Lets talk about greasing some palms...

We had a batch man at our plant that always made a mess out of your truck. Typically first load after a good wash.

 

I agree... but there is nothing wrong with letting the office staff know I appreciate the hard work they do. It’s not a bribe... but a gift of appreciation. But I grew up in NJ. It has more of a tipping culture. We used to tip the mailman at Christmas, leave a six pack for the garbage man when you had extra stuff to get rid of, any service workers coming to the house to work had fresh coffee and donuts and the mechanic at the shop always got a tip too.
I do it in NC now that I live here. Really surprises the people who get the tip. When I was painting houses in NC, the majority of people won’t even leave their house unlocked so you can use the bathroom.... southern hospitality my ###..it’s a myth.

 

so basically, you're just trading one load for another?

 

Happens every time I wash the truck at the one place we go. I've given up on the courtesy thing with that clown. And it's not just me or the company I work for that gets it there. Couple of drivers threatened to unload cement powder on his car when it's raining. As of right now, no one has done it. Yet...

 

The last job I had there was a strict policy. Zero tolerance for gratuities to the office staff. There was also zero tolerance for playing favorites with drivers. All dispatches were on a first come first offered basis. A dispatcher was fired the year before I arrived for playing favorites.

When I was at Swift there was a story told that the Laredo terminal was dirty, requiring $50 to get an outbound load. The entire office staff was fired and temporary staff brought in to run the show until permanent replacements were hired.

Always the best way to keep yourself busy is to be a reliable driver. I am willing to take any load, anywhere, at any time. The only time I ever turned down a load is if dispatch starts the conversation with, "I don't know if you want this load" or "You don't have to take this load". That tells me they aren't excited about the load, either.

 

I’ve tried to bribe but my DM isn’t corruptible.

 

When I was a company driver, I found that if I showed some leg to dispatch, it usually went better.

 

I'd ask "what" went better but there are some things I'm better off not knowing too much about.

 

Everything.

 

This has too much room for error (greasing palms) now being friendly and occasional small and thoughtful gifts to improve every ones mood (like a box of donuts) can smooth the path. The question to ask yourself is does this look like trying to buy favor or a friendly gesture? Keeping it low key avoids ethical problems later.