The secretary game

Discussion in 'Shippers & Receivers - Good or Bad' started by truckermario, Apr 10, 2012.

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  1. Apr 10, 2012 #1
    truckermario

    truckermario Road Train Member

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    Show up at lot. Wait in line at window. Watch secretary type paperwork before getting to another driver ahead of me. "Finally! My turn." Get time stamped 15 minutes after appt time.

    Back into dock.
    Wait.
    Wait.
    Wait.
    "What's going on?"
    "You were late. You're a work in now. We have to service these other trucks."

    #### you. My time is more important than yours. Pay my #### detention and my arbitrary "suck it you bad shipper" fee.

    I'm blacklisting Coca Cola now.:biggrin_25516:
     
    truckermario, Apr 10, 2012
    truckermario, Apr 10, 2012
    #1
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  3. Apr 10, 2012 #2
    48Packard

    48Packard Ol' Two-stop Shag!

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    OK....I have to ask the obligatory question.

    Or two.


    What time was your appointment, and what time did you arrive at the gate?
     
    48Packard, Apr 10, 2012
    48Packard, Apr 10, 2012
    #2
  4. Apr 10, 2012 #3
    truckermario

    truckermario Road Train Member

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    17:00 and 16:51.

    Showed up at window at 16:52.
     
    truckermario, Apr 10, 2012
    truckermario, Apr 10, 2012
    #3
  5. Apr 10, 2012 #4
    Wiseguywireless

    Wiseguywireless Road Train Member

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    I always arrive 1 hour early, makes some of them mad, but I have seen this thing happen too often!
     
    Wiseguywireless, Apr 10, 2012
    Wiseguywireless, Apr 10, 2012
    #4
  7. Apr 10, 2012 #5
    25(2)+2

    25(2)+2 Trucker Forum STAFF Staff Member

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    Did they have a phone number by chance? At pick up or delivery? That treatment is pretty typical of many places, especially those that have their own trucks to load and unload.

    I have been told exactly when to show up for an appointment, but you have to ask sometimes, the brokers will usually, but not always, know. The reason I asked about the phone number is that the Coke product load(s?) I hauled had no way to rreach the shipper or the receiver except to check in at the window, so you couldn't ask them when you needed to be there, and some places will penalise you for being early to an appointment, too.

    I have places that waste lots of my time whether I show up on time or early, and others that do pretty well no matter when I get there, considering what I haul and where it's from.
     
    25(2)+2, Apr 10, 2012
    25(2)+2, Apr 10, 2012
    #5
  8. Apr 10, 2012 #6
    PackRatTDI

    PackRatTDI Licensed to Ill

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    The only place I deal with that rigidly enforces appointment times is Home Depot but as long as you are in line at the guard shack, you're ok. Ive been 15 min late being in line at the guardshack but they dont make an issue of it. There's no window with a secretary, once you get a dock assignment just pop the bills in the trailer, dock it, and wait for the green light. The McDonough, GA DC will try to work you in as long as you aren't excessively late (1 hr or more) at the discretion of the warehouse supervisor, otherwise you have to come back at 1600 when they take late arrivals.

    Thats crap about being late. IMO, as long as you are on their property past the security guard by your appointment time, you aren't "late".
     
    PackRatTDI, Apr 10, 2012
    PackRatTDI, Apr 10, 2012
    #6
  9. Apr 10, 2012 #7
    truckermario

    truckermario Road Train Member

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    It's a warehouse that distributes for Coca Cola at Auburndale FL, and I called the number just to ask if it was a drop and hook, which it wasn't. They said I could show up an hour early, but I spent some time at the previous stop for my last load at Lakeland and the information for this one was given so close that I had just barely enough time to head over to the Love's at Auburndale, mull it over whether I wanted to accept it, grab some food to take on the go and head down the highway towards the shipper(which only took about twenty minutes).
     
    truckermario, Apr 10, 2012
    truckermario, Apr 10, 2012
    #7
  10. Apr 10, 2012 #8
    truckermario

    truckermario Road Train Member

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    There's no security guard. Just a front street that doubles as the area to use to back into a dock. She could see the both of us standing there while I was looking at my watch, wondering if I was blocking some poor driver in.
     
    truckermario, Apr 10, 2012
    truckermario, Apr 10, 2012
    #8
  11. Apr 10, 2012 #9
    PackRatTDI

    PackRatTDI Licensed to Ill

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    Ah, I've never picked up Coca-cola anwhere you didn't check in with a front gate guard. Then again I've only dealt with shipments between bottling plants.
     
    PackRatTDI, Apr 10, 2012
    PackRatTDI, Apr 10, 2012
    #9
  12. Apr 10, 2012 #10
    truckermario

    truckermario Road Train Member

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    I've had a previous bad experience with another Coke location while with Swift. The shipper single shrink wrapped their product so badly that when I hard braked for someone who cut in front a tiny bit too close, a couple levels of their product on a skid or two toppled over, and I had to take it to an outside warehouse to restack or dispose. I paid a fee but was reimbursed, but the associate at that warehouse was a jerk and impatient and acted like she owned the product and the trailer until she got her money or was assured the Comcheck was good.

    So that's why I wonder if Coca Cola just flat out sucks. I know I shouldn't start a blacklist(except for areas I won't travel), being leased to a company instead of pulling for myself, but I'm starting to become sorely tempted to.
     
    truckermario, Apr 10, 2012
    truckermario, Apr 10, 2012
    #10
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