P & D Drivers Only

My stories are usually out-of-date. Nevertheless, I was a local driver for Chippewa Motor Freight in Ottawa, IL from 1969-73. One day during a winter blizzard, I had a delivery of business forms to the court house. I parked in an alley across the street and tailgated the forms with my hand-truck in a 40' van. Then, I dragged the hand-truck through the snow, and eventually had a nice path worn down into the snow bank at the court house sidewalk, until a deputy parked his patrol car there. The janitor was supposed to help, but he was recovering from pneumonia and had to stay away from the door. It took perhaps six trips to get the forms to the passenger elevator. Waiting my turn, I eventually got the forms to the basement office. Freight rates have charges for second floor deliveries, but this was a pre-paid shipment. Win a few, lose a few.

On another day, I had a few bicycles for a mom & pop cycle store. I phoned ahead and explained the procedures for C. O. D. (cash, certified check or money order). Naturally, they tried to pay me with a personal check. I don't recall exactly, but I think that I became their banker on that occasion.

The shipments of crated furniture from John M. Smyth of Chicago were always a problem. I had a dining room table for a lawyer's residence. I told the lady to call the local van line for help with uncrating and set-up. Of course, that table was damaged, but it wasn't my fault.

I remember the day I decided to go back OTR. I had several large boxes of shoes for a store with no freight door. I parked at the curb in a loading zone and wheeled the wide boxes through the front door. This was during the winter, and I was dressed for working outdoors. It was a long wait in the store for the signature, and perhaps it was also a C. O. D. The only store employee was showing a woman customer every shoe in the store. I began to perspire. And then, it was back outside into the blizzard.

I will say that we took pride in our work. We were part of the pipeline that brings everything a small town needs: radioactive for the dental xray machine, small arms ammunition, tools, clothing, etc. On some days, my 27' pup would start out jammed to the door, and I had to load my hand-truck into the cab. I always remember meeting one of my co-workers crossing the bridge over the Illinois River. He had that pencil stuck in his cap, steering with one hand while holding his freight bills fanned like a "hand" of cards, trying to determine an efficient route according to what freight he had identified in the trailer on his last stop. A good local driver is worth his weight in gold!!

 

I have also considered this but thought it would be a major pain. Interested to see more replies. Have considered USF Reddaway and Oak Harbor Freight Lines.

Yakima has a population of 88,000 so traffic is no real bad here.

 

Today, LTL carriers can sort the bills with a computer program, even for loads going to distant cities. The actual loading will depend on the dock worker's skill in distributing the weight in the trailer, and protecting fragile freight. In my day, one frustration was the practical joker who would throw a small box over the top of the load. So, if I decided to make ABC company my next delivery because I had seen several of their boxes, that could be a mistake. I go to ABC company and then find only 12 or their 13 boxes. Later in the day, box #13 shows up having been tossed to the front of the trailer by the loader. Then, I go back to ABC company a second time to clear the shortage notation on the bills.

 

That's fine if getting paid by the hour!!