dock time

I worked as a warehouse lead for a couple of years at DHL, and I hated early trucks. For a few reasons;

~ If your appoitment time was 6am, and you get there at 4am, you didn't give me the opportunity to process the 5am trucks first that were on time. Now they are going to be late because I processed you first. This is the main reason why Walmart DC's don't allow early deliveries.

~ No one ever communicates. If you're running early, call. The last thing I wanted was a 6am truck sitting in the parking lot for 2 hours in everyone elses way. If you called and I had a open 5am slot, you would go in that slot. And I don't mean call 10-20 minutes before you get there. Call a day in advance. Waiting till the last minute will tie me up, and make the 5am trucks late.

Because I was a warehouse lead, I use that to my advantage as a driver. If I'm running early, I'll call the customer to see if they will accept the freight. 9 times out of 10, they will. Don't suprise them with a early visit because they might suprise you by giving you a 34 hour reset.

 

I've worked warehouse for years and 100% agree with you that communication and honesty is the key. My main "gripe" is when drivers show up at 4:45pm the day before their 8:00am appointment and they throw a "fit" because we're made (i.e. "forced by management") to leave at 5:00pm. If they would simply call a few hours ahead to give a "heads up" that they're running early, we'll move things around to work them in... but I have very little sympathy for drivers who don't communicate. I try to communicate as much as I can with the truck lines... and I expect the same courtesy in return.

Another "gripe" is when drivers show up extremely early and state they have to be unloaded "now" because their DM has scheduled them for another load at the original appointment time held by us. That's usually a lie since I always call DM's to verify their story.

 

This is good info to remember. I am new to this and this is something I will definately remember

 

I had a few give me that line and I would just tell them to wait in the parking lot for a door assignment. 8 hours later I might give them one.

 

The "worst" early driver experience I ever had happened years ago with a Covenant driver. I scheduled a live load for 8:30am one morning. The driver showed at 8:15am and I showed at 8:20am... and the driver called me every name in the book for not immediately loading them when they showed up! This is the only time in my career I've ever told a driver to get off the property or face a police visit. A few minutes later their DM calls begging me to go ahead and load them. I told the DM that would be a bit hard to do since I just deleted Covenant's account from our carriers list

 

it dosent work all the time because most of us are not to the same location more than once. but some times politeness can go a long way. when you check in and ask if theres a bathroom, or a vending machine etc. offer to get him a cup of coffee or drink. just the fact you took two seconds to acknowledge him is enough for them to remember your there. and maybee get things rolling for you. dosent always work. but sometimes it helps

 

Actually Florida got snow.

All 2" of it for about 1 hour, but we got snow.

I will just log all that time on the dock as OD not Driving. My understanding is that is what the law says or at least eludes to.

But that could lead to some "unpleasant" encounters with upper management.

 

Why do you have pedo bear in your post?

You've been-----\/\/\/\-----Thunderstruck!!!
With a ThunderStick

 

Does he drive a van with "Free Candy" written on the side during days off?

 

OUCH!--------------------------