Shipper samples/freebies?

Back in the 70's I loaded the beer that made Milwaukee famous, usually had to wait all day to get loaded.
The break room had coolers with returnable bottles of beer for employees and drivers.
Don't think anyplace does that anymore.

 

I got a case of pop tarts from the factory once. Was being a smart ### and asked for a sample. They certainly provided.

Hmm. Now that I think about it, they also told me not to tell anyone. I trust you guys though

 

I ran a load of Bumble Bee Tuna in the pouches a few weeks ago. The lady in shipping gave me a couple of pouches that included a "thank you for hauling our freight" note.

This summer a couple of watermelon packing houses would give me watermelons.

Lately, all I get is a blank stare from the shipping office workers who proceed to put their heads back down and totally ignore me until they're ready to acknowledge another human being has entered their presence.

 

Hershey in Edwardsville, IL gives out candy at the guard shack.

Breyers in MD (town escapes me) had a freezer in the shipping office full of ice cream and other assorted frozen goodies.

Delivered cookies to a small distributor in middle OH that gave me two packages of Archway cookies.

....I really don't miss dragging a reefer now that I'm thinking on it.

 

I've always heard flatbed drivers say they would never go back to dry vans because they like being treated like a human. Tankers feel that way too huh?

 

That really sounds so nice. I actually am finding it hard to imagine.

 

For the most part, yes. If tanker paid better around here and I could have these hours I have now with dry van.... I sure as hell wouldn't be slamming doors.

 

A number of them will. It's for you drivers.

One in Maryland would ship salsa to Mexico. (Imagine that...) we would have a case of Salsa to feast on all the way across. Even today we check and see if we can ship a case from them.

Another in Washington offered a company store for Apples. And what apples. 10 cents a pound versus walmart 90 cents back then. Several bags of apples usually make the trip with us.

The northeast was a good place to have freight or food declared OSD, over, damage and short. Had a case of butter once. What to do with it? Well, hand it over to a steel foundry inside Brooklyn to trade to load in 20 minutes rather than wait around all day. Dispatch docked me for the butter. something like 50, but it was worth it beating the GWB rush westbound which always stacked up to a stand still at either the Deegan or East river. Twice a day, every day.

 

Docked you for butter? Hope you're joking.

 

I've hauled loads of expensive gourmet jams & jellies and that stuff looked so delicious. Picked out a case I wanted and barely pried open the cardboard box and poured water in. The grocery warehouse guy said, "That's leaking so we're not accepting it; don't even take it off the truck."
I unloaded the pallets myself so I could keep the lumper money, then short stacked a pallet so the count came up right even with the "leaking" case of jelly off to the side. Didn't bother me because that grocery warehouse was always trying to stiff the drivers.