ESTES Express (5 Year Review)

I can do it from start to finish at MY terminal in 25 minutes. It's physically impossible to do it much quicker, given the parameters of the yard. My typical time is ~35 minutes.

What Kao is talking about is backing up with the dolly on the back of the lead trailer. It's an advanced move that you will eventually learn because it's very useful, but takes experience and practice.

My terminal doesn't allow it for a few different reasons, so...I don't do it there. Elsewhere I do, though.

Makes things MUCH quicker.

 

Well yeah it takes you less than 5 minutes. Dallas and Memphis hook them together for you. Some of you LTL guys are pampered. I'm surprised you guys don't get a driver for the truck for you guys.

 

Even backing a dolly up on its own is challenging. Those things will jackknife if you look at it the wrong way. It used to take me an hour to hook a set but I cut it down to 20 min - half hour. I will say that when you move a dolly by hand, you quickly find out what parts of the terminal are not level.

 

Yea man if it's taking you an hour and a half to hook a set you are having some major problems. Hardest part for me of hooking a set is finding the trailers lol. Big yards like joliet and nashville can be daunting at first, especially on a weekend. Practice makes perfect. You get paid the same 8.50 no matter how quick or slow you do it

 

Given the size and volume of traffic on your yard I don’t know how you get out in under and hour. I have made a lot of money looking for trailers at your hub. We were scheduled with 45 minutes to hook a set and gate out in SDF, but often waiting on a 747 to pass took some time. The plane always has the right of way.

 

On my current run, the trailers are always in the same couple spots, so if you know that ahead of time, it can really help out.

 

It takes repetition to quickly hook a set normally, let alone backing with the dolly on the back of the trailer.

The trick with having the dolly on the back of your trailer is to steer back under it the moment you see that dolly, and quickly. But don't oversteer, either.

That said, my current tractor is a long twin screw, so a little bit of oversteering is almost necessary.

 

Spinner knob and fingerless gloves help out a lot.

 

Better to just do it one piece at a time, look well over each piece of equipment. Find a good flat spot to do your hook. I've wasted far more time with defective equipment, found after a hook is made than the small amount of additional time doing it right the first time.