Unloading the trailer

On my trailer I just hook up the hose and open the valve and it empties itself.

 

Zinger that depends on the company and what your specific job is. Some drivers just haul drop and hook and rarely touch the freight. Others touch freight all the time.

For example...I myself will be running a dedicated thing nad part of my job is unloading the freight myself. Im assuming that I use the liftgate and bring the freight via pallet jack into the store for them to unload themselves later.

 

I guess it all depends on which company you get hired on with. Some companies its all drop and hook. Some places make you take it off of one bigger pallet and stack it on a smaller pallet, others you just have to take off a couple of layers or separate the product. All of the stuff above except the drop and hook sucks. Now days companies are a little more friendly and let you use lumpers to unload the product and in the goodness of their hearts, they will usually pay the lumpers 3 times as much as they would have paid you. Lumpers are usually faster unloading than you because they have an "in" in the warehouse and sometimes they usually have two or three in the back unloading. In my experience, grocery warehouses are the worst.

 

As far as dry freight goes, I only had to unload one trailer and that was just "tailgating" the 7 pallets that were in the trailer. Tailgating is when you just move the skids from the front to the rear with a pallet jack.

Most all dry van companies have done away with driver unloads by and large. The most common exceptions to this are Dollar General and K-Mart store deliveries that will require u to handle all the packages/cartons/cases.

If you're going to be pulling a reefer trailer, and your company will pay for lumpers, USE THEM! This will save you time and also reduce your risk of injury.

If you're going to be pulling a flatbed, prepare to tarp/strap/chain when you get loaded and take 'em all off when your getting unloded.

If you're going to be pulling a tank (either liquid or dry bulk), you will have to hook up a hose to another tank or silo to unload. You may or may not have to load these tanks.

As others have said, and as my post suggests, this all just depends on a) what you're hauling, b) whose truck your driving, and c) what customer you're delivering to.

 

Tailgating is getting the freight to the back of the trailer, weather its on a pallet or on the floor, alot of stuff is not shipped on pallets

 

Well excuse me for misstating that mundane fact. I was in the thought process of my specific time tailgating a load, which was on pallets.

 

10-4

 

It depends on what company you work for and how many years you have in. Also your attitude. When I was a teamster the guy with the most
seniority ( Charley) use to throw the boxes off the back and leave them
there for the consignee. No one else at the terminel would do that.
So tell us where you work or want to work and perhaps we can help
you figure this out...