Educate us about working as a Switcher / Yard Dog....

I hate to be difficult. That's it? Come up to Buffalo Assembly Ford and see about that railroad yard you have to work around rail cars full of castings in strings around you coming and going all day.

I write this in a teasing manner. I don't think I wish to spend my life as a yard boss. Too many big chiefs and safety standing out back commenting on my work. Wish I can fly them all off to Virgin Islands or something. The silence will enable me to get something done.

 

I don't know. If she went through that many already the first month of the year, you either going into a cultural hell hole with racism and god only knows what else or you are fixing to enter a place where there are no rules and those who say no are dismissed and replaced etc.

If it is one thing I hate in life is desperate employers. That tells me what I already learned running for outlaw outfits years ago. Im not going through that again.

 

Thankless Job, I have made up to 95 moves a night and as little as 8.
Last winter was brutal -55 on my night shift to see if your a good fit for the job go stand outside in a rainstorm for 12 hours and see how you like it , frozen trailer brakes , and stuck all of the time was a nightmare soaking wet , the worse part of my job is getting bent rail cans to close after they are loaded it is a art , its not for the faint of heart you learn new tricks every day. Making turns with a loaded trailer with its nose 5 feet off the ground is dangerous it will roll in a heartbeat. Drivers come in and park anywhere most likely in front of the hole you are backing into , you need to keep a cool head and help any and everybody with directions.

My new Autocar X1 does breakdown a lot and good luck finding a spotter mechanic to do warranty work I see a lowboy in your future , there is a lot of moving parts on them so a good pre trip is mandatory and take it easy on your equipment don't be flying around the yard like a cowboy throwing it in reverse when rolling forward ruins them , theres no need to rush you will figure your loaders out , so stay on there good side and they will treat you good., take care of your horse it will take care of you , if it breaks and you have no spare spotters be prepared for the the ulitimate nightmare doing it with a rental day cab with no lift or 5th wheel release , I would not work for anyone without some kind of spare onsite.​

My pet peeve is having everything put away and done at shift change dont leave the next driver with 15 moves out of the gate because most likely you will be doing yard audits at the start of your shift so if your behind when he or she comes in it could get ugly real fast.

Our pays in the 20s with with OT after 40 working 5 days 12 hour shifts , 20 hours OT in the 30s , a nice little paycheck if you can handle it , I've seen drivers come and go some don't last a 1/2 hour and vanish into thin air.

Make sure to bring good gloves , steel pipe , 10# sledge, big healthy pry bar.

Good Luck!

 

Oh BTW bring a set of airlines wrenches to change them , power cord , hanger spring and glad hands for the first time you forget to unhook and rip them off , we all have done it.

 

I have a good friend that spent 12 years in the yard at Kemp's in Minneapolis about lose his mind with road drivers that park in front of doors and always glued to a radio .
He bid off it and took a route ...hes much more sane now .

 

Yes they drive right by the bullpen and block 10 doors , the Adidas gym suit Volvo mafia usually disappear after midnight my only saviour , we have signs posted everywhere even on the front door to the dock office ,.it actually shuts the yard down on days thats why I work nights don't have to deal with them.