Explaination of what LTL is ?

Oh for heaven sakes! You HAVE the lift gate. It will make EVERYONE's life easier. Why is their even a question here?
I can see a lift gate charge, if you have a steady customer that needs it. That is that customer's option. But when you are delivering to Joe Shmoe one shot customer, and you have a lift gate....

 

Yeah, that's pretty much me too...

Had one of those "why does everything have to be a three-cornered, brass-plated turbocharged cluster bungle?" days.

Stop 1: Local farm for a pallet of strawberry bulbs, 1150#. These are nice folks, but they're about as organized as a soup sandwich. Between not knowing where to put the freight, who's got The Phone, who's got the keys to the truck, wait, we'll have to get the Bobcat--40 minutes to get one pallet off.

Stop 2: A saw sharpening shop, up a steep dirt road in the hills. And of course, it's pouring rain right on top of the place, while everything around is blue sky(not embellishing, this happens in AZ). Got sideways a few times, but made it back to the big road while still mobile. Headed to the fuel stop, put on some juice and called...

Stop 3: This Week's Official Annoyance. Supposedly a 'business,' but I know the area. Not only is it residential, but this guy lives where you'd need a telescope to see the butt-end of nowhere. His one roll of bubble wrap has been sitting on our dock since Monday as we've called the shipper, scoured the internet and done everything but consult the Sacred Oracle of Delphi for some way to get ahold of him. I call and he gets all pouty about how "waah, I talked to your guy at 730 and I just gave up on you and it's a day late and boo hoo hoo." Listen, jackhole, if you'd given us a way to contact you(for a business, your marketing skills suck, BTW), you'd have had this thing four days ago. Sign the paper and get your bubble wrap out of our hair.

Stop 4: A tall pallet of soil for a grow op(marijuana farm. It's quasi-legal here). This thing is leaning badly, and they have a backhoe with forks. A lot of work with a hook strap and muscle, and we got it where it needed to be.

Stop 5: Denny's is changing their entire cash register system. Two pallets to break down and haul in, reminding me of my foodservice days.

The rest of the day went pretty smoothly, but I hate taking 5 hours for 5 stops.

 

I stopped charging lift gate unless the customer is a jerk. Our fee is $100 to unfold the stupid thing then we charge $15 for every 100 lbs that goes on it. I don't see a penny of it so what difference does it make? I am with @MACK E-6 , not gonna break down the pallet, it's an exceptional waste of time.

 

Yes, but sometimes it just works out that way. And your company knows this. They may not admit to knowing it, but they know it.

Obviously policy written by some pencil necked geek that has probably never even been in a truck, let alone been responsible for getting all the freight delivered.

Outfit I used to work for has been known to hold freight on the dock, until the last bill is paid, then making all future deliveries freight COD. Sometimes, you just have total jerks, incompetents or crooks that you're dealing with.

 

Same thing with inside deliveries. The fee that my company collects is usually more than what I earn the entire day. Drivers should get a cut since the company is making money off of additional work that is performed by us. I simply won't charge the customer.

 

YRC and ODFL are notorious (at least in my area) to hold freight. They usually do so until they have enough freight to build a full trailer.

We don't hold freight unless it's an appointment or if we run out of room. Customers love us cause they usually get their freight overnight or within a two day window. They even sent me out one time to do a 100 mile turn just to drop off three pallets on one trailer.