switches to the warehouse, all the delivering drivers would love this person because s/he would know exactly what to do to make the delivery/pickup most efficient unlike most "managment."

 

That's exactly what happens at one furniture plant here locally. Warehouse manager is former driver of over 20 years. He handles warehouse personnel AND dispatches their company drivers. Outside carriers love the guy.

On the flip side of that coin. If you piss him off, it may be the next day before you get loaded.

 

I loaded and unloaded Produce and beef for my Dad's drivers in high school and college, then ended installing 2-way radio and in the long run ended up with a distributorship and becoming a National Service Center for Motorola, including remote radio sites. Once were done with all that and the stress of it, resorting or reverting back to the trucking industry was a nice change of pace and I don't miss the stress of real deadlines and penalties at all. Not to mention I longer need to support multiple attorney's. Dealing with the government is the same it does not seem to matter if its the FCC or FMCSA DOT people.

In either case its not what you do but what you say, and how you fill out there forms. Make the paperwork the way they want to see it and your down the road.

 

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8qgvAWFwbU