Shippers and receivers

The shippers/receivers are going to do what they want. They couldn't care less about the driver sitting all day.

The driver should get detention pay from his company for waiting. Most companies won't pay it though. They will tell you "it's all part of the load".

Most drivers really get screwed with this. The waiting time is separate from the load. The mileage pay is for hauling the load from point A to point B. Usually two hours is a reasonable amount of time to get loaded or unloaded. Anything after two hours should be paid detention time.

 

yeah detention time depends on the company you drive for and also on the brokers and or shippers/receivers. The only way you can avoid a "penalty" for being late is if you are in contact with your company and they can get the appointment rescheduled.

 

Shippers and receivers pay big money for trucking service. Being on time is a major factor in the whole game! If you cannot provide this service they will find someone that will. Put yourself in their shoes. You need your product moved and delivered in a precise timely fashion, you are going to want a service that can provide this to your company.

 

Put yourself in the shipper/receiver's shoes. Many places have set hours where they work. You show up 2 hours late, and expect them to maybe pay someone overtime to load you. Maybe what they're shipping is a "just in time" delivery to an auto factory. It takes 6 hours to get there. You show up 3 hours late, and the line is down.
Other drivers who have appointments show up on time for their appointment, but then you show up late, and want to push everyone else back.
How does the shipper/receiver know it was a legit reason, and not because the driver stopped at the truckstop for 2 hrs for lunch, and to play video games? How many drivers even bother to call, and let the consignee know they're running late?

 

What Lonesome said.

I'd like to add that shippers and receivers don't penalize drivers as much as the system does. Okay, you're late through no fault of your own (or maybe it is your fault). They needed the freight when they needed it and they scheduled an unload slot just for you, or rather just for the freight you're hauling; maybe it has to go cross-dock immediately so they can load it on their own outbound trailers; maybe they need the parts or raw materials in a factory. From their point of view, you've thrown a monkey wrench into their works. Do they care about drivers? Why should they? Do drivers care about them?

In my experience, a phone call that a load was delayed (loaded late [maybe it loaded late because another driver brought it in late], weather, breakdown, traffic) was always good enough--we let them know it would be late as soon as we knew it would be late. They took it after the appointment time or, working with our planners and dispatchers, simply rescheduled the delivery.

But yes, OP, it can be frustrating to sit, unpaid, and wait to get unloaded. About all you can do is use the time you're given: read, surf the Internet, sleep, whatever. But please remember: they aren't picking on you.