Longest Live Load/Unload? Can u top this?

4 years ago at a paper mill in florida got in line 4 hours later i bumped a dock
an hour after that got told they loaded my rolls on another truck so pull on the hill and take a nap
26 hours later they had my rolls ready and loaded me at that time i got 25 dollars a stop and 20 an hour for detention considering 1500 miles each way at 39cpm and 100 in detention unloading it made me a lover of jb hunt that week

 

Longest wait I have had for unload OR load was actually not the shippers or recivers fault. Was hauling a load from Laredo to just east of Tampa, 42k of frozen broccoli (i call it haz mat). Halfway through the trip, I hit a fairly large bird in Louisiana, and it literally shattered the drivers side of my windshield. I barely was able to see enough to make it to the TA on the highway and wait. It took 24 hours for the repair guys to come out and change the windshield out. This put me too late for my appointment of 5am on a Tuesday, I didn't get there till about 5pm, and they were already closed. So sat there till next morning outside their gate. Found out the reschedule was for 10am on Thursday. The receiver was very nice. told me where I could park in their yard and even offered to bring me lunch from the taco place around the corner.
I was told my my company i should receive 3 days detention pay for it, but have yet to receive any of it. $75 per day X 3 days means they aren't paying me $225...

 

Dont know dot drive

 

this isn't anything new; this type of stuff happens all the time

 

i am not a driver,but I am finding this thread interesting,but thought if you were waiting,you still got paid.

 

In the next several years, I am contemplating becoming a professional truck driver. I am currently in the process of of getting more physically fit, cleaning up my MVR, cleaning up my credit history/report, trying to get a full 10 year work history without any layoffs or terminations, along with staying clean on everything else to fulfill DOT requirements.

After reading all these incredible detention reports, I can see it will be to my advantage that I have not married and do not have any children to support. This type of unpredictability can wreak havoc on family life. Unfortunately, both of my parents are also deceased. If and when I decide to go into professional trucking, my days of having to worry about them will be long gone. One cannot take care of an aging parent if they are on the road, especially with this type of unpredictability.

Over the road truck driving is NOT geared for married individuals trying their best to raise a family or maintain a marriage. It is also not geared for people trying to care for an aging parent, grandparent, or any elderly relative needing round the clock care. Years ago, when I was in the service, these same situations also applied. Some occupations & professions are really stacked against married individuals with families or individuals needing to care for an aging parent.

 

Hey mje-How are you?I think super long load/unloads are a very low percentage.When i'm out on the road,i figure sometimes that happens.It can be a good thing.You can get much needed rest,let your log book catch up.Gives you a chance to get paperwork done too.If you are definitely homeward bound it's different.If you are out x amount of weeks and it's in the middle of that,other than not going anywhere,it isn't a lot different from a normal to me day in this business.Everything being equal,don't let that be the deciding factor to not look into this as a job.

Also the ten year history,based on my experience,doesn't have to be spotless.Lay offs happen.I was fired for a bad attitude.I tell them that,why it happened and it hasn't slowed me down getting hired or offered.I've done this for many years,OTR and local.I've been able to do and see things i couldn't have afforded otherwise.Trucking will be exactly what you make it to be.It's not always easy.It's been a good life though.I hope whatever you do,it's the best for you and what you want.Take care.Brian

Back to the topic-My longest unload was in Phoenix coming off days off in Tucson.The unnamed company i worked for had me pickup a dropped trailer.It was loaded front to back on the floor.I forgot how many pieces.They wouldn't pay the lumper fee.It took three working days,four total-sunday closed-to get it done.I still think the driver knew what he was getting into,screamed out to Phoenix and dumped the trailer.Pre electronic logs.Take care.Brian

 

My longest was unloading at Ralph's in Compton for 22 or 23 hours... in a day cab. I was local at the time so it was all paid by the hour but I can't sleep in a day cab. I think I played video games for a good 18 hours of it.

 

He means, if you falsify logbooks, maybe run two logbooks, and perhaps do meth amphetamines to go 2 or 3 days without sleep, then OTR trucking can be very lucrative, so long as they don't call you in for random drug test. Giving any excuse to why you can't take the drug test (stomach flu, not feeling good all of a sudden, etc...) means an automatic positive drug result.

Contract negotiations between carrier and customer ALWAYS includes lumpers fee. Depending on the weight, if it's palletized or floor stack, and whether there's pallet exchange involved, the minimum is $300 charged by trucking companies to unload the freight. This excise fee is to hire lumpers, but trucking companies will often pocket this extra $$ as revenue, then pay the driver $50 to $100. I'm now an undergraduate student in Logistics & Supply Chain Management. In fleet operations, our teacher lectures that keeping this lumper excise fee can mean the difference between staying in business versus filing bankruptcy because you can't meet your liabilities (paying off creditors).

On day cabs, the trick is to bring a 2' x 3' plywood. You lay this across the driver and passenger seat to take a short nap; or at least that's what I did when I was a local driver. I also carried windshield sunblock to block the bright sun, and two cardboard pieces to fit the side windows. When the sun was hot, I'd idle the engine to run the AC, and the windshield and both windows were covered to block most of the sun's heat.

Most OTR truckers are on the obese side; too much time at the buffet table and not enough exercise. Bring along a digital scale to monitor your weight. Park on the farthest corner of truck stop to force yourself to walk the distance for exercise. If you want to exercise by jogging, park elsewhere where there are no diesel fumes, which had been declared a carcinogen (cancer causing) by the federal government. Bring a set of dumbells to keep your arms in shape.

On your MVR, any alcohol related offense such as open container, DUI, or refusal to submit to sobriety test or breath analyzer means you may have a drinking problem. If you have any alcohol related marks on your MVR, talk to a lawyer; there are loopholes in the law books to get these off your MVR that only lawyers know. On terminations, just say you started your own business buying merchandise wholesale, or showing up at storage auctions to procure items you can sell at swap meets. Or you can say you worked as a janitor for an unlicensed janitorial company who was paying you under the table. Just list a friend or relative for employer reference. Lots of people run a business and under report or never report their earnings to tax authority. This is one way illegal aliens survive in USA, they run an unlicensed business like janitorial, landscaping work, or handiman contractor work.

This is why OTR trucking has a high turnover rate, which trucking companies prefer to call "driver shortage" or "churning." Dictionary-com defines "churning" (as a verb) as "a stockbroker who trades excessively in order to earn more in commissions." With trucking, driver recruiters are hired to promise you heaven if you sign on; they're paid according to how many drivers submit an application, plus an additional pay when the driver passes DOT background check and is hired. The vast majority of married OTR newbie drivers will spend one year of OTR to establish their verifiable driving experience, then submit applications or resumes with local driving positions. This way, they come home every night and weekends to spend quality time with family.

When you're talking to a driver recruiter, those are important questions to ask; "Do you pay for delay at the shipper or receiver?" If they say "yes," you follow up with "how many hours before you pay dock delay excise pay?" Some companies will pay after 2 hours, others might say after 3 or more hours. When the company says "yes, we pay for shipper/receiver delay," it means that's a standard contract clause with customers. As a student of Logistics/Supply Chain management, teacher taught us that we should only accept this clause if we can squeeze lower rates on volume discount for sending say 10 loads (or more) per week. If we can't negotiate a lower rate to recoup the driver delay surcharge fee, then hang up and find another carrier.

Whoa, look at the time; I have to get to my next class. I'm at the college library as I'm uploading this reply.

 

Our longest load time was 21 hours at Cargill in Beardstown, Il. Got there at 7:00 am for a 8:00am appointment and had a 8 hour drop dead time of 4:00pm left later at 5:00am. Our company does not charge them detention so they loaded all the trucks that did while we sat and watched.