Refused my first load today

I am thinking about wearing my vest and hardhat so we can get another thread... Might even go buy some high vis gloves to wear too. Oh and I can't forget to wear the safety glasses.

 

make em fingerless high vis gloves to really get people ticked off.

 

Well there's more than meets the eye here but I'm not getting into it. The fact is you could drive into any truckstop in America and find an unsecured load. You do what you can when you can but you can't fix stupid and it isn't our business to go to every shipper and train them and a lot of them take offense if you try. I'm responsible for my load and truck and willing to help those who want help the rest I mind my own business.

 

Won't it get crowded?

 

If you want to pay more attention to everyone's baby mama drama and what people are wearing that stuff that could kill people, that's fine. But I don't see the point in telling someone else to mind his own business when he's trying to do something that could save the life of someone who has nothing to do with the situation. You know, like my wife and kids. Or yours, if you have any.

 

Well, I never said anything about what people are wearing and that is not what this thread is about I was about refusing a load because the shipper didn't want to load it the the drivers satisfaction which I applaud him for. But the fact is it isn't our business to go to a shipper and tell them how to do things. It's one thing to make suggestions but when they don't want your help even if there's wrong which can be a matter of opinion then they probably will look at you like it's none of your business. I try to be a safe and secure as I can be and that's all I can do. Do you have anything to add on topic?

 

Good call. Sounds like you handled it in a professional manner and allowed them to make the decision to pull the load. Thanks for posting the securement requirements below.

 

I have to say I agree with you in most of what you say However,.........As a driver you should know more about your equipment ( truck & trailer) then the shipper. You should know how much weight you can put forward to be legal on your drives and knowing what your empty weight of your equipment is to prevent you from running over weight. You should be able to tell the loader how you want YOUR trailer loaded so you can secure and transport that load to it's destination while being compliant with the consignees request. After all when it all goes to h*ll who do they point the fingers at ...the driver.

 

I don't see where we disagree, when it comes to loading my truck it's my way or no way and I know what to load and how I want it loaded. What I'm saying is it isn't my place to go in uninvited and tell the shipper how they should be doing it, if I did I would fully expect them to look at me like it was none of my business.

 

You are correct.....however you know some times you run into that loader who knows how to load your trailer because he loads all the trailer this way. SO some times you have to say ....I can't have all that weight forward, or my weight gage indicates you are putting on too much....At that point I become uninvited and they throw an attitude, but hey it's my truck. Now I do have the opinion most loaders do know how to load trucks and all is well, but every once in a while you have that one guy that just blows your mind. I also have to say when loading a steel shop and waiting all that time to get loaded I will deal with it and do what I have to in securing that load.