Moving heavy freight with pallet truck

I worked in the chocolate room at Palmer Candies which mainly makes cherry Bings and clusters ran an enrober for frosted pretzles ran 15 chocolate kettles for the ladies downstairs who made the clusters.Have to go down in the basements and get my boxes of chocolate and haul them upstairs all day everyday,I supervised ladies who worked on the pretle line.Alot of work but I loved it.Thought about going back there and see if Marty needs a driver,hes the owner.[QUOTE="semi" retired;4236684]MMM, chocolate clusters. I used to pick up at Brach's candy in Chicago, and in their breakroom, they had all kinds of candy you could take. Same at Entemanns in Chicago( I think they're gone now) You could take stuff there too.[/QUOTE]

 

OUCH! I can almost feel your pain there Powder Joints. Any idea when you will be "back to normal?" (Assuming you were ever normal to begin with, unlike me. . .)

I would say it depends on the frequency that you get these heavy pallets. If they are an everyday thing for the customer, then it might be pushing it to expect some help with it. But if the customer normally has lighter stuff that you can handle by yourself, there is nothing wrong with seeking some help. Particularly if the pallets cannot be broken down. Things such as decorative rock that come in gaylords, don't lend themselves to being broken down. . .OTOH, decorative rock usually goes to landscaping companies, and they seldom get lighter loads.

I guess it just depends on the individual situation. But one thing is for sure. NO JOB IS WORTH RUINING YOUR BODY OVER!

 

Normally if I got a heavy skid, if it's an early stop I'll have one of our dock guys put it on the tail, if the customer has no dock. If it's way up in the nose I'll try to route myself to a customer I know and il ask to pull it to the tail of the trailer. One customer normally has no problem helping out

 

To the OP, out of 4 pages this is the only decent practical advice so far other then me telling you to push a heavy pallet rather than pull when applicable. Every city LTL peddle driver has a customer in mind that will move heavy skids to the back for you. Since i have been peddling in the same city for 16 years i have many customers that will help

 

No were drivers not lumpers, if a company wants me to unload they can supply the proper equipment, if the customer wants it they can unload.

 

it takes about a year, I tried going back could do it did not have the range of motion yet, so now its Physical Therapy 3 times a week, looks like maybe another 6 months. Doc said no lift, no weight / strength for another 2 months. Certainly is not the most fun I ever had.

Original accident was March 01, 2014 at Sapps Cheyenne, WY. Slipped landing on my shoulder, still drove to Mira Loma, CA Super Mercado unloaded 46K Swift Pork, drove up to Mojave called in. Told the boss that was it. LaCaeyse Transport have been very good about it.

Oh ya the normal question, 3rd gen trucker, dont think weve been normal for generations, ...

 

On my 2nd day as an egg hauler, at the time they were in wire baskets, 15 doz. to a basket, 12 baskets to a layer, 5 high, and shrink wrapped. Very top heavy. My last stop, a Piggly Wiggly, backed up to the dock plate( the kind that go up and down outside) went in and asked for help, the manager said they were too busy, couldn't spare anyone, so I pulled it myself to the back of the trailer, the pallet caught the plate, the baskets came towards me and as if in slow motion, fell into the trailer, eggs EVERYWHERE. I stood there for 5 minutes, I didn't know what to do. The manager came out and said, "Oh, my God". I said, "yeah, thanks for helping me, jerk". I spent an hour and salvaged about half the pallet and backed over to the dumpster and shoveled the rest in the dumpster. When I got back, I threw the keys to the truck on the bosses desk and said, "Screw This". He was a great guy and calmed me down and said, "these things will happen, next time take a layer off the top". I did that crummy job for another 3 1/2 years.

 

Man don't that hurt something fierce to have all that weight on yer tail? How can you move? Shoot, more importantly, how can you WAG? (sometimes, I just can't help myself. . .)

Well now this sort of depends on the job you have hired on to do. If you are working LTL P & D you are going to be doing a lot of loading and unloading. In fact, almost any LTL that I've ever seen, (including refer work,) you did a certain amount of loading and/or unloading yourself. It just goes with the territory.

 

One of the great things I loved and miss about LTL route retail was I got to know and develop relationships with my customers. I had same situations. Skinny little spit with a 3K palate in the nose and a crappy jack. Good relationships and people skills usually got me help. But YOU steer. Let them be extra muscle but NOT the steerer. I also recommend a real long chain and palate puller jaws and carry extra sodas in the cooler to get some help and goodwill and yes indeed I broke them down to more manageable weights whenever I could. Watch out when gravity is "on your side", and by all means STAY OUT FROM BETWEEN THE PALLATE AND THE WALL. That joker will crush you in a skinny minute. Also watch how fast you spin or you WILL be restacking it.

 

Your right, I did KayBee toys, all hand stack, front to rear. Actually I liked it, If May would have left me on it, I possibly would not have left. No docks, all back door deliveries. Like I tell my son (who is 4th gen driver), Ask before you accept.