Anyone else take issue with Walmart dc's late policy?

I'm seeing this policy more and more with customers. Most of the time there are comments at the bottom of the preplan messages that will say things like:

• You are not 'Arrived' until checked in with the customer with a time stamp on BOL
• Service failure for early and late Arrivals
• $300 if early $500 if late, fines to the driver
• Speeding on property over 5MPH is an automatic Service Failure
• Failure to slide tandems back is automatic Service Failure

When I see stuff like this on the comments section I try to refuse these loads and wait for something better. If we all did that the customers would have no choice but to lighten up their policies to get their freight moved.

 

Everytime I have delivered to a walmart dc and came early they would just chase me away till apt time.That is a stupid policy to dock you as being late if they don't check you in within 10 minutes.This is the first ive heard of it,must be another new policy.I do think its a crock that they charge $50.00 to unload their crap.Should be a law against lumpers.Customers should be happy you're early but unfortunately they're not.

 

ok I got to ask, this thread is filled with whine about Wal-Mart, but every other grocery warehouse and cold storage facility is the exact same. none of them let you show up before a set time, and almost all make you reschedule if late. and they all require a lumper fee. so my question is if you guys hate dealing with these places so much, or just Wal-Mart specifically, why do you take loads to them? And don't give me that"my company doesn't offer a load choice" bs. there are plenty of truck driving jobs out there that keep you out of the food supply chain.
nobody is forced to go to these places, each and everyone of us has the choice.

 

Are you referring to jobs as flatbeds, tankers, or dry goods? Although, Walmart also receives dry goods as well as food.

 

Just wanted to let those know that Wal-mart does not pay detention........I only have delivered to Walmart's in WI,IL,MS,FL and they usually try to hit the four hour mark. I deliver to Wal-mart once or twice a week.....they are not the fastest or nicest to your trailer by far. But I have spoken to the head of severval DC's and know for a fact that they dont pay detention. Any detention paid is from the broker and trust me they can afford it. Usually if I book a Wal-Mart load from a new broker I get a clear understand about the detention of trailer and have him put it on the load confirmation sheet before I sign it and send it back. Also I try not to book anything right after Wal-Mart because they are known to take an excessive amount of time. Trust me I do not know why they hold us up either if the shipment is shipper load and count and the seal is intact, but I understand this is trucking. But if you think Wal-Marts are bad you should try the Target DC's sometimes I'm lucky and get a Wal-Mart and Target the same day.......lol

 

tanker and flatbed would be options yes, along with several other.

 

I have gotten detention pay after 3 hours at Walmart. I like Walmart DCs better than some other grocery warehouses. We used to be in a fleet that did nothing but take produce from California to DCs. We would get there an hour early and my wife runs the paperwork in while I park.
They are kinda crazy with the "no early ..... now you are late" policy. They tried to nip us on that last month in MacClenna, FL. I just ignored them. I was in line way ahead of time. How are we to know how long the line will be or how long it will take.

BTW my favorite is Longmont, CO

 

Just sayin', but this is one reason the mega carriers are not so bad: almost all of the Wal-Marts I go to are drop and hook. A smaller company, or O/O, often can't afford to have trailers sitting.

You got to look at the whole picture.

 

Simple, if my Walmart appointment time is for 4pm, I make sure I am already in line at 3pm or a little less as I know by the time I get to the guard shack I am within their hour limit. I go to Walmart alllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll the time and this wasn't an issue after the first time within my first week of driving when they said I had to be on time at the receiver's window and the guardshack didn't count. Not really a big deal. It is unlikely it will take the guard an hour to check you in and for you to get into a door. One thing is for sure, Walmart owns the world so don't even think that their rules will ever change. They can tell all truckers to strip naked for a cavity search and they would still get deliveries.

I dislike Kroger and Aldi worse because a lot of them require you to stand inside their freezer at your door to wait for a lumper to come around and they always take 30+ minutes to arrive while you turn into a popsicle. They also open early as hell and have all truckers report at the same time so there is a line of 50 trucks in front of you. If one guy sucks at backing you will be there all day. I really do not understand the lumper fee though... why not charge that to the customer? They already charged them thousands of dollars so what is $50 to the customer? They probably won't even notice if that was added to their bill.

 

Three things should never be late. Your rent, your girlfriends period and your load to Wal-Mart!