Waiting at shipper?

Get use to it...in this country, truck drivers are considered unskilled, uneducated labor...at some point, even your own company will talk down to you. When the load is ready, pick it up and tell your dispatcher what time you can get to the delivery legally and put in for detention time pay. Getting upset about it only hurts you. A lot of customers I have dealt with lately are short staffed, even before this latest covid varient appeared, so delays are part of the normal trucking world. Even more so in this Covid infected world.

 

I feel you!! Been there, done that, more times than I can remember. In short, it sucks and there's not alot you can do about. This is the reality of the situation based on my experiences ( experience: over 2 years OTR as a reefer jockey where majority of loads were live loading and unloading instead of drop and hooks). My opinions are based on being a company driver. If you're an owner/operator, there may be options available a company driver doesn't.
1. Drivers at a shipper/receiver have ZERO clout. They are at the absolute bottom of the totem pole.The only thing any ranting will get you is kicked out of the facility. There's really no practical way, as a driver, to get a shipper/receiver to load are unload you any quicker than when they simply get around to you. You can call your dispatcher to see if they can get with the place and perhaps they can exert some influence that way. I've actually had that happen a time or two. But, usually they're no help.
2. Make sure you follow whatever process or procedures exist at your company to get detention pay. My company's procedure appears on the surface as a pain in the neck to adhere to. In practice, it actually hasn't been that difficult. Detention pay usually isn't adequate to make up the time wasted, but it's still better than no pay.
3. ALWAYS ensure you have what you may need with you for an extended wait before you show up to a place. I'm referring to food, drinks, cigarettes, etc. Trust me, IT TOTALLY SUCKS, to be unprepared for a long wait.
4. If you are waiting at a place, go to off duty or sleeper berth on your clock. General rule I've found is that if I am waiting for the next thing to happen, I can go off duty. This includes time waiting in a staging area and waiting in a dock. If I'm waiting on something, I'm off duty.
5. Have patience. If you don't have patience, be prepared to learn to have patience. As a driver, I have the choice to either kick back and enjoy the 'free' time to the best of my ability. Or, I can fret, get frustrated and fume. Neither changes the reality of the situation. Might as well make the more advantage of the situation as you can. It's pretty much out of your control. Let go, read a book, watch TV, take a nap. Use the time to your advantage to the best of your ability.

Lastly, yeah it sucks. The number one complaint about this whole trucking thing Imthink I have. And, you're not alone. Perhaps some day things will change, but this is simply the way things are currently and you just have to deal with it. It's just the dynamics of the way things are currently.

Good Luck to you!!!

 

Sounds like you're dealing with a meat load. Those are usually ready closer to the DLD. They have to wait for the USDA inspection of the load...etc. Pre-covid, they were usually ready early. But now they are taking longer. Due to staffing issues. Just have to be patient.

 

Glad you found a good place to chill. Well, at least a better place than the shipper. Best of luck to you. Despite this dilemma, I enjoy most of things about being a trucker. I simply love the traveling and traipsing through beautiful places. There's just a zen to driving I enjoy. But, to enjoy those things, gotten tolerate the yucky stuff like being 'stuck' at a place waiting way too long.

 

12 hours and counting of detention since 0800. Let ‘em know because that one will probably get some emails sent..

 

My experience so far, open deck doesn't seem to have as many delays. Delays still happen, but it's not like every other load.

Usually when you pull in there, some guy with a hard hat gets out to you pretty quick.