Be nice to shippers and receivers it pays off.

I know how to make this distasteful practice seem okay.

Just consider it a part of the "lifestyle"!!!

Using that term seems to be the justification for alot of the craap that drivers put up with.

So if you cant "hack the lifestyle", then get out! At least that is what seems to be the most common response for any complaint, legetimate or not, on this forum.

 

whats wrong with just being nice to people....?

we went to del a load and the company "forgot to make an app for us"
dock supervisor was p!$$ed and said we would have to wait until the next day (this was at 0800...) i told him no prob they did it to us all the time joked about it with him for about 10 min then i asked him when time he wanted us the next day..? he said just put it in a dock and will work ya in. the next driver that cam in (same company) was pissy about it and was told to leave and come back at 1400 the next day...!

so how was being nice a bad thing...?

 

You guys are really stretching it with the bribe thing. Being courteous and doing a little more than the minimum and leaving a place just a little better than you found it are not bribes. We are not talking about "here, take this gift and do me instead of that guy that is patently waiting..."

We are talking about being pleasant, courteous, respectful maybe throwing somebody a water on a hot day or grabbing onto something they might need a hand with. No, before you get your panties in a bunch about it not being your job to load, I did not say load for them. But if one of them is having a hard time, maybe pitch in for a sec. As a flat bedder, when the forklift guys offer to throw tarps on top of load is an example. They do not owe me that but man is it welcome. Or the office throwing us some water at a lumber mill, recently. Did we have water on the truck? Yeah, sure, but that is not the point.

Has society fallen so effing low that being courteous and nice and pleasant and respectful and treating others the way you wish to be treated now regarded as bribery!!?

You are correct, acting that way used to be considered a lifestyle. Today, not so much. And these lame justifications just prove it all the more. Frankly, those of you acting all put out about it are likely just playing devil's advocate. I refuse, for now, to believe you two are actually so disinterested, so cynical as to not give a crap about another human being just trying to make it through another day and having ever more people acting like an ash towards them.

Ever hear the old phrase "you reap what you sow"? For me it is true the vast majority of the time.

 

Do you walk down the sidewalk handing out stuff?

Most are looking for something in return when they give out material things at a place of business.

Come to my house, I will feed you dinner. Break down on the road I will stop and help you. Feeling a need to give stuff out at a business is a whole different ballgame.

 

All you really have to do is say, "Hey, how's it going?" and a lot of people have a better attitude towards you. It's usually the first thing I say to anybody. Works really well with DOT since most people treat them like crap. Forget bribing people, just treat them like another human being doing their job just like you are doing yours.

 

I don't bother with "bribing" the workers, but I've found it does help just shootin' the shiv with em. Being courteous makes a world of difference.

I got stuck at a shipper recently for a day and a half due to a series of goods on the shipper's end. I had more than enough reason to gripe and complain, but I was understanding with their office and offered any help I could. They eventually got me out and I delivered the load. Then I get an email from my DM that the shipper actually called her and wanted to express how grateful they were that I was so nice about the whole situation. My DM said I made her job so much easier in turn and that she'd remember that.

Short time later, I break down and lose 3 driving days in an area that usually does local runs(not many long hauls out at all). My DM pushes a bit and gets me a long haul out of there to help pick up the slack those three days put in my paycheck instead of making small 120 mile runs until I caught something headed out of the region.

If you're nice, people are generally more willing to help ya out. If you're a prick, you're gonna get brushed aside. Learned that real fast in customer service.

 

I don't do one pallet, but I understand where you're coming from.

I live load or unload once or twice a week, and the rest is drop and hook for a small company.

 

Thank you, as some here are radically overreacting, acting like I'm handing out hundred dollars bills so the dock worker will completely ignore everyone else in favor of me. Please.

 

Using this logic and hot days and all, I guess it is not wrong to expect the dockworkers to provide me with a cold water and maybe some snacks since I did a great job of getting the load there.

After all, I was doing my job too.

 

I've had them do that, too - haven't you?