Pre-loaded trailers always overweight on tandems. Shipper doesn't care. Any advice?

Triad,why doesn't your firm give you guidelines to follow?
I ask them again how they want you to play it.
At the end off the day they are who you work for.

 

ah yes another run their mouth first types. what i wanted to know why he feels he is responsible for the trailer after he drops it. should he make it legal before putting it on the road, yes, post trip it and drop it. his responsiblitiy ends there. he has no control over the unit once he drops it or another driver hooks up to it.

 

I do believe that's exactly what he is doing.

By doing so he's making sure it's legal for the next driver.

That's what's called being part of a team and not having the do for me and #### the rest attitude that so many drivers have now.

 

OP, you are doing it right. Just make sure you bring Safety into the loop. Don't depend on dispatch talking to safety for you. Most dispatchers are massuvely overworked, and your issue could get lost in the shuffle. Call Safety yourself and make sute they are aware of the issue.

 

Props to the OP.

 

I try not to get into running bs on the forums but I need to clear some of this up. it seems some of you have jumped on the ( he must have a screw the next driver attitude).

I ask the question I did, because we do not have these problems where I work at. my job is to pick the unit up and do a pti mechanical, that’s it. we do not scale trucks, per the company.


permits, overweight, defective equipment, etc...... the company pays all fines, equipment not working ? I have 3 options even if it’s as minor as a burnt out maker light, I can park the unit where it is and get paid time and a half
waiting for a repair truck (thank you csa scores), I can go to the repair shop and sit at 1.5 until it is fixed, or I can go back to the yard and tell dispatch and they will send some one to come fix the unit or take it to the repair shop.

just Friday I had a leaking brake chamber when I got back, i told dispatch and when the driver came in Monday it was fixed. if it was not fixed it would be dispatches ### in trouble NOT THE DRIVER(Thank You Teamsters) if that driver had to sit for 3 or 4 hours getting paid while waiting for a repair truck.

as to the OP original question, if i knew the unit was over weight and had to be reloaded, i could care less because i will get paid, ( 1 time of me sitting there being paid or running out of hours on the side of the road and that problem would be solved and if it is not, it’s on the company) if the unit is not loaded with in the time limits for me to get back to the yard, i will drop the trailer and bob tail back. sometimes you have to quite beating your head against the wall and let the chips fall.


ask yourself this, this has been going on how long? and you have reported the problem how many times? and nothing has changed? do you believe they really give a crap at this point? maybe they do, but they do not want to piss off the customer and lose the account. they just take your complaint and place it in the round file waiting for you to quite complaining about it. you wasting time for 800 to 1500 pounds may be a very minor issue that they have no interest in dealing with, it’s a cost they are willing to accept for the time being.

you get to a point where you have to decide keep doing what you are doing and realize it may never change, accept load for what it is, or take drastic action and call the DOT.

I used to be young and idealistic, still am at times. but I realize that others are just punching a clock or collecting their money and they have no interest in fixing a problem that will cost them money from the bottom line or add to the jobs that they have to do already.

for myself when I get stuck in a lousy situation like yours, when the company will not take action I just collect my hourly pay and if I believe there is a safety issue I will call the union, the dot, or osha. if those above me are not concerned about it, I am not going to have a stroke trying to fix it.

 

Same companies did the same to me in Tracy California all the time,had to have a reload nearly every time I went to Quaker/Gatorade.
(I so don't miss OTR lol)