Shippers and Receivers Holding You Guys Up, Too?

Nothin' new but goin on forever prolly not gonna get much better---BUT as for loadin--Be proactive--my truck my load MY WAY--I am always on the dock when my wagons loaded and it is loaded the way I want it--no reason u can't do that--also b surprised how much gentler those morons r when u r standing there watch in
Just Sayin

 

Amen to that

 

I'm usually on the shipper/receiving end more than driving, but I am always amazed at how many drivers will not watch a single thing being loaded or unloaded off/on their truck. I can't imagine opening the doors, backing in, and then never getting out of my truck again.

I had one place tell me drivers are not allowed inside, I said fine but I'm leaving with the load, how do I know if they damage something then say it was already damaged? They can dispute a count as well, and you don't have a leg to stand on if you're sleeping in the truck.

 

I seal every load, thats it. if they say seal intact any shortage is on the shipper.
I despise standing on the dock
, it might take them 3 hours or more. I d rather have a nap

 

Thats fine, I understand. But when they have a pallet of something with forks through it, they can say it came in like that. Or you can watch them damage it, lol.

 

I have only been one place this year that let me on the dock
just one damaged carton of meat in last 2 years
and that was just being picky cardboard was dented
sealed bag intact

 

I never argue about detention. I give 2 hours free and after that it is $10 every fifteen minutes. I get the shipper/receiver to sign my in/out time and notify the broker via email of when I arrive and when I depart. I automatically bill the detention, I never ask their permission. If they don't pay I file against their bond. They always end up paying. Just make sure that it falls in line with the contract. I alter all contracts before I sign them so they favor me. Brokers do not even bother to read what you have signed and sent back to them.

 

Having been with the same company for almost 6 years I have the luxury of knowing which shippers/receivers are going to take awhile so I just arrive at those particular customers as early as I legally can and just log a 10 hr break there while loading/unloading and shift my schedule accordingly. Being detained is a problem thats not likely to go away any time soon so we just have to be smart and compensate for it in some way.

 

Thats why I like flatbed and got away from dock freight. No wee AM hour appointments, slow shippers or receivers may be lagging but not by much per say more maybe like an hour or so compared to dock freights 4-all day waiting time and we load/unload during normal business hours. I forget the name of the place but its a meat plant up in Cactus, TX (JBS I think) but I have sat at that #### hole for 4 days waiting on USDA inspectors with their B.S. to release loads and done it more than once. That was when I was a company b---h but wised up since then. No pun intended company guys. I find it more of a PITA to chase down your layover and detention pay from a company than from a broker because at least with a broker you have them by the balls using the load as leverage to make them pay since their name is on the rate confirmation as well so use it to your advantage and get your new detention rate signed in black and white before releasing the load then mark that broker off the list of brokers to avoid from then on. Eventually they are going to get the point but as long as drivers keep throwing their hands up saying to hell with it rather fighting them then they are gonna continue to keep on and that includes shippers and receivers. They don't care. They have a set time to show up for work and a set time to leave and could careless about your speedy need of being unloaded. So if they don't pay, put their balls in a crunch by holding the load or even returning it to its origin because either way they still have to pay those shipping charges to and from. Not doing so the you take them to court.