What takes longer...loading or unloading?

Loading will depend on whether they need to get rid of the product to clear space. Unloading will depend on how badly they need the product. Also, the amount of truck traffic is a huge consideration, as well as, the general efficiency or laziness of the dock workers.

It's a crap shoot. Only thing I've noticed somewhat consistently, is that the smaller the place, the quicker it is USUALLY.

 

The receiver generally takes longer once the activity has commenced. A lot of loads won't come straight off the truck without being... redistributed to the receivers standards.

 

Some loads you'd swear they are counting every single blueberry... or leaving it on your truck and selling it one by one and if enough time elapsed they will claim whatever didn't sell then tell you they're rejecting the rest. Oh isn't pulling reefer fun sometimes!

 

I second other drivers here. It really depends on the load itself, how on time they are running with their schedule (if you are there by appointment only) or where you are in line (if first com first serve situation). Regardless of all the above though, furniture that is not packed in crates will take the longest o both: load and unload - 4-8 hours in my experience. To cover yourself to some extent at least, always let the broker know ahead of time, how much free waiting time you provide and your hourly rate for overage. On the flip side, large brokers have their own parameters set up, i.e. TQL wants 3 hrs free with $30/hr thereafter. You have to have the time stamp on your paperwork as well. Some brokers also require notification before free time runs out. You sort of learn about these details from the experience. Always read your rate confirmation in detail for fine print like this!!

 

It depends on many factors. If the receiver has no room for freight it can take longer to unload than load. If the Shipper is making the goods for delivery it can take a long time. I sat 24 hours in Detroit while they tried to get the last engine in the shipment to pass Quality Control.

The best possible case, beside drop & hook, is 20 minutes to unload and 20 minutes to load.

 

Tires take a longer to load than unload.

 

I waited 8 hours to do a drop and then they told me it would be 0600 before I could get an empty. I bobtailed right the hell out of that ####hole.

 

Don't you love when you have a drop and hook, and are happy because you assume you'll be in and out within 45 minutes? And then you have your hopes and dreams sliced, diced, and butchered and it takes hours upon hours to get an empty. That always gets me pretty darn PO'd...

 

I've been at places that take 15 min to load. I've been at a 5 min unload. I've also been at a 18 hour load and a 74 hour unload.

My favorites are always the 4 hour load of 10 paper rolls and then a 10 min unload of the same. Or vice versa.

Some places it's understandable. One time a guy told me that it'll take him about five hours to load me. When he saw the look on my face he pointed to a mountain of small boxes behind him and said he has to put them all on the trailer.. by hand. It was something over 18000 boxes, all hand loaded all by him.

Other places.. I remember well sitting for five hours, the only truck in the entire plant, watching all the forklift drivers play cards in their break room. There was like 10 of them. Finally, after I told them I'm leaving and they can explain what happened to their people, they all got together and unloaded me in less than five minutes.

If too much text here's the short version: be ready for some dumb #### out here

 

Too many variables.

Nature of the con / receiver are first and foremost. Which means it's somewhat product dependent, but only somewhat.

I came to loathe grocery store DC's (Shaws, Albertsons, Hannafords, God-#### Mclains), box stores (WalMart, Sam's Club) and piss-ant Pharmaceutical chains (CVS, Walgreens) - death by cancer thrice was faster than unloading at any of them alone.