Co's where drivers don't work the dock

Discussion in 'LTL and Local Delivery Trucking Forum' started by Thelastofmykind, Nov 11, 2012.

  1. road_runner

    road_runner Road Train Member

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    I started out straight as a line driver. I still do occasional dock work when freight has to be added on to a trailer, or taken off. They pay us by the hour to do that. Less than 3% of my work time will be dock work.
     
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  3. 48Packard

    48Packard Ol' Two-stop Shag!

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    Good stuff to know...thanks all! I'm almost 52, and hoping to be in my final 24 months as an OTR driver. Still want to drive, but hoping my home situation will settle down by then. But I have zero desire to do dock work, aside from the incidentals required for the job.

    Of course, I'm also hoping to win the lottery!
     
  4. road_runner

    road_runner Road Train Member

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    Not sure what your situation is... But if you have medical issues (problem lifting stuff), then actual dock work would be the least of your worries. The vast majority of my dock work is accomplished using a forklift to pull freight. Sure there are awkward pieces that need to go by hand, but we usually work it with the forklifts one way or another. My biggest physical hurdle will be moving converter dollies around to where you need them. especially if it is an unpaved yard you are dealing with. They can weigh well over a thousand pounds. Keep that in mind if you are applying for a local job that requires you to pull sets.
     
    Big Don Thanks this.
  5. murphy1961

    murphy1961 Bobtail Member

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    Nov 14, 2012
    Falconer NY
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    NEMF drivers dont work the dock, atleast in the terminal here
     
  6. murphy1961

    murphy1961 Bobtail Member

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    Nov 14, 2012
    Falconer NY
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    NEMF in my area don't work the dock. when they get in they drop Trl and go home.
     
  7. murphy1961

    murphy1961 Bobtail Member

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    Nov 14, 2012
    Falconer NY
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    I Drive for Central Transport and I spend atleast an hour on the dock after working 10 hrs on the road
     
  8. Big Don

    Big Don "Old Fart"

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    It will depend on what you are looking at doing. If you limit yourself, it will be harder for you to find LTL work. From what I've seen, line haul drivers seldom do dock work. In a lot of companies, local P & D drivers don't do much either. BUT there is always going to the exception that proves the rule.

    Something else to think about here. Even if you never pull sets, and never do dock work, you almost always are going to have tail gate your load, at the very least. Some of this stuff is heavy. I mean HEAVY. The company that I worked for did a lot of hauling decorative rock. I'm not talking about dump truck here. I'm talking about stuff that is boxed in gaylords and can easily weigh upward of 2500 to 3000 lbs. And invariably they would be the last stop, so they are on the very front of the trailer. Customer never has a dock, so you have to tail gate it.

    I got my foot crushed one time with one of these. I was on a slope, (that is just the way it was, the stupid outfit leased a place that had a sloping lot. . .) and got a 2500 lb gaylord rolling on a downhill slope. The pallet jack was defective and would not drop the load. It was pushing me out the door, and would have come down on top of me. I did the only thing I could think of to do in that split second and steered it into the trailer wall. Didn't get my foot out of the way in time. . .

    Or you have your big slabs of marble counter tops. Usually on "A" frames, but it still takes a bit of "hands on" to off load this stuff.

    LTL is determinately NOT "light duty" work. OTOH, I really enjoyed the variety that I got into with it.

    There are "UGLY LOADS" just about every day!
     
  9. dirtyjerz

    dirtyjerz glowing beard pouty kid

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    At new century we are not allowed on the dock at the yard. They have a set crew of dock workers, drivers, even yard jockeys. Now doing p&d I have pallet jacked some freight at customers.

    CAM00105.jpg
    This is why us drivers don't go on the dock. I wrote this up and I'm sure someone is gonna get chewed out at the least for putting the fork thru the wall of the trailer.
     
  10. Marksteven

    Marksteven Road Train Member

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    Come to think about it, most of the USF Holland drivers i know in this area dont work the dock either.
     
  11. Deadjester

    Deadjester Light Load Member

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    Jun 24, 2011
    Indiana
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    unless it's part of their bid, i know the later guys come in at like 12 or 1p and will run city ltl till 6 or so then work outbound till 8 or 9 . here at UPSF(old overnite) we don't unless we want to.
     
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